What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

BowerR64

New member
Say you take 3 out from the top bobbin near the neck, and you take the high end side out from the bridge bobbin? Would it sound like an over wound single coil? or a P90 or somthing?

Would the coils still be phased right?

Would it sound like these?

Zpup.jpg
 
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Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

I've never thought about that... Kool question!

Rock On! :knockedou
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Here is what i did
poleZ.jpg


Here is a view of the wave files i recorded so you can fallow the MP3 vissualy.
MP3wave.jpg


6 poles vs stock MP3

Here is what i did, i took the pickup out and i push the poles out. then i put the guitar all back together and tuned it up. I recorded the 6 poles first because i could just push the poles back in with the guitar all together. This seemed to be the easiest way. I left the guitar plugged in and all the settings the same but with the volume down. I retuned it and then recorded the stock pickup sound.

Can you hear any difference? I seem to see some slight midrange boost with only 6 poles, and i see a little increase in output with it stock. I cant really hear much change.

I would think in theory it would atleast sound more bassy or somthing but i just dont hear much change. Its weird.

I should try dropping some screws in there and compair the poles to screws.
 
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Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

I agree about the midrange boost, it's subtle but it's definitely there, and IMO it's better than the stock sound.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Not much difference. I prefer the second sounds on all clips.
Cheers.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Yes, taking off the magnet poles maybe change the magnet field, but not the fact that the signal of each string runs through both coils.
Unlike the P-Bass design you still have one magnet which covers all strings.

But will there be a difference, if you run the Humbucker in parallel?
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Is it easy to just replace the poles with screws? Are they the same dimensions? Or will there be a gap? It is supposed to be a smoother tone with 2 rows of screws.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Hmm... I thought the screws would make a pickup brighter, like the SH-10 is brighter than the SH-1.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Inge Malmstein said:
Hmm... I thought the screws would make a pickup brighter, like the SH-10 is brighter than the SH-1.

I've heard brighter and smoother. Can you just replace the lugs for screws with no problems?
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

How should i do it? 3 staggered poles and 3 staggered screws or what? Ide like to do it so that there is some noticeable change.

What if i took all the bridge poles out? would it sound like an over wound single? I dont get how this stuff works man.

I read "the poles need to be directly over the strings" but when i remove a set from one coil i dont hear a change.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

I think we are all NUTS here!

first it was magnet swaps,then one coil from two different pups(hybrid)
now three poles out on each coil!
i wonder what seymour thinks of this stuff??
if it were me i would be going "what my stock stuff is not good enough!" :lmao: :lmao:
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

My stock stuff isnt good enough, but i just want to learn here what the things do. Maybe by accedent i could find somthing that could make a really cool new tone. Who wouldnt want that?

Im not gona go tweaking on my $80. duncan ya know, and my stock pickup is just sitting on the shelf so why not use it for some testing?
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

BowerR64 said:
My stock stuff isnt good enough, but i just want to learn here what the things do. Maybe by accedent i could find somthing that could make a really cool new tone. Who wouldnt want that?

DUDE i was kidding!
i experiment more than anyone here!
i am the BIGGEST NUT :14: :burnout:
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

WICKED LESTER said:
DUDE i was kidding!
i experiment more than anyone here!
i am the BIGGEST NUT :14: :burnout:

COOL!

LETS GET ROCKIN!
Rockin.jpg
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

WICKED LESTER said:
I think we are all NUTS here!

first it was magnet swaps,then one coil from two different pups(hybrid)
now three poles out on each coil!
i wonder what seymour thinks of this stuff??
if it were me i would be going "what my stock stuff is not good enough!" :lmao: :lmao:


There is a question on the Duncan FAQ that asks for a quick way to get a humbucker to sound more like single coil during a recording session. Seymour says take the screws out.
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

You've basically made a full-sized backwards Duckbucker.

sdbr-1_new.gif
 
Re: What would a humbucker sound like with only 6 poles?

Only if he wired it in parallel, which he didn't. And even then, I've never been clear on whether the coild on the Duckbucker and Vintage Rails both extended across all six strings or if there was simply empty space under the blank spots on the bobbin top. And I've never taken mine apart to find out.

ErikH said:
You've basically made a full-sized backwards Duckbucker.

sdbr-1_new.gif
 
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