Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

SQUAREHEAD

SQUAREHEAD

New member
I have a JB in the bridge and love it...as usual.
Is there such a thing as a mid to high output alnico humbucker that Duncan makes which sounds great in parallel?
I have an Ernie Ball EVH (14k neck) pickup in the neck and it sounds great in "full power" series, but really "dead/plunky" when I switch it to parallel mode...
Are there any humbuckes (any make) that sound great in parallel?
Is this hopeless?

Thanx,
Keith
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

Most (all???) humbuckers sound better to me in series or split as a single coil than they do in parallel. The parallel tone sounds like a second rate single coil...but it doesn't hum. THAT'S the plus about a humbucker in parallel: it sounds like a single coil pickup but doesn't hum. But the single coil tone when a humbucker is split is stronger than the parallel tone.

Lew
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

Parallel gives you the least amount of output of the three choices. Take a 14k pickup as described. The resistance is 14k in series (obviously). Assuming the coils are not mismatched, you get 7k split.

In parallel, you get 3.5k. On top of that, you still have a humbucker which means that there is still that same slight bit of high frequency cancellation going on as when it's in series. So parallel is weaker and duller than split.

I think series/parallel is a better option in the neck position -- gives you a fairly decent faux acoustic tone when you strum it hard. In the bridge, it's just, well...weak and dull.
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

Zhangliqun said:
Parallel gives you the least amount of output of the three choices. Take a 14k pickup as described. The resistance is 14k in series (obviously). Assuming the coils are not mismatched, you get 7k split.

In parallel, you get 3.5k. On top of that, you still have a humbucker which means that there is still that same slight bit of high frequency cancellation going on as when it's in series. So parallel is weaker and duller than split.

I think series/parallel is a better option in the neck position -- gives you a fairly decent faux acoustic tone when you strum it hard. In the bridge, it's just, well...weak and dull.
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Yep I agree, Bro...
I am talking about the neck position, not the bridge...
I like the bridge pickup in series at all times.

Keith
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

In that case, nearly any neck pu will do the trick. I wired Olin's Pearly Gates up for parallel in his PRS and it got that cool strum/acoustic kind of tone in parallel.
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

Zhangliqun said:
In that case, nearly any neck pu will do the trick. I wired Olin's Pearly Gates up for parallel in his PRS and it got that cool strum/acoustic kind of tone in parallel.
Click to expand...


Anyone tried a Custom Custom or a Custom 5 in the neck??
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

Probably not -- they're both way too hot for the neck and would probably sound REALLY dull in parallel.
 
Re: Neck Alnico pickup-sounds good in parallel???

SQUAREHEAD said:
Anyone tried a Custom Custom or a Custom 5 in the neck??
Click to expand...

My Hamer Monoco came with a Duncan Custom in the neck and Cstom Custom in the bridge.

Sounded fine at low volumes but cranked the neck pickup was to hot and got muddy.

I changed it to a Seth Lover neck pickup.

As far as parallel, series and single go: I'd just wire that neck pickup up to go from series or single.

My Strat has a PGn and Custom in it and I have the pickup selector switch and also two 3 way miniswitches...one for each pickup. I can go parallel, single or series with either pickup.

I NEVER EVER use the parallel setting.

Lew
 
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