Humbucker inventor?

[idsnowdog]

I remember reading an article where the inventor of the Filtertron Ray Butts copied the anti-hum feature from a tape head complete with H shaped sensor window. He also made a tape based EchoSonic amplifier used by Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore.

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

The humbucking technique was already in use much earlier in things like valve amp chokes etc

 

[zionstrat]

I remember reading an article where the inventor of the Filtertron Ray Butts copied the anti-hum feature from a tape head complete with H shaped sensor window. He also made a tape based EchoSonic amplifier used by Chet Atkins and Scotty Moore.

It may be apocryphal but I remember reading many years ago that Ray Butts and Seth talked about the patent before Gibson filed. It hinted that Ray was actually ahead of Seth but didn't have the corporate pressure.

 

[orpheo]

According to this article, all it says is 'the humbucker as we know it' is designed by Seth Lover.

I had a huge fight with Scott about that years ago when I wrote my piece how Seth Lover did not in fact invent the first humbucker. Not for musical instruments, not even for guitars. He said that they couldn't put that article online because it would go against their own marketing of Seth Lover being the first.

He wasn't.

 

[Mincer]

I had a huge fight with Scott about that years ago when I wrote my piece how Seth Lover did not in fact invent the first humbucker. Not for musical instruments, not even for guitars. He said that they couldn't put that article online because it would go against their own marketing of Seth Lover being the first.

He wasn't.

Yeah, I suppose it could have been spun a different way while keeping things historically accurate.

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

I had a huge fight with Scott about that years ago when I wrote my piece how Seth Lover did not in fact invent the first humbucker. Not for musical instruments, not even for guitars. He said that they couldn't put that article online because it would go against their own marketing of Seth Lover being the first.

He wasn't.

Well, you could interpret 'the humbucker as we know it' as referring to the form factor of the typical bucker that retrofits into a les paul. Seth's design is the template for 99% of humbuckers in existence.

 

[orpheo]

Well, you could interpret 'the humbucker as we know it' as referring to the form factor of the typical bucker that retrofits into a les paul. Seth's design is the template for 99% of humbuckers in existence.

If you've read the rest here, you would have seen that others made humbuckers for guitars prior to Seth Lover. His invention, the original patent, was very vaguely written so it applied to many fields. His invention wasn't really an invention and he wasn't shy about that fact.

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

Yes, others previously created humbucking pickups by applying a preexisting method of noise cancellation to a transducer. Seth's take i.e bobbin, magnet, baseplate and cover dimensions, foot placement etc is the template used by Duncan, dimarzio, and everyone else, big and small, making aftermarket humbuckers.
The EMG 81 is the size it is so it can retrofit into a guitar that was previously loaded with buckers that follow Seth's design. 10$ Aliexpress buckers look like a PAF. If a kid walks into a shop and asks for a replacement humbucker, the dude behind the counter isn't going to plunk a Filtertron down on the counter.
'The humbucker as we know it', is carefully worded to allude to the popularity and longevity of the PAF, there's nothing in that statement claiming that Lover created anything fundamentally new.

Seth Lover was indeed the first; the first to design the pickup that everyone uses.

 

[beaubrummels]

Lesti’s patent:
https://patents.google.com/patent/USRE20070E/en
​​

Those are just the drawings. The full patent would include the description of how it works and an example of the preferred embodiment.

 

[beaubrummels]

Can't edit post with pictures...

I would say while Seth did not invent humbucking pickups, he created the derivative design that became the most ubiquitous, which is no small achievement.

 

[GuitarStv]

Man, if you're upset about Seth Lover copying the idea for humbuckers, you're going to have your minds blown when you look at every early guitar amplifier. They're all copied from older stereo and radio designs and there's a lot incestuous copying. Marshall JTM45s are copied from tweed Fender Bassman, which are copied and modified versions of older existing radio amps.

 

[jeremy]

most old fender, and most other brands, amps started with circuits provided by tube manufacturers so people would use their tubes more

 

[Mincer]

Yeah, don't even start with designs for overdrive pedals...

 

[Artie]

Yeah, don't even start with designs for overdrive pedals...

Well darn. I was just about to talk about Jack Orman's Mini-Booster, which he says is a simple derivative of the National Semiconductor application note, which someone else copied, and sold for stupid money. Under the name "Fulltone."

 

[justFred]

Those are just the drawings. The full patent would include the description of how it works and an example of the preferred embodiment.

Tap the link above the drawings.