Modifying Humbuckers

ÖGERBØØGER

ÖGERBØØGER

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Any buddy ever modify a Humbucker add more wire or double up the magnet? How did it sound was it a good idea? Or did you ruin the tone? I wanna make a pickup hotter but would like some tips let me know if you ever have done this before with out undwinding the whole bobbin
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

Well, adding more wire isn't easy. It will add output, and shave highs off. You have to decide if the frustration of winding more wire is worth it, vs the cost of a new pickup (and keeping or selling your old pickup). For me, if I wanted a vastly different tone or higher output, I'd first swap magnets (that is easy). If that doesn't work, I'd look at another pickup.
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

like dave said, you can add more wire but its not an easy thing do to and depending on the pup there may not be much room left on the bobbin. do you already have wire?
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

If someone doesn't have experience with winding, all they're going to do is ruin a PU. Doubling up magnets doesn't work. Is there any reason your options don't include getting a more appropriate PU to begin with, or modding an existing PU with a replacement magnet?
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

You can add a thicker mag, but its ability to increase output will be determined by what was in there already.

Adding wire is neither something for the beginner nor the tonally fickle.

I would be looking to another pickup.
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

AlexR said:
You can add a thicker mag, but its ability to increase output will be determined by what was in there already.

Adding wire is neither something for the beginner nor the tonally fickle.

I would be looking to another pickup.
Click to expand...

Well I have quite a few pickups laying around some are crap and some are good a few don't work ect I want to get into winding my own pickups just thinking about if it's possible to add tonal properties to an existing pickup so I don't have to buy a bunch of new stuff but would like to tinker and just try somethings out I think people should give it a try then just let there broken pickups sit in a drawer for ever I hate buying pickups the whole tone searching of it just is frustrating they all sound diffrent to me and there not cheap so thought it would be good to mess with an existing pickup I like that I don't use any more than just let it sit in the garage
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

You can possibly add extra winds.....as long as you can actually manage to take pickup wire and splice it onto another bit (thats still up in the air).

As to adding tonal properties......well I don't think with a few hundred extra winds you are going to change much if 'adding' is the only thing you want to do to the coil.

As to 'I don't want to buy a bunch of stuff'....what do you think you are going to be doing if you want to wind pickups yourself. As soon as you start unwinding anything potted you'll find very quickly the wire is either useless or you break it. So more coils of wire will be needed.
Then you need something to wind it on and wind it with (doing 10,000 winds by hand is THE definition of boredom)......so that will be another 'bunch of new stuff'.
Then the first many goes will probably be you trying to figure out how to get the wire on there without making a complete hash of it, or breaking it....etc......so that will be another 'bunch of new stuff' yet again.

So, kudos in trying to recycle. But to get something you actually want lets drop the notion that you'll be avoiding 'getting new stuff' to make that happen.

You'll still be spending 'countless' iterations of pickups tone-chasing......but it will be you spending your time winding in order to get there.
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

you can always add grade 52 neodymium magnets, if that doesn't rise output nothing will, by the way, with a grade 52 neo you might even be able to screw the pickup under the guitar and still get like 10 times more output
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

How do you add those magnets in the humbuckers?

I put on some orange drop cap to the volume pots and it sounded extreme like it was with palm mutting all the time
 
Re: Modifying Humbuckers

Swapping magnets and screw pole pieces seems to be the easiest way. I think the point is to get close to what you want coil wise in the first place and then change the other components. I’ve just about finished adding a flank magnet and polepieces to a humbucker and just need to wire it in my guitar. All just to get a bit more output, brightness, and aggression out of a relatively tame pickup.

I’d definitely leave the coil wire alone as you may damage it unless you plan on replacing it anyways.
 
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