Again: Can a Bass Guitar Mag Pickup be used on a 4-stringer CBG with good results?

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Bluesheart on November 17, 2010 at 9:48pm

I love it John." Magnetism will hold bar in place." Brilliant. Thanks. I'm doing a mag. build for a friend and may have to try that out. Sure like the sleek custom/unusual look of the steel bar too. Any old steel bar will do? As long as it is magnetic right?
Thanks.

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Permalink Reply by Paul H (PRH) on November 18, 2010 at 11:02am

As far as the spacing part of this discussion goes one could mount the pickup on a slant (a la Strat) to line the poles with the strings.

wes carl said:

that was my question a few monts ago & had numerous people tell me they (4 pole ) sound great wit a 4 string cbg hope i didnt get too nutty it happens
Wes Yates said:

Hmmm. Lemme rephrase. What I mean is can you use the 4-string bass pup in lieu of a 6-string pup on a 4 string CBG? Matt mentioned the frequency response of a bass to 6 string pup. Is there any real measurable issue using the bass of 6 string pup?

-WY



wes carl said:

really why would ya want to use a 4 pole pickup for a 6 string git & yes it would work just not what it is meant for silly you grin chuckel laugh hoot or whatever
Don Thompson said:

The only problem would be spacing , some not being centered over a pole piece therefore being a weaker signal as a result.


Wes Yates said:

So lets say you use one of these:

"Ok, you use one of these!"

[Grin]

Enough sillyness. So could you use one of the two as a pup even if you use it for 6-string pickups? Very interesting.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by carverman on November 20, 2010 at 6:07pm

What???.. you are using two single coils and hoping to make a humbucker out of them?
Isn't one of the coils required to be RWRP (reverse wound/reverse polarity)?
Hmmm..must be some mojo majic in those coils then.

BTW..the pole pieces are extensions of the bar magnet and are suppose to be aligned
with the strings because the strings become magnetized above the pickup in a N/S
direction. The moving magnetized string then cuts the steady state magnetic flux
in the coil and a weak a/c signal is generated. This is what Seth Lover (designer of
the humbucker) mentioned and I went to lengths with a compass and a magnetized
string using iron filings to prove that it is the case.

Wes Yates said:

So lets say you use one of these:

"Ok, you use one of these!"

[Grin]

Enough sillyness. So could you use one of the two as a pup even if you use it for 6-string pickups? Very interesting.

-WY

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Permalink Reply by Don Thompson on November 21, 2010 at 6:56am

These pickups are wound and magnets oriented to be in humbucker mode, or Noiseless as Fender calls them. No magic involved, just science.
Don

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Permalink Reply by carverman on November 21, 2010 at 10:51am

Ok then if they are wound as a stacked humbucker...otherwise one of the pickups need to be
wound reverse with the magnet oriented that way to achieve hum cancellation. I've used
SCs where the bridge p_up will be reverse wound with the magnet oriented in the opposite
polarity to achieve noise/hum cancellation.

As far as "magic" or "mojo"..there has to be some?..otherwise the custom pickup industry wouldn't
flourish like it has. Magnet types, strengths, coil winding techniques and perhaps other
"black arts" allow each pickup type to have a unique "signature sound".



Don Thompson said:

These pickups are wound and magnets oriented to be in humbucker mode, or Noiseless as Fender calls them. No magic involved, just science.
Don

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Permalink Reply by Don Thompson on November 21, 2010 at 12:41pm

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0992046000
They appear to be identical but they aren't. One is North polarity, one South polarity, one wound clockwise, the other counter clockwise. It clearly states they are humbuckers. According to legend, Billy Gibbons had copies of his favorite old PAFs duplicated by Seymour Duncan,these pickups are named Pearly Gates. They were measured electrically, magnets copied and then wound until they matched as closely as possible the originals. No magic involved, i can't find the article now but Billy refused to have them taken apart. But now he has backups in case the original PAFs crap out. These pro winders have it down to a science. They know how to get shimmering highs and low end grunt and it ain't magic. Good topic and conversation btw.
Don




carverman said:

Ok then if they are wound as a stacked humbucker...otherwise one of the pickups need to be
wound reverse with the magnet oriented that way to achieve hum cancellation. I've used
SCs where the bridge p_up will be reverse wound with the magnet oriented in the opposite
polarity to achieve noise/hum cancellation.

As far as "magic" or "mojo"..there has to be some?..otherwise the custom pickup industry wouldn't
flourish like it has. Magnet types, strengths, coil winding techniques and perhaps other
"black arts" allow each pickup type to have a unique "signature sound".



Don Thompson said:

These pickups are wound and magnets oriented to be in humbucker mode, or Noiseless as Fender calls them. No magic involved, just science.
Don

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Permalink Reply by carverman on November 22, 2010 at 12:07pm

Thanks for giving the full info..it puts an end to speculation, but shortens the discussion
and I always find the discussion of pickups facinating.

I remember an interview that was typed up and put on a website (sorry I've lost the link),
but in it SD discusses the origin of the Gibson hbucker
When SL indicated that the main purpose of the magnet was to magnitize the string
area above the pickup, I did some research on it and captured a few pics of the iron filing pattern around that portion of the strings. Very interesting.

As far as any "magic", no there isn't any.. as coil winding/no of turns/type of bobbin and magnet
types/strengths are the key ingredients...but...some players swear there is some "mojo" associated withcertain pickups..so maybe ...that's good for the industry.

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Permalink Reply by Mister Scott on November 30, 2010 at 1:24pm

I really love this idea. But it begs the question: where do I get a steel slab like the bottom one?

John Drake said:

Can also use a steel bar to create a narrower field. Use one of the cheap Ebay 6 string pickups, but instead of mounting at an angle on the top of the box, mount under the top with a steel bar of required width as shown in diagram below. If you want to engage all six poles then have wide base to bar and narrower top, but probably easier to just have the bar spanning across the centre 4 poles.

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Permalink Reply by John Drake on November 30, 2010 at 7:00pm

Hi Scotty,
I just used a plated angle bracket from a hardware store. Get one to match the desired width. For 4 string about 40 mm wide. I think the bracket was about 50x50 x 3.5 thick and 40 mm wide. For sitting over a 6 string pickup you will need a bit wider - but you might be able to find a length of bar that you can cut it out of - use an angle grinder with a steel cutoff disk. You don't have to have the fancy rounded internal corners - infact probably easier to fit if you cut square. Don't forget that aluminium (aluminum in US) is not magnetic so it doesn't work!

Here is photo of another one of mine which does have a 6 string pickup but I still kept to a 40 mm wide bar (cut off a bracket) so it only sits across the middle four poles of the pickup. It works well. The pickup was one of those cheap Ebay purchases from China. Complete with volume and tone control and fully wired for less than $ 10 delivered.

PS Got my first batch of jack plates and jacks from China. Look good. $ 3.80 for jack and plate together including delivery. About 7 days to deliver to Australia. See earlier post in this discussion. John D

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Permalink Reply by John Drake on November 30, 2010 at 7:19pm

Another view. I didn't make it clear in the above discussion that I cut off and used the ends of the bracket using an angle grinder. Not the whole bracket or angle.

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Permalink Reply by Mister Scott on December 1, 2010 at 2:34am

She's a sharp lookin one, John! Hows the sound, acoustically vs electrically?

John Drake said:

Another view. I didn't make it clear in the above discussion that I cut off and used the ends of the bracket using an angle grinder. Not the whole bracket or angle.

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Permalink Reply by GARAGE HERMIT on December 1, 2010 at 8:50am

used an old bass p/u on this 3-stringer, sound's just fine,,

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