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Post subject: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 11:33 am
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I have a Fender Stratocaster, Kahler locking tremolo with three Fender custom 69 single coil pickups. I am considering replace the bridge single coil with a humbucker. The custom 69 pups have DC resistance 5.8k ohms. I have read in various forums that the humbucker’s resistance should be close to single coil resistance in order not to create different volume issues. On the other hand, I have seen a custom shop Fender model equipped with 69’s paired with Seymour Duncan JM humbucker (model SH-4). So I am confused. Moreover, I have read that because of the Kahler bridge I have to use a Trembucker bridge with longer spacing. I need your advice for Humbucker selection. I play blues/rock music. Last but not least the hum must be without cover edition in order to fit esthetically the 69’s
Thank you for your advice


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:04 pm
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Most humbucker, if not all ,are more powerfull than a single coil. You just need to screw down this humbucker.

Don't always trust what you read on the web :lol:


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 5:26 pm
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I wouldn't worry about the volume balance between pups, adjusting pole to string height as with single coils works w/ buckers too. That's a big reason why some people want the humbucker in the 1st place (to cut through on lead).

String spacing and adjustable poles are two considerations you should address mostly; as well as active/passive and power rating, tone balance.

Your 69's are true single coils w/ a vintage Strat sound, I would agree w/ a lower powered passive bucker to be a better balance if your not gonna go to a full stacked set or active pups. Maybe a mini-bucker will fit the esthetic you want.
good luck in your search, lots of boutique makers out their.


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 7:17 pm
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You might want to consider a Fender N3, which is a stacked humbucker in a single coil package, so no routing/pickguard changes needed. It's a very different animal from the "Vintage Noiseless", and doesn't muffle your treble, while still giving you more midrange cut-through and no hum. It costs a pretty penny, though.

Lace pickups are also an option. They can be brought up much closer to the strings without killing sustain than normal pole based pickups can, which can give you the punch you presumably look for.


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2016 10:25 pm
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http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/aln ... trembucker

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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 2:06 am
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BMW-KTM wrote:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/pickup/alnico-ii-pro-trembucker


8K ohms :)


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 3:17 am
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What about the ShawBucker 1, 7.6k ohms and designed for a Stratocaster.

http://shop.fender.com/en-US/accessorie ... ml#start=1


8)

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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2016 10:30 am
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It is unwise to use DC resistance as a gauge for guesstimating output in pickups.
Very little, if any, useful information can be gleaned from that one irrelevant measurement.
There are nearly as many exceptions as there are compliances to that so-called rule of thumb.

The AP2 will work just fine with the '69s.

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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 9:46 am
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I'd suggest the SD Pearly Gates. The common-or-garden model (rather than the Plus used on Big Apples) sounds just fine to me, even used clean. But then my idea of fine may not be yours or anyone elses! Which makes the question almost impossible to answer!

Do you have the chance of demo-ing various p/ups on your Strat for a month or so, and choosing which you like best? I've only ever bought p/ups and had to sell them on if I didn't like them, which can get expensive, but I haven't found another way. All I have learned is that the same p/up can sound very different on different Strats...

Cheers - Peter.


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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:11 am
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I don't know how things work in the UK, Pete but on this side of the pond as soon as you put solder to a pup it becomes used. It will have to be sold as used and therefore at a lower price. The store won't take it back and refund the full price unless they have some kind of "satisfaction guaranteed" policy. Here in Canada, Long & McQuade, a nation-wide chain store, has a 30 day return policy but I have never tried it with pickups because I seriously doubt they'd be cool with that. An unmodified guitar or amp is one thing but a pup with solder on the wires would very likely be a different story.

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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2016 10:22 am
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I just called L&M on the telephone and inquired about it. Their policy stipulates the product being returned cannot be modified. I asked specifically about pickups and they said once you put solder to it, it becomes modified. Also not included in their policy are products which require registration before use, such as recording software or downloaded plug-ins for other digitally controlled hardware. Concerning pickups they said the best they'd be able to do would be to take them back as a used item on a trade-in basis for another set of pups and they might give you as much as 50% of the the original purchase price if it was within a few days but more realistically they'd give 30% since they would still want to make a markup on the used pups when they sell, which would be roughly 50% of new.

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Post subject: Re: Humbucker advice for Strat
Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2016 3:11 pm
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Exactly the point I was making when I said I hadn't found another way apart from buying a pickup, trying it, and selling it on if I don't like it. Agreed - once you've soldered it, it's secondhand.

I was just asking OP if he had the opportunity to do better...!

Cheers - Peter.


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