My '59 trembucker measures 9.44K ?

R

rosssurf

New member
I purchased this '59 from a member here on on another forum quite a few years ago with the understanding that it is an overwound '59. I know I had measured it many years ago and wrote on the back that it was 9.25-9.4k . Today I removed it from my guitar thinking of selling it, and measured the following 9.44k total with one coil at 4.85K and one at 4.64k @70 degree room temperature. I know I had installed a RC A5 instead of the stock A5. the RC magnet may also be unoriented, but I am not sure that UO even applies to A5's? Is this a particularly rare Duncan I have here? I may be selling it to a friend but realizing these uncommon specs upon it's removal I am second guessing doing that as He is on a tight budget and I don't want to sell him something at a deflated or inflated price. I just want fair market value. anyone have any info on this pickup or an idea of it's value?
 
Yeah - I'm thinking this was custom shop. But - a 9k PAF style isn't all that rare. DiMArzio makes a few pickups in that ~10k zone. So, for what it is, not worth anymore than a Duncan or DiMarzio. Now - if the custom shop wound it, it cost a lot more. Me - I'm paying $75 max for it.

More importantly - how does it sound???
 
Depending on condition

$35-60 bucks used

If it is scratched up with a short whip of wire
That wil need to be replaced
I'd be at the low end

If the duncna logo is no longer visible
I wouldn't be interested at all

If the baseplate has been swapped
I wouldn't be interested

Got photos?
 
that is a high reading, if thats accurate, then id pay more for it than an average tb59
 
59 Trembucker is listed at 8.5k. Duncan has a 10% tolerance on their DCR readings. Yours is just on the very edge of that assuming your meter is accurate. I once had a Surfer measure 5.6k one day and then 6.5k the next.

That being said, if they said it was an overwound I would see no reason to not believe them. I have seen a 10k 59 overwind before, so 9.5k is not farfetched. But then again it could just be that their definition of "overwound" just means on the high end of factory tolerance.
 
F-spaced or Trembuckers always measure a bit more than their regular spaced counterparts. Something like at least 5%. Duncan's Trembuckers have the most effect at 52.6mm vs Dimarzio's 51mm. If we calculate for Duncans, 52.6mm is 7.3% longer than 49mm, and you have to double that to make a full turn. Now 42 AWG wire has 5.8 ohm resistance per meter.

Also the pickup temperature affects resistance alot. Just holding it in your hands for a few minutes can give a higher reading.
 
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My personal opinion is that a 59 wound to 9.4K should sound so much better than a standard 59 (adds a bit more mids as well as output).
As far as what it is worth...in good condition probably $50-60. But ultimately it is worth what someone is willing to pay for it. So, whatever you and your friend decide on is what it is worth.
 
Oh yeah...that has been through the wars.

And, a 10% error on Duncan side, and an error in measurement....still.

Meh - $60. 35 for the condition, 25 for the 9.5k.
 
re:the mag - FWIW. A5 is the only alnico that's available in both regular and unoriented versions.
A2 & A3 are inherently unoriented, and A4, A6, and A8 are always oriented AFAIK.
 
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