Kubicki pickups; what's inside?

[MPU]

I'm trying to find out what's inside the Kubicki pickups. I've found out they are humbuckers, somewhere it was said that they are split coils, somewhere it says they have different coils for active and passive output. Does anybody know more about these pickups?

 

[line6man]

I've never heard of a pickup having separate active and passive outputs. Pickups are either active or they are passive, but there is never any option to have both. Active pickups are unusual, as only a handful of companies make them, but you can determine whether your pickups are active or passive by looking at the wiring.

You might want to check the pickups out with a piece of magnetic viewing film. By looking at the magnetic field, you can get an idea of the aperture of the coils, and see whether or not you have split coils.

 

[40Hz]

I'm trying to find out what's inside the Kubicki pickups. I've found out they are humbuckers, somewhere it was said that they are split coils, somewhere it says they have different coils for active and passive output. Does anybody know more about these pickups?

The ones in the Kubiki-Fender collaborations or those in Kubiki's Ex-Factor?

IIRC the Fenders used Lace Sensors, Kubiki's own were humbuckers. The tone variations came from the preamp. I've never seen any mention of the coils being tapped or split on either the Jazz Plus or Ex Factors.

 

[MPU]

The ones in the Kubiki-Fender collaborations or those in Kubiki's Ex-Factor?

Ex-Factor or Factor.
Maybe different outputs for passive/active could be high impedance coil(s) for passive and low/medium impedance coil(s) for active (preamp has more than unity gain to raise the output level) output. And maybe split coil refers to something like P pickup instead of something like J pickup.
If I had the pickup in my hands I could measure the resistance and find out the aperture but without a pickup it's just wild guessing.

 

[guitardr]

I'm trying to find out what's inside the Kubicki pickups. I've found out they are humbuckers, somewhere it was said that they are split coils, somewhere it says they have different coils for active and passive output. Does anybody know more about these pickups?

The early Factor pickups did indeed have two separate outputs. A low impedance coil for the active circuitry and a high impedance coil for the passive. These can be identified by their three pin connectors.

 

[guitardr]

Here is a pic of the back of a very early

Kubicki Hi/Low impedance pickup.

 

[patobravo]

I took the initial stab at designing the pickups, then Joe Barden came in and did his own design, initially very early models had taps for dual impedance but that was soon changed to a single impedance twin coil (side-by-side) humbucking pickup. Phil (greatest boss ever!) was not know for his electrical prowess and gladly differed the electronics task to me, who then differed to others (Roger Modjeski did the electronics, or enough of it to hand off to me to finish). Even though Seymour Duncan was local and a frequent visitor (and his shop was a few feet down the street for awhile) Phil, Carla & Geoff were adamant the bass have it's own pickups & electronics.

 

[Pablo Cavallo]

Patobravo, do you know if Blaster knock-offs used the same pickups? or a similar design? I would greatly appreciate your info on this.

 

[bigsnack]

I took the initial stab at designing the pickups, then Joe Barden came in and did his own design, initially very early models had taps for dual impedance but that was soon changed to a single impedance twin coil (side-by-side) humbucking pickup. Phil (greatest boss ever!) was not know for his electrical prowess and gladly differed the electronics task to me, who then differed to others (Link Removed did the electronics, or enough of it to hand off to me to finish). Even though Seymour Duncan was local and a frequent visitor (and his shop was a few feet down the street for awhile) Phil, Carla & Geoff were adamant the bass have it's own pickups & electronics.

Bump! I’m shocked this thread petered out. Any insight on the magnets used and / or the wire used to wind? The Kubicki pickups have a great unique sound, almost like a higher-fi Wal pickup. Either way, it’s great to see the original shop designers contributing to a thread like this, awesome!!

 

[MPU]

Bump!
So Kubicki pickups are side to side humbuckers as stated above. Has anyone measured the resistance or impedance of the coils? Has any new info been found?

 

[capacitor]

Bump as well! Is there a pickup system that works as well as the Kubicki Factors in terms of tone? The form factor (sorry) isn't important, and I'll be able to route out the body for any suitable pickup configuration. Any information to point a newbie like me in a good direction would be awesome.

 

[capacitor]

I just saw the pickups at the Kubicki website ($190 ea). They don't look like it (missing the top contour) but could these sound the same as the originals?

This link goes to the page where you can add them to the cart, but it doesn't appear that there's any other information on them:

Kubicki.com | Philip Kubicki Factor Bass

California - USA

kubicki.com

The neck and bridge photos appear to be of the same pickup but inverted. I should state that I'm looking for 4 string pickups

 

[iiipopes]

I've never heard of a pickup having separate active and passive outputs. Pickups are either active or they are passive, but there is never any option to have both. Active pickups are unusual, as only a handful of companies make them, but you can determine whether your pickups are active or passive by looking at the wiring.

You might want to check the pickups out with a piece of magnetic viewing film. By looking at the magnetic field, you can get an idea of the aperture of the coils, and see whether or not you have split coils.

It didn't work out in the "real world," but check out the bridge pickup in the original Rickenbacker 4002 (yes, "2," not "1" or "3"): passive conventional out to a Ric-O-Sound jack, with interleaved windings sent separately to an XLR jack to be sent to a separate pre-amp.

 

[Relsom]

Here is a pic of the back of a very early Kubicki Hi/Low impedance pickup.View attachment 1198347

Very early indeed! Prototype? This thread is very old, but the information is still relevant, so I'll continue..... Attached is a photo of one of the pickups from my '85 s/n 072. The coils were encased in epoxy and bonded to the cover. 2 sets of coils with a common ground. One set feeding the active circuit, other set for passive, just as you've said Mike. I haven't pulled a pickup from my latest acquisition. An '89. Keeping my fingers crossed that I can remove the cover for restoration. God only knows what the previous owner did to this bass. I'll likely send it your way once I peel back the layers and get it to a point that the surprises are few.

 

[Relsom]

I must correct myself on my assumption that only the early pickups were encased in epoxy. As it turns out, the '89 that I just acquired also has this, and has 2 cond (+shield) cable.

 

[littlebun]

I was one of the first Kubicki players touring and recording with the initial run that Phil created. The very first incarnation of his pickups were changed/adjusted in '86 I believe, and I found them to be an improvement.

 

[OldTimerSB]

I have an ‘86, original owner, and I love the feel, neck, playability of the bass. I’m not crazy about the tone, I think it’s just too hifi for me. Anyone have insight on replacing either the pickups or the circuits?