single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

[Ro_S]

I have a question, please:

How does the sound of two single coil pickups wired in series, but not located adjacent to one another (like in a Strat configuration, for example), compare with the sound of a humbucker?

(For the purpose of the question, assume that the accumulated output of the two single coils equals the same as that of the humbucker.)

thanks

 

[Mincer]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

To my ears, they are more bassy and wooly, but this is based on experiments from a few years ago. I didn't really like the sound at all, but it isn't difficult to try it and see if you like it.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

Single coil+single coil do not equal a humbucker. The only single coils that I have tried that sound usable together are Lace sensors.

 

[jeremy]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

i have an antiquity II firebird neck pup and a bright custom wound 7.5k a5 bridge pup in my tele and a four way switch giving me the series option. the series selection sounds similar to the parallel selection with more output, bass and low mids but less highs. its a cool sound but it can be a little woofy, i use it for slide a fair amount but not too much for much else

 

[Lachezar Dochev]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

Brian May has a series connection for his neck and middle pickup in one (or all) of his Red Specials.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

Because the two coils are far apart and thus see different parts of the string, the tone is very different. If you've heard the sound of the two single coils you're thinking about -- say, the neck and middle in a Strat -- in parallel in the same guitar, imagine the same sound but louder and muddier. Slam them together at the neck or bridge in series and they will sound much more like what you think of as a humbucker.

Single coil + single coil does not equal a humbucker? That's exactly what a humbucker is.

 

[jeremy]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

yes. but rod magnet vs bar and the other differences also make a difference but your point is valid, put the two single coils next to each other and its much more "humbucker" like than in typical strat or tele positioning

 

[omg81]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

I have this setting in my Epiphone SG. Two Phat Cats with standard 3-way and an additional series switch. It has some HB characteristics, overall more balanced, but at the same time pretty thick and muddy. Some serious attack on crunchy cleans, but overall a bit too mushy for my liking. I prefer a bridge HB for almost anything, and a neck HB for singing solos. I loved the idea, and it's not bad, but not good enough for me to consider doing it again in future builds. I ended up preferring the traditional parallel position because it's more balanced.

 

[Ro_S]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

Thanks for the responses so far; keep them coming.

The reason I'm asking is that I have a guitar which is ripe for modication and is currently gutted of electrics and has a 'swimming pool' routing.
I'm planning a three-pickup HSH H-S-H configuration.
At present I don't have a guitar with a middle pickup, and I'm interested in getting various different sounds by having humbucker pickups which can be coil split and combineed with the middle pickup in both series and parallel.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

yes. but rod magnet vs bar and the other differences also make a difference but your point is valid, put the two single coils next to each other and its much more "humbucker" like than in typical strat or tele positioning

Of course rod mag and bar mag pickups sound very different. Just trying to make the point that a humbucker is just two single coil pickups. When you have two single coils in a Strat or P90 guitar that are hum-cancelling when used together, they are collectively just a humbucker with the coils far part. (And in parallel instead of series of course.)

 

[Myaccount876]

Re: single coils wired in series compared with a humbucker

To me, you can match the right single coils together in series to get into humbucker territory. Two fairly bright/low output/low inductance single coils that aren't too far apart work well enough in series. A treble booster also makes single coils in series much more usable. I have a telecaster with 3 single coils, wired up with switches for series wiring/phase switching and it "works".