Question about pickup type

Lux84

New member
I know that there are two type of pickups: trembucker and humbucker. I know that for guitars with locking tremolo works only trembuckers. But how about scales? Can i install Passive Humbucker on bridge of 25.5 scale guitar ? Or would be better the Trembucker ? and why ?
 
Last edited:
Re: Question about pickup type

The Trembucker polepiece spacing is designed to align better with the string spacing on a guitar with vibrato bridge. This does not automatically mean that a humbucker with regular "Gibson" polepiece spacing would not work.

Some Fender Stratocasters are supplied with the Pearly Gates Plus humbucker - built by SD to Fender requirements and INTENDED to be installed on Stratocasters. The PG+ has regular "G" spacing.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, check out the Kramer Baretta. Regular humbucker, installed at an angle reminiscent of a Stratocaster single coil bridge pickup. None of the poles lines up exactly with the strings. Some strings pass close to two poles. Other strings pass just one polepiece. The guitar still rips.
 
Re: Question about pickup type

I know that for guitars with locking tremolo works only trembuckers.

That's not the case. Trembuckers line up the pole pieces with the strings more closely, but humbuckers work just as well in practice.

I'd get whichever came along at the right price first.
 
Re: Question about pickup type

Many guitar players just seem to believe that if the poles don't line up right, you will get less than optimum tone. It makes absolutely no difference IMHO.

What does make a difference, is the shape of the coil. The F spaced pickups require a longer bobbin and consequently, a wider coil.

The width of the coil can have a listenable difference in tone. The wider a coil is, the darker it will sound.

Plus, humbuckers have a fairly wide magnetic aperture that will completely encompass the differences in pole distances.

Since I mainly go for presence, brightness and attack with my tone, I shy away from F spaced pickups.

I'm pretty sure that the darker and thicker tone from SD's trembuckers compliments the slight and not so slight tone loss with using a vibrato device.

Hardtails will usually sound a bit more full and present than guitars equipped with vibrato units (some more than others).

Floyd Rose tremolos usually suffer from a sound that is a bit thin and has less sustain... the wider coil of the trembucker can slightly beef up the thinner tone that a double locked Floyd Rose system imparts.
 
Question about pickup type

What does make a difference, is the shape of the coil. The F spaced pickups require a longer bobbin and consequently, a wider coil.

This is true for Seymour Duncans, but not Dimarzios. The coils of Dimarzios are the same width for their standard and f-spaced. The pole pieces themselves are spaced out wider on the bobbins for the f-spaced models. I measured them myself a couple years ago.
 
Re: Question about pickup type

I know that there are two type of pickups: trembucker and humbucker. I know that for guitars with locking tremolo works only trembuckers. But how about scales? Can i install Passive Humbucker on bridge of 25.5 scale guitar ? Or would be better the Trembucker ? and why ?


You can put humbuckers in trem guitars... Some non tremolo bridges come with trem spacing. It doesnt matter it all works. Scales dont matter any pickup will work under any scale. Ive even installed a guitar pickup in a bass before.. It works just fine.
 
Re: Question about pickup type

Well, i've been thinking of buying this guitar: http://www.espguitars.com/guitars/ltd-guitar/mh-1000nt.html . and use it as my main metal/shred guitar. on the site it doesn't writes if it has humbucker or trembucker.. i plan to replace stock JB with Distortion i have now in my SG guitar. and install in SG pair of 59 pickups, and keep SG for more bluesy/vintage rock stuff. so, replacing the both JB/59 pickups on that LTD with Distortion & Jazz and have it for metal/shred stuff. then keep my SG for more bluesy/vintage stuff. and than i can sell JB to someone. anyway, thanks for further informations !
 
Last edited:
Re: Question about pickup type

I doubt a trembucker would be factory installed on a non-tremolo guitar. It's safe to say that the JB in that ESP is a regular humbucker.
 
Back
Top