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Post subject: Cure for the single-coil hum blues?
Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 4:29 pm
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I hope this wasn't discussed before and I believe it wasn't but...

I am going to quote the "Guitar Player Repair Guide: Third Edition" by Dan Erlewine"


BPSSC System: single-coil without noise!

"Hats off to John Suhr and his Backplate Silent Single Coil System (BPSSC)! Finally, after over 50 years I'm getting a true single coil sound without the noise... The system eliminates the noise but keeps the sonic character of pure single-coil pickups... The only invasive modification to your guitar are the solder connections"

Anyone use this and can give a testimonial as to their experience? Anyone install it themselves? Did/Can you get a Tech to do it for you? Does it keep the sound as was before the modification? Can anyone explain further how it works?

Thanks,
Ben


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:08 pm
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There was some reason or other why that system wasn't compatible with certain Strats in some particular way. A major drawback, and a reason I didn't pursue it further - I'm wracking my brains but I just can't remember what it was about at this moment.

There was an article about it in a guitar magazine - but I'm away from home for a few days. If by chance this thread is still current at the end of the weekend I'll look it up and report back.

Not a lot of help so far, huh?

:? - C


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:29 pm
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i think it was that its not compatible with reverse wound reverse polarity pickups ifi remember the review i read yonks ago correctly. Im pretty sure it would struggle with 3 wire scn's and lace sensors too, but thats just a feeling and not based on any facts.

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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 5:52 pm
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nikininja wrote:
i think it was that its not compatible with reverse wound reverse polarity pickups ifi remember the review i read yonks ago correctly. Im pretty sure it would struggle with 3 wire scn's and lace sensors too, but thats just a feeling and not based on any facts.


Another quote from the book:

"It requires the middle pickup to be the same polarity and the same winding as the bridge and neck pickups. A reverse-wound reverse-polarity middle pickup won't work either"

So in that regard can you keep your reverse wound pickup and just not hook it up to the system? As I and (I believe) most players are less likely to use the middle pickup as a standalone but rather to blend. Would blending the pickups be an issue if neck and bridge were hooked up to the system but not middle?

Thanks,
Ben

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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:35 pm
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Well done, Niki, that was it.

Ben, if I remember rightly it's an all or nothing mod. If you've got the reverse wound middle pup in the mix at all then it is a no-go. (Was that right, Niki?)

By the way, some of us do use that middle pickup on its own, as well as for the two and four positions. Depending on the different pickups I have in different Strats...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:36 pm
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BenRocker425 wrote:
...So in that regard can you keep your reverse wound pickup and just not hook it up to the system? As I and (I believe) most players are less likely to use the middle pickup as a standalone but rather to blend. Would blending the pickups be an issue if neck and bridge were hooked up to the system but not middle?

Thanks,
Ben


With this device, when you kick in a RW/RP middle pickup with one of the others, you will lose the humbucking effect. In other words, to achieve the humbucking effect, the unit would either have to be set to the opposite polarity of the outer two pickups' or that of the middle one's in order for it to do its job. Naturally, you'd set it to the outer two's. Now, based on a Stratocaster's wiring, you wouldn't be able to wire this device to where it avoids any and all interaction with the just the middle pickup. So, if you choose to install this device, you'd have to add a handy on/off or bypass switch to it for the purpose of disabling it when you want to add the middle pickup with one of the others, thus preserving the humbucking effect you now have.

The only other option you have is to change the pickups to all stacked humbuckers which might not be in your plans. FWIW and if I remember correctly, the unit itself vs. the total cost of 3 premium stacked humbuckers is roughly the same.

As always, this is merely my opinion and YMMV.

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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:38 pm
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Excellent! That's the long and short of it.

That's why I never went any further with that gizmo...

:) - C


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:46 pm
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Wow very expensive I just checked. :shock:

So now that we have shot it down does anyone understand the technical aspect of how it works?


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 6:58 pm
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BenRocker425 wrote:
Wow very expensive I just checked. :shock:

So now that we have shot it down does anyone understand the technical aspect of how it works?


In a nutshell (and as untechnical as I can make it): There is a dummy coil (meaning, a pickup which has no magnets in it so it can't 'pickup' string vibration) in there regulated by a preamp which senses the the DC resistance of the pickup or pickups' coil(s). The unit reads the DC resistance and matches it, sending through the dummy coil into the guitar's circuit, an identical resistance along with opposite polarity which cancels out the hum. For further understanding, the web is filthy with places that explain exactly how a humbucking pickup works.

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Post subject: no hum
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:07 am
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i will take the reverse polarity, w/humbucking effect with some noise.
over no hum but messing w the RP.
i like the sound.

would shielding the pickguard eliminate all?most?or just some?


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Post subject: Re: no hum
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:25 am
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bluesstrattone wrote:
...would shielding the pickguard eliminate all?most?or just some?


Shielding the pickguard would produce negligible results. The controls area of the pickguard is already shielded while the coils of the pickups (your biggest hum generating source) remain unshielded.

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Post subject: Re: no hum
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 8:33 am
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Martian wrote:
bluesstrattone wrote:
...would shielding the pickguard eliminate all?most?or just some?


Shielding the pickguard would produce negligible results. The controls area of the pickguard is already shielded while the coils of the pickups (your biggest hum generating source) remain unshielded.


thanks.


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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 9:58 am
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i'm sure i've seen shielded pickups somewhere. The idea is worth researching, it looks the most effective way to quiet em a touch. Myself i'm consoled to vintage noiseless. They are a pain to get used to and you have to muck about changing pots and caps till you find a set you find workable but their worth it in the end. I do prefer em to scn's but only just. Scn's are a worthwhile option too.

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Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:11 am
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I think I am going to look into the BPSSC system. I really like the sound of the pickups on my 2002 highway one, but I was thinking of changing them out because the middle pup is not reverse wound and there is no way of eliminating the hum. MIght be worthwhile for saving my tone...

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Post subject:
Posted: Fri Oct 24, 2008 1:05 pm
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Ceri wrote:
...By the way, some of us do use that middle pickup on its own, as well as for the two and four positions. Depending on the different pickups I have in different Strats...


The middle only position is actually my favorite position. It's not too shrill, but no too bassy, it's got a TON of grit and howl, and a very cool tone that I rarely hear people really use, which is exactly why I use it. The middle (silver lace) on my guitar, with a mid-level gain on a Rectoverb's vintage channel is pure heaven.

In fact, I'm going to go play right now.....


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