• From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Topic: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

So I have been messing around with my SG and decide I love the wide open tone of the Pearly Gates pickups in the bridge position.  But I've found my other pearly gates neck pickup to be muddy.  So I had a Mini humbucker laying around from another project that I wasn't using, anyway I'm hoping that since its a narrow pickup the magnetic field will be smaller then the full sized humbucker.  The theory a fender pickup is narrow and sounds bright so if I go with a narrow humbucker it should be a thinner sound.  Plus I've wired it without a tone control, instead I'm using the spin a split to coil split both pickups.  Like I said Bridge is fantastic so I hope the neck will match up better.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Tried it out and I must say it really helps if you don't get your lead wires backwards on you pots!  I soldered the lead to each pickup to the middle lug instead of the 1st lug and then had the leads to should go to the middle lug to the first lug, then to the switch.  The guitar was working but I had this horrible 60 cycle hum with humbuckers.  Then I switched to the middle position and back a pickup completely off while the other was turned up wide open, this should have killed all the volume however it didn't I still had full power on my bridge humbucker!  Oh well that's what you get for hurrying.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2010-09-30
  • Posts: 163

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

You're probably already aware, but just in case (and for those in a similar situation)...

If you are using a full size humbucker (or any pickup, really) and the sound is a bit muddy, the first thing to try (besides amp settings) is to lower the pickup. This will reduce output and roll off a bit of bass, which will have the affect of making the pickup sound more articulate. Alternately, (if the neck pickup is already low, for instance) you can adjust your amp setting to work with your neck pickup and instead adjust the bridge pickup to work with these new settings. If it is more a matter of certain strings being muddy and not others (bass strings, for example), you can adjust individual pole pieces (on PAF style designs). Take notes, in case you want to bring things back to where you started. wink

Cheers,

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Thanks for the suggestion.  I've tried it a little bit to adjust the pickups but I think the truth of the matter is am a strat guy trying to play Gibson guitars.  I'd be lying if I didn't think about just putting a stratocaster pickup in that SG of mine.  Seems weird but I think I would like it.  The bridge humbucker sounds perfect to me no matter what settings I throw at it.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: West Sussex
  • Registered: 2011-05-17
  • Posts: 307

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Mini humbuckers and filtertrons (narrow field humbuckers) are supposed to sound in between a regular Humbucker and a single coil.

A P90 style neck pup is another option to get a single coil sound but keep the Gibson flavour.

  • Registered: 2010-09-30
  • Posts: 163

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

AD3THREE wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion.  I've tried it a little bit to adjust the pickups but I think the truth of the matter is am a strat guy trying to play Gibson guitars.  I'd be lying if I didn't think about just putting a stratocaster pickup in that SG of mine.  Seems weird but I think I would like it.  The bridge humbucker sounds perfect to me no matter what settings I throw at it.

Hahaha! Sounds like you're on the right path, then, my friend! wink  Have you tried wiring up just one coil of your full size HB (need 4 conductor wiring)? Some HB's seem to be better suited for this and usually one coil is preferable to the other in a given pickup.

+1 on the idea of trying a P90 as well.

Let us know how it all works out! smile

  • From: West Sussex
  • Registered: 2011-05-17
  • Posts: 307

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Raising the polepieces in the muddy pickup is also supposed to add to the clarity.  Don't know whether you can do that on the mini-HB.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Yeah I've got both of them wired up for coil splitting.  The Bridge pickup is a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates and I have to say I'm enjoying the coil split sound better then the full humbucker.  The Pearly Gates in the neck Position has always been less then enjoyable to me.  I've coil split that one as well and I have adjusted pole pieces and such to no luck.  The Mini humbucker idea is just me goofing around and having fun.  I think I will like it and it too will have coil splits on it... however with all this coil splitting I'm doing I can't help but wonder would I be better off just doing 2 p-90 humbucker sized pickups?

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: West Sussex
  • Registered: 2011-05-17
  • Posts: 307

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

You'd be in good company - the Pete Townsend SG comes with p90s!

http://www2.gibson.com/Products/Electri … nd-SG.aspx

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Santana used them too!

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

Seymour Duncan Phat Cats, GIbson P-94, and Guitar Fetish Dream 90's are P-90 style pickups that fit humbucker routes... I loved my Dream 90s.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

GFS also has the Mean 90.  I was looking at www.philxstore.com where he has PX-100 humbucker sized p-90's I was really tempted to buy those but they are pricy at $130 a pop, but thats in the same price as a gibson p-94 so maybe thats not bad.  GFS makes really nice things for the money and I've been a strong supporter in the past for them, but with the market like it is today and the fact that I still have a job and making money I've taken it upon myself to try to buy American made as much as I physically can.  Plus it limits me buying a bunch of crap.  Last but not least GFS makes all their money on shipping, quite frankly they rape you on shipping.  Its still a great cheaper alternative that will perform as good as anybody, but at $45 after shipping for a single pickup could have gone to Musicans Friend and got a Dimarzio or a Seymour Duncan for $75 and help an American company.  As I'm writing this I should point out that the mini humbucker I put in the guitar is a GFS, but I bought it a year ago.

AD3THREE's Website

13 Reply by AD3THREE (edited by AD3THREE 2012-09-01 17:23:40)

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

So the Mini Humbucker was more muddy then the Pearly Gates.  So I think I'm going to switch back.  But I've been thinking that  maybe what I should try to do is swap magnets out.  Pearly Gates have an Alnico II magnet in it so I was thinking about going up to a Alnico 5 or an 8 (8 is supposed to be in between 5 and Ceramic) however I found this really good site that had all the choices you can think of.  I wanted Alnico 5 but decided to settle with Ceramic instead.  Why?  Because I'm cheap.  It was $4 for a Alnico 5 or an 8 and it was $.90 for ceramic.  The Shipping was going to be $5 so I bought 2 magnets with the hopes I'll try it on both pickups (Did I mention I like the bridge pickup as is but I'm still thinking of screwing with it?)  I just love tinkering even if nobody else cares. ;P

http://www.addiction-fx.com/gallery1.htm

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

I bought the magnets but as it turns out I put the pearly Gates back in and wired it correctly this time imagine that.  I've got the clarity I want with no tone control and have the option for coil splitting on it.  I'm happy for now might try the ceramic anyway since I bought them.  But it will have to wait until my big gig this weekend is over.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Was NY now FL/GA line
  • Registered: 2007-12-16
  • Posts: 2,857

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

AD3THREE wrote:

Thanks for the suggestion.  I've tried it a little bit to adjust the pickups but I think the truth of the matter is am a strat guy trying to play Gibson guitars.  I'd be lying if I didn't think about just putting a stratocaster pickup in that SG of mine.  Seems weird but I think I would like it.  The bridge humbucker sounds perfect to me no matter what settings I throw at it.

Thats like using a 13mm wrench in place of a 1/2 inch. Sometimes it works. Most times you ruin the head of the bolt. There's a tool for each job. Trying to make something into something it's not isn't always the best solution. Just like being cheap. In the end it'll cost you more and save nothing.

Work smart. Not hard.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

smile  I never claimed I was smart!  Only a constant tinkering fool.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: New Castle, DE USA
  • Registered: 2011-01-03
  • Posts: 1,256

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

AD3THREE wrote:

smile  I never claimed I was smart!  Only a constant tinkering fool.

I can relate.  I stare at the display cases with all the pickup choices when I visit guitar stores, and count myself lucky that such bounty wasn't available when I was a kid with more money than sense...   wink

Nowadays, I'm lucky to find time to play, much less tinker...

Terrance Shuman
New Castle, DE
  • Registered: 2012-09-02
  • Posts: 1

Re: Trying a Mini humbucker in my SG

One can never have too many P90 gits, but that's just me.
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