I have a REALLY stupid question, so don't laugh at me!!

[twdavis13]

Ok, I've played bass for about 5 1/2 years now, and the one thing I never thought to ask was, is the Split-Coil Precision pickup essentially a humbucker?? :h iding::hid ing::hidin g:

[line6man]

Not a stupid question at all, but i don't see why it matters though.


Technically a humbucker is a pickup made up of two coils, to cancel out 60Hz hum.
So yes, a split-coil P bass pickup is a humbucker.

However, most people think of a humbucker as sensing the string vibration from two single coil pickups mounted close together in the same housing.
A split-coil pickup, though it's made of two coils, only senses string vibration from one coil at a time.

[wildhorse]

But does it accompish the same hum cancelling effectively? I was reading on one of the pickup webs sights that their P bass single coils were wired for hum cancelling. I do believe the ones in my Peavey Fury don't do that. But I could be wrong. I was going to replace them with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders and am now wondering if there is a way to wire for hum cancelling?

[dmusic148]

Here's how it works with a P. The two halves are wired out of phase with each other. And the magnets in the E/A side have the South poles facing up, while the D/G side has the Norths facing up. This way you cancel hum but don't have undesired cancellations, such as would occur if you played a chord on the A and D strings. Or octaves between E and D or A and G. Clever, simple.

[bassgod76]

LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!
Sorry, just playing. I couldn't resist.

[WoodyG3]

The noise you are getting with your P-bass is likely due to interference, and shielding the control cavity and pickup cavity will probably greatly reduce this.

[wildhorse]

Thanks,
New pups and some copper seems to be on order!