Hum-cancelling single coil in humbucker format

Blille

New member
In a couple of occasions I've had a guitar with a hum bucker routing in the neck but would have rather had a Strat-like single coil (not P90). I've used a stag mag in the neck and used it in single coil mode 95% of the time.

I saw the Fralin Twangmaster (it's like an oversized Duckbucker) and it made me wonder what would happen if I removed half of the magnets in a Stag Mag (either 3/3 like a Duckbucker or 6/0 leaving an empty coil). Would this be hum-cancelling but retain most of the single coil tone? Has anybody tried something like this? This is different from removing the screws in a normal humbucker.
 
It would be the same affect as removing one row of screws from a humbucker.

There is a strat pickup ring adapter that would let you mount a strat-type pickup. Just use a hum-cancelling like a Stack or Rail.
 
It would be the same affect as removing one row of screws from a humbucker.

There is a strat pickup ring adapter that would let you mount a strat-type pickup. Just use a hum-cancelling like a Stack or Rail.

Thanks - Interesting, I thought that the effect of removing magnets would be more dramatic than screws.

Re - the ring - definitely a good idea, unfortunately this is for guitars with direct mounted pickups and I try to avoid more holes.
 
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How did I not see that before?

No shame in this. There are a lot of cool pickups in the Custom Shop's "standard" offerings. But one either has to own them all (investment) or go browse the CS pages every few months (cheaper) to keep track or remember them all.
 
Lots of people don't remember that the stock CS pickups can also be a starting point, where you can come up with something based on something else. There are so many options when you think about it like this.
 
Look at Dimarzio EJ Humbucker neck. It has a single coil sound in a conventional humbucker. David from Zhangbucker.com winds humbuckers this way to go with Telecasters in the neck.

BTW DiMarzios Humbucker from Hell has only one full coil with an empty coil next to it.
 
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Thanks hamerfan - I'll check those.

Only problem is they say straight out at the bottom, no Rails, Stacks or Little Humbuckers

My guess is that you would go full CS for those, using this one as a base like Mincer said.

Not an issue for me honestly - the hum cancelling was more of a bonus.
 
In a couple of occasions I've had a guitar with a hum bucker routing in the neck but would have rather had a Strat-like single coil (not P90). I've used a stag mag in the neck and used it in single coil mode 95% of the time.

I saw the Fralin Twangmaster (it's like an oversized Duckbucker) and it made me wonder what would happen if I removed half of the magnets in a Stag Mag (either 3/3 like a Duckbucker or 6/0 leaving an empty coil). Would this be hum-cancelling but retain most of the single coil tone? Has anybody tried something like this? This is different from removing the screws in a normal humbucker.

The Stag Mag sounds like the almost perfect solution. Just wire it in parallel. Full humbucking with Strat-like single-coil tone. And half the price of the CS.
 
Thanks hamerfan - I'll check those.



My guess is that you would go full CS for those, using this one as a base like Mincer said.

Not an issue for me honestly - the hum cancelling was more of a bonus.

That's what I meant. That page IS the Custom Shop, and it disallows all those single coil types straight up, just pure traditional single coil.
 
Fralin Twangmaster is the answer to your question. In spades. Sounds like a single coil. Go with higher wind and higher value pots for 'bigger'; I use 9k turns (not DCR) and short A5 mags (Fralin calls them 400 mags) in the neck of any guitar with covered pickups. Sounds like a huge, articulate single coil with the output to keep up with any bridge humbucker.
 
That's what I meant. That page IS the Custom Shop, and it disallows all those single coil types straight up, just pure traditional single coil.

I imagine the problem is the height. A stack might be too tall to fit between the baseplate and the cover and still allow the legs enough travel to set the height correctly in the guitar. That said, I believe the custom shop could work out a noiseless Fender single coil sound in a humbucker profile.
 
Lots of people don't remember that the stock CS pickups can also be a starting point, where you can come up with something based on something else. There are so many options when you think about it like this.

Is Custom Shop current turn-around time longer now due to impact of Covid?
 
Is Custom Shop current turn-around time longer now due to impact of Covid?

It was, for certain. I don't know about now. But I've been waiting several weeks for my custom set. It might be due to getting everything up and running again.
 
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