Humbucker Coil Characteristics

[hessodreamy]

So far I have coil tapped a couple of different humbuckers, and both times they sounded really thin. (You might say thats the point)

I was wondering if both of the coils in a humbucker are sonically the same (except for the reverse polarity thing). Or if I'd get different results from using the other coil?

So far i've been using the south coil. Wonder what the north one is like.

Cheers

[Hotrock]

Here is my understanding, but be warned, I have been known to understand things completely wrong.

Generally, both coils are identical (except for when you have mentioned) but certain companies have and still do some pups where each coils is slightly different (in a number of turns type of way).

I also believe that if both coils are identical, you will get a slightly different output from each coil as, for example, the north coil might be closer to an anti-node of the strings vibration (the wobbly bit) and the south coil would be closer to a node (where the wobbly bit changes direction causeing an unwobbly bit). How much of an effect this has I don't know.

Like I said, that's just my understanding and could be wrong, but I'm at work and I've enough for the day, so I hough I might as well reply to this .

[hessodreamy]

That just what I thought.

Anybody else got any input on this? And how much of a difference the position of the pickup makes (ie how far along the string)

Always glad to waste your employer's money!

[Jester700]

Depends on the pickup. Some (like Dimarzio's Steve's Special) are very different. But even normal ones often have a screw side and a slug side. The slug side will have greater output if the screws are adjusted flat against the bobbin. So I orient the pup so THAT side is where I want it - usually toward the neck for greater warmth & output.

Remember that a strat pup is wound to about 6k with 42AWG wire. That's more output than half an 8k PAF bucker will give you. To split well you need a hotter bucker - super distortion types usually work OK, but they will still sound weak in comparison to the whole pickup in series. There are buckers designed to split well; I have a couple and they are better at this than normal buckers.

[lovekraft]

So far I have coil tapped a couple of different humbuckers, and both times they sounded really thin. (You might say thats the point)

Well, that is the point, isn't it? Seriously, to answer your question, the closer a coil is to the bridge, the more harmonic content it's going to pick up, so the signal will be brighter (all other things being equal) - conversely, the further it is from the bridge, the louder it is going to be (all other things being equal). The distance between coils isn't going to have a huge effect on tone or volume, but it is different, especially when you start combining it with the other pickup. I'm not a big fan of split humbuckers by themselves, but I love using the inner coils of both in series.