Difference in splitting to one coil or other on a humbucker?

[MovinTarget]

The difference in sound is related to position. The guy with two humbuckers almost on top of each other (eastcoasteddie) heard a lot of difference between inner and outer coils mixed - that absolutely makes sense, as the two inner coils are much closer to each other in a relative sense than the outer coils. On a bridge pickup, the difference in relative position will also be pretty big going from one coil to the other within the same pickup. For a pickup far from the bridge, the difference will be more subtle, but probably still audible if you're paying attention. Position of a pickup is one of the most important factors in the sound of a bass - that position creates a comb filter for each string that is not eq-able - it's baked in, with no way to fix it, as the eq for each string is different, and their outputs are summed in the pickups' outputs.

Well how about this: Has anyone ever mixed-n-matched Magnets so that you one coil with Ceramic and the other AlNiCo V or one AlNiCo V and the other III? I wonder what it would sound like as a humbucker and then you'd get 2 distinct single coils. Now I think ceramic PuPs run their magnets differently than AlNiCos so I dunno if that is feasible... let alone wise...

 

[bassbrad]

On my Carvin LB50 basses I have the option to choose coils I have found that the closer to the bridge the more you can hear the difference.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

I have Carvin HB pickups in my Dean posted before. There is a distinct characteristic of each coil, like a different peak in the midrange frequency.
Check this pickup by Howard Ulyate

VERY different !!!

 

[micguy]

Well how about this: Has anyone ever mixed-n-matched Magnets so that you one coil with Ceramic and the other AlNiCo V or one AlNiCo V and the other III? I wonder what it would sound like as a humbucker and then you'd get 2 distinct single coils. Now I think ceramic PuPs run their magnets differently than AlNiCos so I dunno if that is feasible... let alone wise...

Having different magnet structures on each side of a humbucker is possible, but you'll sacrifice some of the ability to cancel hum. May or may not be worrh it.

 

[jeffb28451]

You'll probably get more sonic difference (room wise, not right on top) if you moved you amp over 2-3 feet and changed your resonance signature. This assumes no FOH changes. I just don't see much overall change. Can I hear it? Of course...does it matter? Not with the last several basses I've owned that allow that.

It is more evident on single pu basses like my g & l 1505, etc.

 

[grillman]

Most bass pickups with visible poles that i've seen have the same material used in both coils as opposed to many guitar humbuckers that have visibly different pole pieces. I would think that this would give more character differences to a PuP when splitting one way or the other... perhaps more than their position?

I am assuming the difference I was hearing was due to the position. The MM pickup is quite large and it's position being quite close to the bridge already i feel like the extra 2 cm closer to the neck give me a fuller sound. I don't know if it matters in the mix really. But when I think I sound better I play better so in a way it does matter

 

[Eilif]

I am assuming the difference I was hearing was due to the position. The MM pickup is quite large and it's position being quite close to the bridge already i feel like the extra 2 cm closer to the neck give me a fuller sound. I don't know if it matters in the mix really. But when I think I sound better I play better so in a way it does matter

This makes perfect sense to me. The closer you get to the bridge the more the position matters. just watch your string vibrate, there's a much bigger difference as you get closer to the bridge.

 

[MovinTarget]

This makes perfect sense to me. The closer you get to the bridge the more the position matters. just watch your string vibrate, there's a much bigger difference as you get closer to the bridge.

Or more specifically, the closer you get to the bridge the less movement there is so if you are using a MM close to the bridge, the amount of movement detected by the coil next to the bridge is that much less than the one further from the bridge...