How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

[MichaelScottPerkins]

I have never made a P90 before, but I've been asked to by a close friend. He asked me if I can make a pair of quiet P90s that do not hum, pick up radio stations, and florescent lights. I've always thought of P90s as just really wide but thin single coil pickups, and are notorious for being racket makers.

I did an internet search, and pretty much all of the more boutique pickup makers are making "hum-canceling P90s." What do they do differently?

 

[Mincer]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

Many are 2 coils on top of another- with the bottom coil rejecting the hum. More than any other type, the hum-cancelling P90s don't quite sound like regular P90s...a little thicker and softer.

 

[Discharged]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

I have never made a P90 before, but I've been asked to by a close friend. He asked me if I can make a pair of quiet P90s that do not hum, pick up radio stations, and florescent lights.

That's quite a tall order for an established pro with years in making p'ups, so I just can't imagine how somebody with no experience whatsoever, in his right mind, to even think about making one, so my word of advice is: just say no.

/Peter

 

[Jeffblue]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

I agree with both Mincer and Discharged.......stacked single coils....which would require a deeper rout in your guitar....and I think creating your own hum cancelling P90 IS a tall order. Stacked P90s are different sounding than actual P90s so probably lots of trial and error would ensue.

 

[MichaelScottPerkins]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

That's quite a tall order for an established pro with years in making p'ups, so I just can't imagine how somebody with no experience whatsoever, in his right mind, to even think about making one, so my word of advice is: just say no.

/Peter

That is one sentiment that I hear on pickup forums all the time... "If you don't have years of experience with [fill_in_the_blank], you'd be crazy to even try." Well... I must be one nutty character... ;-) because I ain't scared to try anything! The absolute WORST thing that can happen is, I wast a few dollars worth of magnet wire. Surgery... cutting a diamond, carving into a beautiful $250 piece of curly maple... changing the brakes on your car... THESE are things that I'd agree need a good bit of practice before attempting willy nilly.

Winding a bobbin with $10 worth of copper wire... I'm fine with jumping into the deep end.

But I hear you! And I do know what you mean. That is why I came here first, and will definitely do as much research as I can, and I thoroughly plan to burn a few during trial and error. So... any tips, tricks, or resources would be very appreciated.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

Go for it!

 

[EDX]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

make it a split humbucker, like a p-bass pickup, that's what railhammer does for theri p90 style pickups

 

[freefrog]

Re: How are Hum-Canceling P90s made?

I have never made a P90 before, but I've been asked to by a close friend. He asked me if I can make a pair of quiet P90s that do not hum, pick up radio stations, and florescent lights. I've always thought of P90s as just really wide but thin single coil pickups, and are notorious for being racket makers.

I did an internet search, and pretty much all of the more boutique pickup makers are making "hum-canceling P90s." What do they do differently?

Here are a few recipes that you might try to mimic:

https://patents.justia.com/patent/7189916

https://patents.justia.com/patent/20050204905

The second one (the "Ilitch coil") is easier to reproduce physically, since it's based on a few turns of relatively thick wire. Now, it might require to rout the guitar... and it doesn't work that well IME/ IMHO (the efficience of the system being "directional" while a noise sensor coil for P90's needs enough turns of wire to alter the tone: ilitch coils work better with lighter winds like Fender style SC's).

FWIW. Good luck in your project...