Has anyone put a lipstick in the neck position together with a mini humbucker in the bridge position? I'm making my first guitar and am very new to the electronic aspects of it. (I am a woodworker, so understand that part well.) My shape is a sort of jazzmasterish body with a 24 3/4" scale neck that I measured off my Epi. acoustic because I like the feel of it. I wanted to do something simple that has a nice chimey but rich tone and I thought that combo might be good. The body of my project is Basswood, the neck is maple.
lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
- Thread starter stone5
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Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
The issue here will not be the pickup matching but rather the potentiometer values.
Whenever I ask about mini-humbucker pot values here, they blow me off so I did some research.
Fender gets great sounds out of mini-humbuckers in strats and teles by using 375k alpha pots in them (you can get them from Fender or on ebay.)
I have 250k pots on my lipstick pickup strat and they sound amazing.
You COULD use a 250k pot and just bypass the tone on the bridge all together. It may take some experimentation but they will match well and they ARE in the same zip code so you will like the outcome AND...your axe will look SICK!!!
Good luck.
The issue here will not be the pickup matching but rather the potentiometer values.
Whenever I ask about mini-humbucker pot values here, they blow me off so I did some research.
Fender gets great sounds out of mini-humbuckers in strats and teles by using 375k alpha pots in them (you can get them from Fender or on ebay.)
I have 250k pots on my lipstick pickup strat and they sound amazing.
You COULD use a 250k pot and just bypass the tone on the bridge all together. It may take some experimentation but they will match well and they ARE in the same zip code so you will like the outcome AND...your axe will look SICK!!!
Good luck.
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
I was thinking that they would be a good combination - and which pots to use would have been my next question. single coil- 250K pots, humbucker- 500K pots right? so you are saying compromise at 375K? I was looking at a Tele wiring diagram for a three way switch with a single coil neck and humbucker bridge -it did not specify what the pot values would be, but it showed the tone had a .047 cap on it.
I was thinking that they would be a good combination - and which pots to use would have been my next question. single coil- 250K pots, humbucker- 500K pots right? so you are saying compromise at 375K? I was looking at a Tele wiring diagram for a three way switch with a single coil neck and humbucker bridge -it did not specify what the pot values would be, but it showed the tone had a .047 cap on it.
F
Funkfingers
Guest
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
Are you using the term "lipstick" pickup in the correct sense of a Danelectro single coil or as the misnomer sometimes erroneously applied to a conventional Fender Telecaster neck/Rhythm position single coil?
Are you using the term "lipstick" pickup in the correct sense of a Danelectro single coil or as the misnomer sometimes erroneously applied to a conventional Fender Telecaster neck/Rhythm position single coil?
Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
Firstly I'm saying that I picked up a hotrodded tele one day with a seymour duncan mini humbucker in the bridge and it was SOOOOO sick I researched it to death and found that they use a 375k pot.
So now...the more I talk about it with people (techs...other guitarists...electrical engineers), the more they seem to tell me the difference between 250k and 375k would be negligible.
Having said that, it can't hurt to try them. If it matters to you though, I just want to add that the Fender/ Alpha 375k pots are made in China. (if that is not an issue...they are around 9 dollars.)
EDIT: But yes...the general rule of thumb is 250k for single coils and 500K for humbuckers. (I forgot that point.)
250k pots will bleed off more high frequencies to ground causing it to sound darker and 500k will bleed less highs making them sound brighter.
Advanced class: You can also darken an overly bright humbucker by using a 250k pot.
Ok...now I'm done.
Firstly I'm saying that I picked up a hotrodded tele one day with a seymour duncan mini humbucker in the bridge and it was SOOOOO sick I researched it to death and found that they use a 375k pot.
So now...the more I talk about it with people (techs...other guitarists...electrical engineers), the more they seem to tell me the difference between 250k and 375k would be negligible.
Having said that, it can't hurt to try them. If it matters to you though, I just want to add that the Fender/ Alpha 375k pots are made in China. (if that is not an issue...they are around 9 dollars.)
EDIT: But yes...the general rule of thumb is 250k for single coils and 500K for humbuckers. (I forgot that point.)
250k pots will bleed off more high frequencies to ground causing it to sound darker and 500k will bleed less highs making them sound brighter.
Advanced class: You can also darken an overly bright humbucker by using a 250k pot.
Ok...now I'm done.
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Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
I am saying Lipstick as in Danelectro single coil...and I have been doing some reading also- some people think the 250K pots make a humbucker sound better-some suggest using 350 -375K. I am more interested in clarity and chimey-ness than gain fuzz, crunch etc. I expect the lipstick will be naturally bright- and am hoping the humbucker will not be muddy in the bridge position...I am interested in the pot that will get me a happy place between the two.
I am saying Lipstick as in Danelectro single coil...and I have been doing some reading also- some people think the 250K pots make a humbucker sound better-some suggest using 350 -375K. I am more interested in clarity and chimey-ness than gain fuzz, crunch etc. I expect the lipstick will be naturally bright- and am hoping the humbucker will not be muddy in the bridge position...I am interested in the pot that will get me a happy place between the two.
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Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
The pot value will change what it sounds like when you turn the knob down.
The pot value will change what it sounds like when you turn the knob down.
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Lucy Diamond
Well-known member
Re: lipstick, mini humbucker combo?
I'm telling you bro at least in the neck....the 375k is SICK.
I'm telling you bro at least in the neck....the 375k is SICK.
