Single coils and hum

[Wayne27]

How come some single coil pickups hum more then other single coils? I not talking about stacked or rail pickups that cancel hum, I'm talking about regular single coil pickups. Do some hum more then others because of different output signals? Also do the Standard single coils on the Fender Standard Stratocaster have low, medium, or high output signal?

 

[mystique1]

Re: Single coils and hum

In my experience all single coils hum regardless of output. On another forum a few years ago members raved about D.Allen pups and how they had reduced hum. I bought a set and the noise from them was every bit as bad as any other single coil I've tried. If you're talking about the Fender MIM Std Strat, they are medium output pups, the old Am Std were vintage output, apart from the bridge pup which was wound a little hotter.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Single coils and hum

The only single coil I've noticed to hum less is my Phat Cat because it's covered.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Single coils and hum

I think it has more to do with varying noise levels in your environment. Plug in, walk around the room and you'll notice the noise varies. Turn just the right angle from your amp and it virtually disappears. Step up to a computer monitor and it goes through the roof.

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Single coils and hum

Jaguar single coils (with the claw) seem less noisy.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Single coils and hum

How come some single coil pickups hum more then other single coils? I not talking about stacked or rail pickups that cancel hum, I'm talking about regular single coil pickups. Do some hum more then others because of different output signals? Also do the Standard single coils on the Fender Standard Stratocaster have low, medium, or high output signal?

Pickups have an EQ curve. In fact, that's pretty much the only thing that sets many of them apart. If the pickup has a high resonant peak, it will expose noise of a higher frequency. If the pickup has a lower peak that boosts the upper mids, then any upper mid noise will be emphasized.

Another aspect to consider is the overall signal to noise ratio that is achieve by the pickup. How efficiently the pickup coverts string movement into voltage will dictate the proportion of signal to noise. Most Strat single coils are about the same in this regard, be it AlNiCo or steel poled, because what one lacks in magnetic strength (which determines voltage) it makes up for with a low magnetic reluctance (analogous to resistance). Steel pole pieces make for weaker magnets overall, but they present a lower reluctance path than AlNiCo pole pieces. One case where thing don't balance out when AlNiCo pole pieces lose their charge, because then you lack voltage, but you still have the same low magnetic reluctance picking up noise, so if your pickup's AlNiCo magnets are losing their charge, you will have to turn your amp up louder to compensate, and it will seem to be that there is more noise.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Single coils and hum

In my experience all single coils hum regardless of output. On another forum a few years ago members raved about D.Allen pups and how they had reduced hum. I bought a set and the noise from them was every bit as bad as any other single coil I've tried. If you're talking about the Fender MIM Std Strat, they are medium output pups, the old Am Std were vintage output, apart from the bridge pup which was wound a little hotter.

That was part of the marketing copy of the discontinued David Allen Austin Blues, "Special wax potted to reduce hum". Of all the bullcrappers out there, David Allen is among the elite.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Single coils and hum

I found that shielding a pickup with copper tape in an incomplete loop will reduce hum without reducing treble. It's important that the shield doesn't completely encircle the pickup into a closed loop, because that will cut some high end.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Single coils and hum

I found that shielding a pickup with copper tape in an incomplete loop will reduce hum without reducing treble. It's important that the shield doesn't completely encircle the pickup into a closed loop, because that will cut some high end.

It will cut high end even if the loop isn't closed, due to capacitance. Same thing that happens with a guitar cable and its shielding. If the inside of thje pickup cover was shielded, that would be a lot better, but I've never seen that done.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Single coils and hum

Yeah but the capacitance of a small little piece of copper makes little difference. When you break the loop (which acts as a shading coil) it prevents the eddy currents from cutting the high end, which is what causes the vast majority of lost treebles.

Here's a picture I found online of what I'm talking about:

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Single coils and hum

Yeah but the capacitance of a small little piece of copper makes little difference.

Capacitance is proportional to surface area and proximity. When the foil is around the coil, both of these things are significant. If the copper foil is on the inside of the cover, there's a crucial one to two millimeters of added distance between the conductive foil and the coil.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Single coils and hum

I wasn't saying anything about putting the shield on the pickup itself, that's why I used the picture to clarify.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Single coils and hum

I've thought about doing that as well. However I never got around it, as 50hz hum has never been any problem for me. I don't know why people seem to make it such a big deal...