Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 10:17:07 AM

Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 10:17:07 AM
I was think about getting a BKP PAF-inspired, low gain humbucker ( Stormy Monday ) for the neck position of a Tele. THe first thing that has puzzled me is this . I thought sacatterwound coils were a BIG no-no for humbuckers; I remember a famous P/U maker named L.F. commenting on how bad those types of humbuckers ( unlike singlecoils ) would sound.

What do you think about this??
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: steve on October 22, 2005, 10:48:21 AM
Whoever said that must me mad or deaf or both!BK humbuckers have so much life and tone that is down to being handwound/scatterwound.
I used SD,Dimarzio before these and the difference is night and day.
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Peterku on October 22, 2005, 11:16:07 AM
Is L.F. Lindy Fralin?
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: HJM on October 22, 2005, 11:16:30 AM
Yeah and Lindy denies ever designing pickups for the PRS EG...but he did...
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 11:31:30 AM
I think you are right... BTW, I found out that SD Antiquities humbuckers ARE scatterwound. This no official but some info from a guy who took a good look inside an Antiquity PAF ( which was scatterwound) and a  Seth Lover ( which wasn't ).

Cheers!

p.s.- LF. is indeed Lindy Fralin ( he seemed an ok anough guy on the video I've seen)
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Elliot on October 22, 2005, 12:01:13 PM
The proof of the pudding is, as they say, in the eating and my scatterwound A4 mule has made my Fender Esprit so much clearer, more defined and alive.
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: PhilKing on October 22, 2005, 12:55:58 PM
Rather than a Stormy Monday (which is a great pickup btw), I have a Mini-Mule in the neck postion (much less routing).  This gives a really great sound with the tele bridge (I also have the bk 4-way switch so I can get series or parallel when both pickups are on [standard 3-way is only parallel]).  Just remember to tell them it is for scratchplate mounting!

Scatter winding seems to give more claity and also seems to let the volume control work much better.  

What bridge p/u are you using?
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: jt on October 22, 2005, 01:49:48 PM
:D If scaterwinding is bad to use on H/B`s then why is this Web site here ? how could BK have made so much headway into the P/U market ? How do you explain the sound difference between BK`s & all of the big players, [ SD, Dimarzio, etc]  OK you could argue that there`s no difference & we`ve all just imagined it ! Ok some of us might have been mislead but a whole forums worth of people  :roll:

i think someones pulling your leg  :wink:

 :D  8)
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Bob Johnson on October 22, 2005, 01:56:38 PM
'Can't help thinkin' that if the LF in question had been Leo Fender the original statement might have made a whole lot more sense.
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Skybone on October 22, 2005, 02:01:20 PM
Along with everyone else on this board, I've have heard, tried & tested and bought scatterwound humbucker pickups for various guitars, and can say that they do sound great, much better than machine wound 'buckers, which IMO, sound way to clinical. And all the BKP sets I have, all sound as though they have plenty of character.

There again, why believe everything you read? Find somewhere to try some out & then decide.
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: HJM on October 22, 2005, 02:11:37 PM
Quote from: Bob Johnson
'Can't help thinkin' that if the LF in question had been Leo Fender the original statement might have made a whole lot more sense.
Well spotted Bob - didn't Fender resist going to machines to wind their pickups for some years???
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Ratrod on October 22, 2005, 03:05:29 PM
Quote from: HJM
Quote from: Bob Johnson
'Can't help thinkin' that if the LF in question had been Leo Fender the original statement might have made a whole lot more sense.
Well spotted Bob - didn't Fender resist going to machines to wind their pickups for some years???


My neighbour is a big Hendrix fan and plays guitar too. Did some guitar talkin' yesterday and I mentioned the hand scatterwound pups. How long did Fender handwind their pickups? Did Jimi use handwound pickups?
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 04:09:08 PM
Quote from: PhilKing


What bridge p/u are you using?


The whole thing is a project to be carried out yet. If I do I might use a Country Boy. I lke things VERY old style and mid to low in oputput. Thanks!
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 04:11:41 PM
BTW, I don't seem to be able to find mini-mules anywhere. Where are they??
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: PhilKing on October 22, 2005, 04:31:17 PM
Quote from: 5F6-A
BTW, I don't seem to be able to find mini-mules anywhere. Where are they??


This is the picture and write up of them.

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=135
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: 5F6-A on October 22, 2005, 04:40:04 PM
Quote from: PhilKing
Quote from: 5F6-A
BTW, I don't seem to be able to find mini-mules anywhere. Where are they??


This is the picture and write up of them.

http://bareknucklepickups.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=135[/quote

Thanks a lot mate!!]
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Steve-Mr Pig 2U on October 22, 2005, 08:28:08 PM
BTW, the antiquities are NOT scatter wound because they are wound on the original Gibson automated winder, thats one of their selling points.
Scatter winding drastically affects the tone of any pickup, not just singles.
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: HJM on October 22, 2005, 08:39:58 PM
Could have been a rewound Antiquity.....who knows!
Title: Scatterwound humbuckers???
Post by: Tim on October 23, 2005, 09:53:46 PM
It's funny, scatterewinding does nothing except improve the clarity of a pickup-any pickup- and extend it's frequency response.

If you were being anal you could argue that a humbucker can only be a humbucker if both coils have exactly the same number of turns of the same gauge wire on. Anyone who actually plays AND listens alot will know that asymmetry is the most important thing in sounds of any sort..........the most pleasing of which is deemed to be the human voice. It follows therefore that asymetrically wound coils will sound better and more natural and besides winding with a different number of turns on each coil, scatterwinding produces lovely asymmetry in the turns of wire.Result :more clarity,dynamics and extended response.(Obviously the effects on lowering capacitence have been well talked about before)
Have you ever seen a guitar string vibrate symmetrically :wink: ?

Some makers will argue the toss over everything, at the end of the day it's YOUR ears that should be the best judge.....that's what I use anyway and my ears(and hands) tell me that scatterwinding improves the tone of all pickups irresepective of type.