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Humbuckers- a question for the house

Given that the distance between the top and bottom strings on a three-string CBG is about the same as the length of the short axis of a plain-topped humbucker, is there any reason why you cannot mount one vertically rather than horizontally? Aesthetically it would look so much better- would it sound so much worse?

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Permalink Reply by Korrigan on May 1, 2018 at 7:36am

Very cool David, good thinking!

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Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on April 30, 2018 at 7:22pm

Thanks for being the guinea pig. I've seen a 4string PBass pickup on a 1 string bass before, just didn't know how well it worked. So now we know that 6 pole pickup coil per string in a line doesn't work well. I thought the middle might work due to magnetic field, but it needs to go through the middle of the coil to work good enough.

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Permalink Reply by Wal Callaby on April 30, 2018 at 7:53pm

Thanks Taff- I've just revisited my original question, which ran "Any reason why...?" And you have supplied the answer, which is, in effect, "Yes, because it's crap that way".

Once again, CBN answers the questions that only an idiot would ask, and does in with sound theoretical and practical advice. Saved me a bit of work!

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Permalink Reply by Taffy Evans on April 30, 2018 at 8:39pm

Your welcome Wal. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on May 1, 2018 at 1:41am

Except...there are also humbuckers that are stacked, not side by side. If you placed 3 of those side by side, parallel to the strings...

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on April 30, 2018 at 9:07pm

Yep. That off sound you heard is the phasing effect of one wave canceling another when it reaches the exact opposite distance from the center of the wave.

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Permalink Reply by Cause the Blue rat on May 1, 2018 at 7:33am

Add to my upper post.

So at one point the distance between the poles on the pickup is catching the wave at these opposite distances. Because all of this is reduced to a single note your hearing what naturally accrues between all six strings. Only not as noticeable.

the only idiot is the one who doesn't ask questions. I'm glad you took the them to experiment. Honestly I would love to hear how that sounded. Might try it myself just for fun.