Stacked vs humbucker
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Re: Stacked vs humbucker
Stacked single coil = 2 coils, one on top of another, literally stacked, hence the name stacked single coil. They look like traditional single coils, but are typically taller because you have 2 coils inside.
Single Coil Sized Humbucker = Something like the Hot Rail would be that. You take a traditional double coil side-by-side humbucker, and you squash it into the size of a single coil! They accomplish this by using the blade instead of pole pieces, and then wind thr 2 coils around each of the 2 blades, and then put a skinny bar magnet at the bottom, just like your regular humbucker.
They sound different because the placement of the coil changes the sound.
Stacked single coil = 2 coils, one on top of another, literally stacked, hence the name stacked single coil. They look like traditional single coils, but are typically taller because you have 2 coils inside.
Single Coil Sized Humbucker = Something like the Hot Rail would be that. You take a traditional double coil side-by-side humbucker, and you squash it into the size of a single coil! They accomplish this by using the blade instead of pole pieces, and then wind thr 2 coils around each of the 2 blades, and then put a skinny bar magnet at the bottom, just like your regular humbucker.
They sound different because the placement of the coil changes the sound.
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
Technically, yes
Practically... not so much. The stack design means you have a coil that's sitting WAY below the strings. If you want to use the bottom coil I don't imagine that it would sound like it's supposed to.
Are you trying to go for a traditional single coil look? Because the 2-in-1 approach would work a whole lot better with a hot rail style design. If you have 2 vastly different coils though, the combined humbucking sound might turn out pretty funny?
Technically, yes
Practically... not so much. The stack design means you have a coil that's sitting WAY below the strings. If you want to use the bottom coil I don't imagine that it would sound like it's supposed to.
Are you trying to go for a traditional single coil look? Because the 2-in-1 approach would work a whole lot better with a hot rail style design. If you have 2 vastly different coils though, the combined humbucking sound might turn out pretty funny?
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
My idea was to have a 2-in-1 pickup that looks like 1 pickup that never went into humbucker mode lol. I could also go with a single sized humbucker which uses tiny slugs, but I wanted a more traditional single coil appearance since it's not going to be used as a humbucker. Do you think the SD custom shop could design a stack that'll work?
My idea was to have a 2-in-1 pickup that looks like 1 pickup that never went into humbucker mode lol. I could also go with a single sized humbucker which uses tiny slugs, but I wanted a more traditional single coil appearance since it's not going to be used as a humbucker. Do you think the SD custom shop could design a stack that'll work?
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
Tonally the stack is emulating a singlecoil, but without the hum. It gives away some of the pure s/c tone, but it is essentially similar/the same if you are not overly fussy. The secondary coil usually doesn't contribute to the tone apart from the hum cancellation.....although some designs are a bit different to each other.
The single sized humbucker is of course trying to be a humbucker....but the shape of it will be important for tone as coil windings and magnets will influence the final outcome. So the two coils working together will make it sound fatter and fuller than the stack.
Tonally the stack is emulating a singlecoil, but without the hum. It gives away some of the pure s/c tone, but it is essentially similar/the same if you are not overly fussy. The secondary coil usually doesn't contribute to the tone apart from the hum cancellation.....although some designs are a bit different to each other.
The single sized humbucker is of course trying to be a humbucker....but the shape of it will be important for tone as coil windings and magnets will influence the final outcome. So the two coils working together will make it sound fatter and fuller than the stack.
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
So basically you're looking for 2 single coil pickups occupying only one slot and never wire them in series together.
Well, you COULD MAYBE do it with a stack, you'd have to ask MJ because as AlexR said, the bottom coil typically isn't there to output sound, it's more just to cancel the hum. If you need the bottom coil being fully functional it'll be difficult because it's so damn far away from the strings that it'll sound super weak. Maybe if you can get them to wind it hot enough? But then a super hot winding would also change the sound, so that + the distance from strings = you probably won't get the original sound you want, but who knows, maybe MJ could make it work if you specify your needs VERY clearly so she knows you're not really looking for a stack, but 2 pickups in one slot.
It'll be a lot easier to achieve using a more hot-rail-ish format. Sure the pickups are squashed into blades, but they are still 2 individual coils with proper placement with respect to the strings.
So basically you're looking for 2 single coil pickups occupying only one slot and never wire them in series together.
Well, you COULD MAYBE do it with a stack, you'd have to ask MJ because as AlexR said, the bottom coil typically isn't there to output sound, it's more just to cancel the hum. If you need the bottom coil being fully functional it'll be difficult because it's so damn far away from the strings that it'll sound super weak. Maybe if you can get them to wind it hot enough? But then a super hot winding would also change the sound, so that + the distance from strings = you probably won't get the original sound you want, but who knows, maybe MJ could make it work if you specify your needs VERY clearly so she knows you're not really looking for a stack, but 2 pickups in one slot.
It'll be a lot easier to achieve using a more hot-rail-ish format. Sure the pickups are squashed into blades, but they are still 2 individual coils with proper placement with respect to the strings.
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
The secondary issue with making something like what you ask is that the lower half/part of the coil wouldn't see much signal. Not only would that cancel not very much of the hum (the signals from each coil need to be similar/identical to do that properly), but the tonal effect of 1 half high signal 1 half very low signal could do all sorts of odd things.
I would just go for a hot wound stack in that case. Something like the stk 6, which has higher output. If you want dual sound maybe have the active coil with a tap...so the main coil has a hotter or cooler option.
The secondary issue with making something like what you ask is that the lower half/part of the coil wouldn't see much signal. Not only would that cancel not very much of the hum (the signals from each coil need to be similar/identical to do that properly), but the tonal effect of 1 half high signal 1 half very low signal could do all sorts of odd things.
I would just go for a hot wound stack in that case. Something like the stk 6, which has higher output. If you want dual sound maybe have the active coil with a tap...so the main coil has a hotter or cooler option.
BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
As AlexR has mentioned, the stacks are really a single coil with a second coil below to cancel hum. I can attest to the fact that the second coil contributes very little to the tone. I've played around (out of curiosity) with wiring a Hot Stack for series, split (both ways), and parallel, and here's what I found:
• Loudest was split to the top coil
• Next was series, which is what the pup was designed for. Very little signal loss, but it was hum-canceling.
• Parallel was SIGNIFICANTLY less volume. Think of if you have a two-pickup guitar and one pickup is set way too low... you get a volume drop when you go from the property set pickup to running both.
• Quietest was split to the lower coil. As mentioned, it's like a pickup set too far from the strings... but THEN it has another pickup sitting on top of it.
Don't know how different you can get the side-by-side coils of a single-sized humbucker wound... there's not a lot of room there, but it seems more likely that the humbucker would get you what you want since the stacks favor the top coil so heavily.
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As AlexR has mentioned, the stacks are really a single coil with a second coil below to cancel hum. I can attest to the fact that the second coil contributes very little to the tone. I've played around (out of curiosity) with wiring a Hot Stack for series, split (both ways), and parallel, and here's what I found:
• Loudest was split to the top coil
• Next was series, which is what the pup was designed for. Very little signal loss, but it was hum-canceling.
• Parallel was SIGNIFICANTLY less volume. Think of if you have a two-pickup guitar and one pickup is set way too low... you get a volume drop when you go from the property set pickup to running both.
• Quietest was split to the lower coil. As mentioned, it's like a pickup set too far from the strings... but THEN it has another pickup sitting on top of it.
Don't know how different you can get the side-by-side coils of a single-sized humbucker wound... there's not a lot of room there, but it seems more likely that the humbucker would get you what you want since the stacks favor the top coil so heavily.
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Re: Stacked vs humbucker
I keep saying "Vastly Different" I mean vastly different tone wise, and that's by my ears. The output levels are probably closer to the differences between a WLH and a Seth Lover than say a JB and a Jazz. Most of why I want the stack is for appearance alone anyways, so it's not a big deal. Just got curious!
I keep saying "Vastly Different" I mean vastly different tone wise, and that's by my ears. The output levels are probably closer to the differences between a WLH and a Seth Lover than say a JB and a Jazz. Most of why I want the stack is for appearance alone anyways, so it's not a big deal. Just got curious!
BriGuy1968
New member
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
Just get fake covers! [emoji12]
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Just get fake covers! [emoji12]
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metalchurch79
New member
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
This is a good thread, lots of excellent info being posted. Isn't the merging of a stacked and humbucking design essentially the P-Rails? Maybe Rick Moranis can condense that down but maybe it's not possible or useable in that format though??
This is a good thread, lots of excellent info being posted. Isn't the merging of a stacked and humbucking design essentially the P-Rails? Maybe Rick Moranis can condense that down but maybe it's not possible or useable in that format though??
Clint 55
OH THE DOUBLE THICK GLAZE!
Re: Stacked vs humbucker
You can achieve your goal of getting 2 different sounds in bridge position easily by getting an HSS pickguard and then sticking 2 single coils of your choice in the humbucker slot. True sc, stack, or sc sized humbucker. It isn't that complicated of an operation and will be vastly superior than trying to use the lower hum cancelling coil of a stack or getting full sounds out of both sides of a single coil sized humbucker. Of course you could always have whatever full sized humbucker you want built in the custom shop. You could choose whatever sound you want for each coil and customize the appearance as well.
You can achieve your goal of getting 2 different sounds in bridge position easily by getting an HSS pickguard and then sticking 2 single coils of your choice in the humbucker slot. True sc, stack, or sc sized humbucker. It isn't that complicated of an operation and will be vastly superior than trying to use the lower hum cancelling coil of a stack or getting full sounds out of both sides of a single coil sized humbucker. Of course you could always have whatever full sized humbucker you want built in the custom shop. You could choose whatever sound you want for each coil and customize the appearance as well.
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Re: Stacked vs humbucker
It's a Tele though, and not one I'm willing to rout the body on. It's to some extent a vintage, and the Parsons/White B-Bender is enough of a mod for me. When the time comes to do the mod, I'll talk to the custom shop about it to see what they can do, but I might just have to face having the single coil that's already in there.
It's a Tele though, and not one I'm willing to rout the body on. It's to some extent a vintage, and the Parsons/White B-Bender is enough of a mod for me. When the time comes to do the mod, I'll talk to the custom shop about it to see what they can do, but I might just have to face having the single coil that's already in there.
