New Fender CuNiFe Wide Range humbuckers vs Stock

Empty Pockets

BadHairDayologist
There's a little bit of buzz about Fender producing these pickups again. My friends and I put this video together to see what all the fuss is about.
 
The replacements sounded a bit clearer to me, good string separation, even with drive. Perhaps lower output and construction differences helped there? The stock originals were pretty good but a little murky to me, kind of had a slight mid bump to them also.
 
They've always been odd sounding pickups to me. I am sure some people dig them, though. They were used with 1 meg pots, right?
 
Cool!

Below is a Fender Wide Range RI neck without its cover (I've modified it the last week by adding a split option, hence the double cable under the baseplate).
Faithful to vintage design, polysol wire.
On this one, measured DCR = 10.5k, measured inductance = 4.8H. Same inductance than a lot of P.A.F. clones, FWIW, but this WRRI has a higher Q factor and it's 3dB less loud under electrical stimulation.
I've still to measure the magnetism of its CuNiFe screw poles with our Teslameter...
Fender Wide Range RI exposed coils.jpg - Click image for larger version  Name:	Fender Wide Range RI exposed coils.jpg Views:	0 Size:	27.3 KB ID:	6080627
 
Nice to see they've done right by the original design. I imagine the stock pups in the Squiers are regular humbuckers made to look like WRs, as was the case with Fenders too until their reissued the pu.

Yes, the Fenders of the 70s that came with them had 1meg pots.

It's interesting that Seth Lover's two seminal humbucking designs, the PAF and the WR, were both trying to keep as much of a single coil vibe as possible.
 
Nice to see they've done right by the original design. I imagine the stock pups in the Squiers are regular humbuckers made to look like WRs, as was the case with Fenders too until their reissued the pu.

Yes, the Fenders of the 70s that came with them had 1meg pots.

It's interesting that Seth Lover's two seminal humbucking designs, the PAF and the WR, were both trying to keep as much of a single coil vibe as possible.

original Wide Ranges are much bigger than PAFs, so either the brand new WR reissue is smaller, or the later "PAF-under-WR-cover" is much bigger than other PAF types.
 
original Wide Ranges are much bigger than PAFs, so either the brand new WR reissue is smaller, or the later "PAF-under-WR-cover" is much bigger than other PAF types.

The previous Fender Wide Range reissues were smaller than real vintage ones, with P.A.F. alike bobbins and some stuff between coils and cover in order to fill the gap... Here is a comparison between one of these "fake" RI's and a real vintage WR without cover: https://nodenguitars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Specs_wrhps.jpg

The Recent WR CuNiFe pictured in my first answer has white bobbins but they are of the correct size and shape... :)
 
The previous Fender Wide Range reissues were smaller than real vintage ones, with P.A.F. alike bobbins and some stuff between coils and cover in order to fill the gap... Here is a comparison between one of these "fake" RI's and a real vintage WR without cover: https://nodenguitars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Specs_wrhps.jpg

The Recent WR CuNiFe pictured in my first answer has white bobbins but they are of the correct size and shape... :)

I think the original 70's ones had white bobbins also? I recall seeing a deconstruction on the internet of an old one.

I thought the problem with the original WR design is that the CuNiFe mags don't hold the charge and after about 10-15 years the sound changes? That and/or the manufacturing difficulty in forming adjustable mags with CuNiFe?
 
I think the original 70's ones had white bobbins also? I recall seeing a deconstruction on the internet of an old one.

I thought the problem with the original WR design is that the CuNiFe mags don't hold the charge and after about 10-15 years the sound changes? That and/or the manufacturing difficulty in forming adjustable mags with CuNiFe?

Yes, there was black and white bobbins in original ones. My observation was only about the difference between the two pics that I've shared: I was trying to say that the two PU's were identical despite of their different colors.

Regarding CuniFe: if memory serves me, it's magnetically comparable to A3. It musn't be that hard to regauss with a neodymium mag if needed...

More later : I need to see what our teslameter tells about the current charge of these screw shaped mags. :cool:
 
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