Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Tim on April 03, 2005, 10:56:52 AM
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Thought I'd post up common questions I get asked in the 150+ emails I reply to every day.
2 or 4 con?
If you want access to series/parallel, in/out of phase, or coil taps then 4 conductor is the hook up for you. 2 conductor allows series(normal humbucking operation) only. Traditonally LP style axes have always used braided 2 conductor.
50 or 52mm?
Again, traditionally Gibson spacing has been 50mm(49.5mm actually) and Fender 52mm(again nearer 53mm) so as a general rule I advise wide space-52mm for trem equipped guitars and 50mm for fixed bridge guitars. If in doubt measure from the centre of the High E to the cntre of the low E pole screw.
Does fitting a humbucker cover effect the sound?
In a word, yes. It lowers the resonant peak slightly however we compensate for this with a small adjustment to the wind.
Covers are a great tonal shaping tool, fit one to an overbright pickup can just round the highs slightly and impart and more vintage tone. Similarly removing a cover from a pickup that seems a touch closed off in the top end can open it out a touch.
Covers always need to be waxpotted on if you want to satnd a realistic chance of preventing microphonics. Likewise it's never a good idea to just prise a cover off as you can damage the windings underneath. Send them in and we'll do it for you.
I'll post more as I think of them. :D
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Please excuse my ignorance but what then would you need (4-con/2-con) for a regular Epiphone Les Paul with (obviously) 2 humbuckers, 3 position switch and 4 pots (1 tone and 1 volume per pup)? Is there any way of converting a regular LP axe like this into a 5-position switch?
How about a guitar with two humbuckers (and 3 position switch) but only 1 volume and 1 tone for both? Would that matter what 4-con/2-con to choose? Could you add two extra pots (by drilling some holes etc) so that volume and tone could be independently controlled for each pup?
Having said all this I certainly won't be doing any installation of pups myself as I wouldn't have a clue of what to do - might as well pay somebody experienced to do the job properly!
Sorry for all these questions but I find it interesting and would like to know as much as possible about how pups work. Also I need to know before I buy some BKPs :D !
T...
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Please excuse my ignorance but what then would you need (4-con/2-con) for a regular Epiphone Les Paul with (obviously) 2 humbuckers, 3 position switch and 4 pots (1 tone and 1 volume per pup)? Is there any way of converting a regular LP axe like this into a 5-position switch?
You need to replace one or both of the pots with push/pull or push/push pots. Very simple as long as you're careful with the soldering - you can screw up a push pull pot if you're not careful, too much heat can kill them to paraphrase Queen, and don't ask me how I know that.......
PS - if you want to try an Epi LP with Nailbombs, give me a shout.
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Please excuse my ignorance but what then would you need (4-con/2-con) for a regular Epiphone Les Paul with (obviously) 2 humbuckers, 3 position switch and 4 pots (1 tone and 1 volume per pup)?
2 conductor
Is there any way of converting a regular LP axe like this into a 5-position switch?
No easily-you'd be better off with push pull pots for coil splits etc
You'd need 4 conductor too.
How about a guitar with two humbuckers (and 3 position switch) but only 1 volume and 1 tone for both? Would that matter what 4-con/2-con to choose?
No
Could you add two extra pots (by drilling some holes etc) so that volume and tone could be independently controlled for each pup?
If you wanted although I'd get an experienced repairman/luthier to do the job.
T...
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Thanks for that Tim and R/2e - all very useful! No worries about trying out the Epi LP thanks R/2e as I think I've decided to go for those anyway, now I've just got to wait for my new guitar to arrive and payday.......
T...
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Please excuse my ignorance but what then would you need (4-con/2-con) for a regular Epiphone Les Paul with (obviously) 2 humbuckers, 3 position switch and 4 pots (1 tone and 1 volume per pup)?
2 conductor
I got a Gibson SG Standard and my pickups are 490r and 498t. Gibson's website says this
"Available with chrome, gold or nickel covers, or open coils, the 498T comes with four conductor shielded wiring for series/parallel/split coil variations. "
I'm confused now. Should i get 2 or 4? thanks
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Do you use coil taps?
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Do you use coil taps?
Sorry, I should have read more before I posted.
"NOTE: Factory-installed 490R and 490T pickups have two conductor wiring. "
thanks for the reply!!!
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what is the difference between the 2 magnet/polepiece options on singlecoils? i think they are "flat profile" and "vintage stagger" but i can't just remember off the top of my head.
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I think there are 3 options depending on the pickup.
My Apache's have a 54 stagger. This has the G magnet lower and A higher than the vintage , but still has E&B lowest, then E & G then A and D highest.
The vintage stagger makes the top E & B lowest, then the bottom E & A, with the D & G tallest.
In the flat, all the magnets are the same length.
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for a H/S/H guitar, what conductor wiring do i need for each pickup? (regular switching)
Sorry. I'm only a beginner with this pickup business!
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Each humbucker will need 4 conductor, the single coil will have 2 conductor.
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Heyyyyy, just what i thought, yay :D
tim you're a legend, thanks a lot my friend.
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single coil wiring question: black to hot, white to ground? or white to hot, black to ground?
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White= hot
Black= not!
Same as fender
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bollocks! (to self)
thanks! to steve
i assumed they were the same way round as the swineshead pickups i already have in the guitar. well i was wrong... ahh well
thanks again
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Hi!
(First post here - woohoo! - and it's a dumb question!)
Just to clarify, if I have 52 mm at the bridge, does the pickup spacing account for the narowing of the string spacing towards the neck? I.e. do I need to measure the strings at the neck position too (i.e. buy a 52 mm bridge and a 50 mm neck pup), or just type in '52' for both pups.
Thanks!
Stewart
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Hi,
Neck pickups are always 50mm because of the stringd narrowing towards the neck.
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Hi,
Neck pickups are always 50mm because of the stringd narrowing towards the neck.
Well that makes like easy!
Many thanks.
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What would the sound be like if you wound an uncovered pickup like you would a covered one? Would you get more resonance?
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in a nut shell the best way to describe the sound of an uncovered pickup versus a covered one is this.....take a microphone(ex.for vocals..)cover the tip with your hand ala mike patton and sing/talk(simulates the sound of a covered pickup),then take your hand off the tip and hold it the classic way(simulates an uncovered pickup).hope this helps.
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The cover attenuates the magnetic field a little, which has the effect of taking out a very small amount of high end.
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So Fender Standard Strat, which polepiece option do i go for? Right now the stock pickups have been set up by a tech and they are staggered, the E strings are lowest then the B and A then the G and D are highest. What do I go for?
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Sorry to post, just I didn't want to make a new topic.
I am getting a bridge pickup (nailbomb) for my Gibson SG special, but it says on the FAQ on the main site, that you should use the 1/4 leg for slimmer guitars, but 1/2 on Gibsons, although my guitar is pretty thin, and don't want to get the wrong one... Does anyone know which I should get please?
Also, I'l get the Braided 2 conductor, as I just want a normal humbucker, and 50mm spacing I presume, as:
traditionally Gibson spacing has been 50mm
and also as my guitar's stock pickups are un-covered, does that mean that I should buy an un-covered one? or doesn't it matter, and I just get the one for the tonal difference I desire?
Thanks, and sorry, as this is probably in the wrong place, and i'm posting loads of nooby questions lately, but i've been playing guitar for 5 or so years, but always used like "stock" stuff, so never really replaced much (well got new guitars/amps/pedals etc, but didn't do up stuff).
Thanks,
Ben
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Sorry to post, just I didn't want to make a new topic.
I am getting a bridge pickup (nailbomb) for my Gibson SG special, but it says on the FAQ on the main site, that you should use the 1/4 leg for slimmer guitars, but 1/2 on Gibsons, although my guitar is pretty thin, and don't want to get the wrong one... Does anyone know which I should get please?
Also, I'l get the Braided 2 conductor, as I just want a normal humbucker, and 50mm spacing I presume, as:
traditionally Gibson spacing has been 50mm
and also as my guitar's stock pickups are un-covered, does that mean that I should buy an un-covered one? or doesn't it matter, and I just get the one for the tonal difference I desire?
Thanks, and sorry, as this is probably in the wrong place, and i'm posting loads of nooby questions lately, but i've been playing guitar for 5 or so years, but always used like "stock" stuff, so never really replaced much (well got new guitars/amps/pedals etc, but didn't do up stuff).
Thanks,
Ben
go for short leg, should fit nicely. 2 braid is fine if you dont wanna coil split or anything fancy like that. Also covered vs uncovered- it's mostly a looks thing, it changes the tone sliiiightly- been described as rolling down the presence control on a marshall amp.
hope that helped a little.
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Just a note on Gibson S.G. 'standard ' leg length. I rang Tim to ask a few questions before ordering some pickups for my S.G. Standard - and mentioned that my 'stock' ones, seemed to have a short leg - and that my guitar had the usual S.G. shallow looking cavities and very slim body.
Tim surprised me by telling me I needed the longer ( 1/2" ) leg.
Not surprisingly he was right, and the longer screw length allowed the pickups to sit nice and level under the relatively moderate spring pressure.
I also ordered 50mm spacing and 2 conductor options. I have had all mine with covers - and percieve the sound to be no more muted that 'normal' .
Having said that, I have never owned uncovered B.K.P humbucker pickups, only other single coil types / brands that came with my Fenders. Personally I like the covers on to keep the muck out over the years - and to protect those precious coil windings .
If in doubt, the order form ( when purchasing on this site ) asks you what specifically what guitar they will be going into - and to state any other comments / requirements / questions . So, if in doubt at your end - the experts decide at that end .
:)
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:D Thanks a lot guys! Pay-day is on thursday, so I will order them soon, and should hopefully have it in by the 6th or June, where I have a nice big gig to show off my new BKP. :)
Cheers guys,
Ben.
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I have no experience with the NB, but are you sure that would be the best choice for an SG?
I am probably wrong, but an email to Tim would answer it :P
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Well Tim said to get a ceramic one, as it would work better in the body. Also, it's not going in there for long, so thought I'd try it out, and if I don't like it, i'l put it in a new guitar i'm getting soon. :)
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Edit: Accidental post in wrong thread! :oops: Sorry.
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Just sharing some knowledge, pls find correspondence between me and the helpfull Mr Tim below. :P
Me:
...[I just bought a NailBomb] bridge with 4 conductor. This is going in a custom guitar body which only has a bridge pickup, and there is gunna be 1 push/pull pot for vol and a coil split. And, as luck would have it, there is a nice wiring diagram in the box exactly for this purpose. I will mount the pickup with the screw poles nearest the brdge as suggested. My, question: in the supplied wiring diagram, when in split mode won't it be the slug poles that are active and not the screw poles? I find this a bit counter intuitive since I thought the screw poles where supposed to be adjustable so it would be better if they were active when in single coil mode?
Tim's reponse:
it's pretty much standard protocol for the slug coil to be active in coils split although with 4 con wiring you can effectively choose either coil. Most players prefer the slug coil as it's closer to the neck and so sounds alot warmer than the screw coil which can sound very bright on it's own.
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Does any one know the measurements for the pole to pole spacing of the 7 string bridge and neck pickups?
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H/S/H pickup configuration. do i need any push pull pots? atm i jus hav 1 tone 1 vol pot an a 5 way switch?
also will it need mounting backwards(bridge) or does it jus go in normally :?
stig
That all depends on what type of switching arrangement you want. Have a look at guitarelectronics.com for a load of different options
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Does any one know the measurements for the pole to pole spacing of the 7 string bridge and neck pickups?
http://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/main/downloads/dimensions/humbuckers/7_string.pdf
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Taken care of!
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I'm considering buying a calibrated set of Aftermaths off of eBay. It has 4 conductors. The problem is I don't want to use coil tapping. I just want to use them as humbucker/humbucker with a 1 volume, 1 tone, and the 3 way selector. How would I wire it?
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There are wiring diagrams on the site, but basically it's red to hot, black and bare to ground, the other two (green and white) are either already taped up or you can re-tape them and just leave them there out of the way and not touching anything. Simple.