Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
Forum Ringside => Pickups => Topic started by: Slava on April 09, 2010, 08:55:57 PM
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I'd like to know, if somebody (besides me) intrested in this type pickup. If so - we could ask "Bare Knuckle" to try.
P.S. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Wide_Range and http://sixstringbliss.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=searcy&action=display&thread=1153- to lern about 'Wide Range'
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I think the problem is that the Cunife magnets they used are no longer made. It might be possible to emulate the sound using some other kind of magnet, I don't know if anyone's tried.
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This pickup had different from regular Humbucker construction, not only CuNiFe made their sound.
There is some brands who tried and did, but they have mixed user's reviews and no demos
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I believe BK have done something with magnetic poles (well, I know they did the pickup, and I think it had magnetic poles) called the Knuckleduster
But
It was an odd shape made for nathan sheperd guitars and wont fit any normal route.
The only pickup I know of thats readily available of the same basic design and is well regarded is the Swinseshead A.M.P. However, it seems swineshead are no more (shame, while BK are the best pickups going, swineshead were like the best kept secret of the UK pickup market - very good sounds).
Maybe, just maybe, you can get something rigged up for you custom.
Failing that you may be able to take heart in the offset winds that BK use as a matter of course to help impart clarity and attack to fat humbucking tones by leaving a few hundred turns in one coil uncancelled, single coil sound (while killing 60 cycle with the rest). All of them are asymmetrical to some degree, maybe the effect can be emulated with a highly asymmetric wind or can be found in BKs most asymmetric winds (like the VHII for example, I believe thats quite heavily offset).
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If you are just looking for a humbucker that has magnetic polepieces then the Seymour Duncan Stag-Mag does, and Rio Grande also make several pickups like this.
But I'm not sure if they would be that much like the Wide-Range Humbucker, as they just use ordinary alnico magnets like the ones in a standard single coil, and they are not adjustable like the ones on the WRH.
Also, Wizard Pickups make a humbucker called the Brat, which has 3 rod magnets and 3 adjustable screw poles in each coil.
The only one of these pickups I have tried is the Stag-Mag, which I like, but I don't know if it's anything like the WRH as I don't have one to compare it with.
I think the problem with trying to make a pickup like the WRH is that the original cunife magnets had screw threads to make them adjustable, and it is very hard to manufacture alnico rods like this. I've heard of someone doing so, but can't remember where.
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'why' you would want to recreate the Wide Range humbucker is a mystery to me - they're a fairly bland pickup.
what I would like to see though, is a BKP that is the same size as the Wide Range so we can change out those shitety reissue pickups and put something decent in there without the need for a new scratchplate to be cut to accept a standard humbucker size. of course, it would also need a baseplate with the four mounting screws like the Wide Range too.
I'd be all over a P90 in a Wide Range package (essentially a modified Mississippi Queen).
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I want it just because it has(d) single coil clarity with humbucker fatness... Fender reissue is nothing like original.
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I'd be all over a P90 in a Wide Range package (essentially a modified Mississippi Queen).
Presumably, with that big cover, there'd be scope to do a split, staggered pickup (like a Precision bass pickup). Then it could be humcancelling too! :D
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I just emailed BKP asking them if they can custom make me something to work in my 72 Reissue Deluxe.
Probably should have jumpe don here first :D
I have changed the pots in the Tele from the 250k's to 500k's and the difference is rather noticeable.
Failing a set of custom pickups, you could aways try that mod.
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Thanks, but I need it to be humbucker sized. I know few brands, that doin' this, but some have too big output lewel and some have no clips, and all of them have mixed rewiew (or does not hawe at all).
Plus i don't know if it (i need only bridge) will match BK vintage singles :?
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I want it just because it has(d) single coil clarity with humbucker fatness... Fender reissue is nothing like original.
I used to have original 70's Wide Range Humbuckers and had one in the neck position on my '72 Tele Custom - was better than the reissue, but still not amazing - quite neutral/characterless really. Didn't sound bad, but didn't knock my socks off either. I used a 1M volume pot with it to get rid of the mud.
More recently I've put a P90 in the neck position of my '72 Tele Custom and that gives single coil clarity with humbucker fatness (as P90s are well known for doing).
Give up on the Wide Range, they're not worth it - go with a P90 or rewound Wide Range - sure Tim could work his magic on it using alnico slugs (along the lines of the Duncan Stag Mag)
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Yeah. Thanks, HTH AMPS, I think, that only way out for me is to put MQ in the bridge with 2 vintage single coils. :?
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Does anyone else think that, on paper, these pickups sound a lot like a P-90?
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Does anyone else think that, on paper, these pickups sound a lot like a P-90?
If you're asking if Wide Range pickups sound like P90s, then no - they sound nothing like P90s.
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Does anyone else think that, on paper, these pickups sound a lot like a P-90?
If you're asking if Wide Range pickups sound like P90s, then no - they sound nothing like P90s.
Not quite, only that they sound similar on paper, the general construction and whatnot. Other than the magnet type, the wikipedia link makes the pickups sound a lot like Fender's version of a P-90. At least IMO.
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Does anyone else think that, on paper, these pickups sound a lot like a P-90?
If you're asking if Wide Range pickups sound like P90s, then no - they sound nothing like P90s.
Not quite, only that they sound similar on paper, the general construction and whatnot. Other than the magnet type, the wikipedia link makes the pickups sound a lot like Fender's version of a P-90. At least IMO.
The Wide Range has magnets for polepieces, a P-90 has flat bar magnets at the bottom of the pickup and screws for polepieces. So in a sense, a WR is like two conventional single-coils side-by-side, and a P-90 is constructed more like a conventional humbucker.
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@ Slava
I have done a bit of digging and have found this guy. He does a complete work over of your existing RI WRHB's. Apparently the result is quite noticeable.
http://www.telenator.com/
Also there is a retrofit available from Vintage Vibe and Rio Grande offer a full WRHB replacement for 72 RI's.
Courtis Novak offers a WRHB however it is Gibson HB sized, not Fender.
Hopefully that helps.
Otherwise just change the pots to 500k and a .22 cap. You can also perform the Fralin Mod which will really open up the tone.
Good Luck.
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More recently I've put a P90 in the neck position of my '72 Tele Custom and that gives single coil clarity with humbucker fatness (as P90s are well known for doing).
So what did you do to get the P90 into the telecaster? Did you have to modify the guitars body?
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More recently I've put a P90 in the neck position of my '72 Tele Custom and that gives single coil clarity with humbucker fatness (as P90s are well known for doing).
So what did you do to get the P90 into the telecaster? Did you have to modify the guitars body?
as there had already been a Wide Range humbucker in the neck position, the cutout was big enough for the P90 - I just screwed it into the body with some P90 screws (its a soapbar type of P90 rather than a dogear).
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Oh cool.
Do you have a photo of the guitar that I'd be able to see?
I'm currently deciding between getting my current WRH rewound or putting an entirely new pickup in there altogether. What would you recommend?
For an idea of the kind of guitar sound I'm going for overall listen to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7Oi1DgoRC8&feature=PlayList&p=F25C092BE0091BEA&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=40
I've been advised by Tim to get a Flat 50' in the bridge position of my MIJ '72 Tele Custom RI. Just needa figure out what I'm doing on for the neck pickup. :)
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The Wide Range has magnets for polepieces, a P-90 has flat bar magnets at the bottom of the pickup and screws for polepieces. So in a sense, a WR is like two conventional single-coils side-by-side, and a P-90 is constructed more like a conventional humbucker.
Totally OT, but last week I had the occasion to try a an old ('75 IIRC) P90 Gibbie SG where the pups had been reworked (by a local winder - which is also the owner of the shop where I tried this axe) to replace the bottom magnet with fender-like A5 magnet polepieces (previous owner demand), and the result was, well, perhaps not what you'd expect from a P90 SG, but still very interesting.
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Any suggestions anyone!?
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Tim makes a 3+3 Humbucker on special order. It is more of a fat single coil sound. The case is a normal sized humbucker, with 3 + 3 screws, just like the Fender.
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Oh! Just what I need :P
Is there any clips?