Jazzmaster sized I think, which is pretty close to a dual J
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Humbucker for a Squier Sonic Bronco?
- Thread starter LeighOnSea
- Start date
Jazzmaster sized I think, which is pretty close to a dual J
As a first go, I just ordered this from Amazon.es
From what I have gathered, I could include a toggle switch to select parallel or series for this? just to try it.
I already have push-pull cap selecting (47 / 100 nF) tone, and blower volume knobs
In terms of tone, I have tended to move towards fat and vintage - I'd quite like to experiment with other tones for this to have something different
p'raps more like the Viagra Boys? (is this called 'crunchy'?)
I think I'm correct in thinking that its not only pickup but whole train etc , but, would be nice to have something different from, for example my Sire P5R with La-bellas and 47/100 NF pull - push
In my tastes, I'm a noisy old bugger
And, after playing the bass some more, I am really, really surprised with just how much better the Tonerider Apex Classic is after simply changing the cover that allowed the poles to be raised a little more due to the holes in the cover
I have also fiddled with the pickup height (which has staggered poles) / individual string actions and also have it pretty well even across strings now.
TBH I will experiment with the Musiclilly as its really easy to swap it in, and I will play with series / parallel using that as I have never done that, but I reckon I will probably stick with the ToneRider
I have EB Co Flats on the Bronco, in my ignorance I think the Tonerider goes well with those on that bass for me
But I am looking forward to playing with theMmusiclilly and seeing how parallel and series compare!
Thank you!
I have also fiddled with the pickup height (which has staggered poles) / individual string actions and also have it pretty well even across strings now.
TBH I will experiment with the Musiclilly as its really easy to swap it in, and I will play with series / parallel using that as I have never done that, but I reckon I will probably stick with the ToneRider
I have EB Co Flats on the Bronco, in my ignorance I think the Tonerider goes well with those on that bass for me
But I am looking forward to playing with theMmusiclilly and seeing how parallel and series compare!
Thank you!
I have also been advised that a Tonerider Apex Plus might be good too
I got an Apex Classic neck position Strat pickup (because I just guessed) but apparently for the Apex Plus a Bridge pickup should be a bit more punchy & fatter
After I try the MusicLilly, that will be my next call
Cheaper than buying more basses, anyway
I got an Apex Classic neck position Strat pickup (because I just guessed) but apparently for the Apex Plus a Bridge pickup should be a bit more punchy & fatter
After I try the MusicLilly, that will be my next call
Cheaper than buying more basses, anyway
WOW!
Thanks @Bodeeni !
It was 20 Euro with delivery next day, just put it in and I love it
Really hot and punchy
Amazing!
Next step is going to be trying to find a toggle switch that will let me swap between parallel and series. Just to find out.
I know how to wire it into a push pull pot, but already have both pots push pull (Vol blower and 47/100 cap), so it will have to be a toggle switch
I will just have the switch floating first to see if I like any difference between parallel and series
Thanks again!!!
Well, from what I can gather on here, wiring the two coils in parallel will give more low and highs and less mids, so not really what I want
So, I am going to put a second strat pickup 8 inches from the bridge, which is close to the end of the fretboard
I will put in a separate vol pot with a push pull to allow parallel or series wiring of the two pickups.
I think I will first try it with the Tonerider Apex Classic I have
If I use another pick guard I can always revert to one pickup if I dont like it
I just posted about the routing part in the luthier's corner forum
So, I am going to put a second strat pickup 8 inches from the bridge, which is close to the end of the fretboard
I will put in a separate vol pot with a push pull to allow parallel or series wiring of the two pickups.
I think I will first try it with the Tonerider Apex Classic I have
If I use another pick guard I can always revert to one pickup if I dont like it
I just posted about the routing part in the luthier's corner forum
Kinda. If you have one pickup and you compare it with the coils wired in series and parallel:
- Parallel (orange) has its resonant peak at a higher frequency; that peak is also slightly taller and narrower (higher Q)
- Series (blue) has its resonant peak at a lower frequency; also slightly lower and wider
(Horizontal axis is frequency, vertical is volume)
The peak frequency varies based on pickup construction, magnets, winding, etc, and also by any other passive electronics it's attached to. So the difference might be heard in the highs, high-mids, or even mids.
But there's an additional complication. The picture above has the volumes normalised, but in reality series has more output than parallel - somewhere around 4-6dB more IIRC. That means that if you have a series/parallel switch, the difference between the two sounds like this...
It's the same curves, but series has "more lows" and "more mids" because it's got more of everything below the resonant peak - every part of the spectrum where the blue line is higher than the orange sounds boosted in comparison to parallel mode. And since it objectively does have less highs due to the peak being at a lower frequency, that adds to the effect because the overall balance is darker. On top of that, you've got psychoacoustics; our dumb monkey brains prefer series, because louder = better. Poor old parallel mode tends to get unfairly dismissed as "thin" and "weak" in comparison.
Loads more information in this fascinating thread, including a way to get the same effect as series/pallel switch without the volume change:
Thanks for that, makes total sense
Although in my case I think you are insulting the Monkeys
And I am going to stick with series
I also backed out of routing my lovely little bronco after finding out how I should really do it
As a measure of my total ignorance I initially thought I'd get the Dremmel out on it
Luckily I am too old to be embarrassed
I have another pick guard coming and will mess around with different pickups some more
Although in my case I think you are insulting the Monkeys
And I am going to stick with series
I also backed out of routing my lovely little bronco after finding out how I should really do it
As a measure of my total ignorance I initially thought I'd get the Dremmel out on it
Luckily I am too old to be embarrassed
I have another pick guard coming and will mess around with different pickups some more
Or, I might just leave as is
I'm really enjoying that pickup
I'm really enjoying that pickup
Basically, with an inexpensive capacitor and a few minutes of soldering, one can accomplish tonal changes akin to swapping pickups or wiring (and it can be made switchable). The concept only surfaces from time to time in this forum, but it's so easy, cheap, and effective, that it deserves to be a go-to when talking about pickup/tone mods.
One more note, it's easy to test out different capacitor values without popping the hood (keep the volume and tone controls at 10): unscrew the barrel of the instrument cable where it plugs into the bass; attach one alligator clip lead to the cable's hot tab; attach another clip lead to the ground tab; clip a capacitor between the free ends of the clip leads to hear how it affects the tone; try different values and then hardwire in the one you like.
That sounds like something I would like to trySo can I do that as well as having my tone push-pull cap changing pot?
And, it looks like a much smaller cap is used?
What would be a good one (nF) to start with (I would err on a bigger effect)?
I’m actually glad to see someone try one of these pickups in a Bronco and have similar results. Normally folks think I’m nuts for suggesting an all out rock guitar pickup and an inexpensive one at that for bass. But they work way better than one might think. String spacing is not an issue. They cancel hum. There’s much more output.
Not for the purist or vintage buff wanting to recreate their first bass. But very practical in the real world.
Arguably they shine more as a bass pickup then a guitar pickup.
OK, I have been reading deeper about a loading capacitor (max 5 nF I think)Kinda. If you have one pickup and you compare it with the coils wired in series and parallel:
View attachment 7451459
- Parallel (orange) has its resonant peak at a higher frequency; that peak is also slightly taller and narrower (higher Q)
- Series (blue) has its resonant peak at a lower frequency; also slightly lower and wider
(Horizontal axis is frequency, vertical is volume)
The peak frequency varies based on pickup construction, magnets, winding, etc, and also by any other passive electronics it's attached to. So the difference might be heard in the highs, high-mids, or even mids.
But there's an additional complication. The picture above has the volumes normalised, but in reality series has more output than parallel - somewhere around 4-6dB more IIRC. That means that if you have a series/parallel switch, the difference between the two sounds like this...
View attachment 7451454
It's the same curves, but series has "more lows" and "more mids" because it's got more of everything below the resonant peak - every part of the spectrum where the blue line is higher than the orange sounds boosted in comparison to parallel mode. And since it objectively does have less highs due to the peak being at a lower frequency, that adds to the effect because the overall balance is darker. On top of that, you've got psychoacoustics; our dumb monkey brains prefer series, because louder = better. Poor old parallel mode tends to get unfairly dismissed as "thin" and "weak" in comparison.
Loads more information in this fascinating thread, including a way to get the same effect as series/pallel switch without the volume change:
But, I think that wherever the freq peaks are, the parallel peak is always going to be at a higher freq than for series
And if the loading capacitor "get(s) the same effect as series/pallel switch without the volume change' then this will also give a higher peak freq than for series, just without the drop in volume that parallel would have given (so a loading capacitor should give something like your first graph, but with parallel as the orange?)
Which is not what I want
So I should just stick with the Series coil wiring
Does that make sense?
If it does - what can I do next?
I really dont want to start routing
Maybe I should try the Thunderbird type (any suggestions for an economical but good option)?
Or the Squire humbucker (cheaper equivalents available / how much are they?
Any other mods I could do?
I have changed strings, bridge, tuners, pots, pickup, strap buttons, string tree, knobs, designed and 3D printed my own thumb rest
My curiosity is itchy
I'm thinking of trying this (might need slight work to get tit to fit, but not much)
https://musiclily.com/collections/h...-9-5k-for-tele-style-electric-guitar-mx3243bk
Any thoughts?
https://musiclily.com/collections/h...-9-5k-for-tele-style-electric-guitar-mx3243bk
Any thoughts?
If you like the sound of your pickup in series, then don't mess with it!
But if you also like the parallel sound, and you want to be able to switch between the two sounds without a volume jump, one option is to wire the pickup permanently in parallel. Now you've just got the orange curve:
Then experiment with different load capacitors until you find one that moves the resonant peak back down to where it was in series mode (the blue curve). The cap value can be calculated if you know (or have the tools to measure) the pickup's inductance etc., but otherwise it's a case of trying different ones and using your ears. When you find the right cap, you can add a switch so that it's either in the circuit (blue), or out of the circuit (orange).
And then the really cool thing to do is to have a rotary switch with lots of different capacitors attached, so that you can shift the peak around to even more spots
I have tried to find cheap thunderbird pickups but they're pretty hard to find. An alternative to the Squier pickup would be the mudbucker. Artec has one for cheap on amazon Artec EBC4 Micro de manche de basse en céramique Style Sidewinder Mudbucker 30K pour basse électrique Style Epiphone/USA Made SG/EB, Chrome : Amazon.ca: Instruments de musique, scène et studio
You've done pretty much all possible mods? could get a neck refinish, change the Nut, otherwise that's pretty much it. another amazon brand has a lot of fancy bridges, tuners and other hardware. Guitar & Bass Parts | Premium Replacement Hardware - Guyker
What about a (cap-resistor in parallel) treble bleed on the vol pot, but instead of bypassing the vol pot, bleeding the treble to ground so that at low volumes it gets darker - like the 'Loudness' button is for on a 'HiFi' (showing my age there)?
So soldering the bleed to the input and ground terminals on the vol pot
I guess I could always try it, I think the mV involved mean that I wont destroy anything?
So soldering the bleed to the input and ground terminals on the vol pot
I guess I could always try it, I think the mV involved mean that I wont destroy anything?
I ordered a perspex strat pickup router template from Musiclilly
I will at least play with it on some scrap wood
Could anyone tell me what a suitable wood to try it on would be?
Obvious answer is poplar, but not sure if I can source it and think its expensive?
EDIT: I was wrong about expensive it seems
I will at least play with it on some scrap wood
Could anyone tell me what a suitable wood to try it on would be?
Obvious answer is poplar, but not sure if I can source it and think its expensive?
EDIT: I was wrong about expensive it seems
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I just remembered this free and amazing Wood handbook that we used when designing composite replacements for the wooden yards for lateen rigged Traditional Portuguese Sailing boats
Ross, R. (Ed.), 2010. Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material. Forest Products Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
Ross, R. (Ed.), 2010. Wood Handbook, Wood as an Engineering Material. Forest Products Laboratory, United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
