Mixstar Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 As an electronics engineer of too many years, particularly in the radio transmission field, I've never quite understood the discussions (arguments) about the benefits or not of humbuckers. We're talking about interference from 50 or 60 Hz mains hum depending where you live. With all the knowledge available at Gibson, Fender and whoever why can't someone come up with a filter to remove it? It's a fixed frequency so a simple mains hum filter should get rid of it, what's the issue? Unless it's thought a mains filter would detract from the sound of the guitar but 50 or 60 Hz, I don't think so? In any case, it could/should be built in to the amp but could quite easily be added to the guitar electronics, you can even get IC's these days for the very purpose. -Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 12, 2013 Share Posted September 12, 2013 Sadly it is not that simple, even not if there was 50 or 60 Hz only, and for lead guitar in standard tuning, 82.4 Hz as the lowest fundamental allowed for it on principal, but e. g. not for bass. Then there are harmonics, spikes, intermodulations and other interferences due to switches, commutators, electric welding, phase controlled modulators, frequency convertors and switch mode power supplies. There is one saying coming true in this respect as well as in audio recording where I know it from: Garbage in, garbage out. It is best to avoid such interferences passively to keep them from entering the signal path, and humbucking pickups are fine in this respect. Stapled humbuckers, so called noiseless single coils, perform even better than classic ones with the coils side by side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixstar Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 so called noiseless single coils, perform even better than classic ones with the coils side by side. Presumably you mean as in my HSS Strat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 13, 2013 Share Posted September 13, 2013 Presumably you mean as in my HSS Strat? Sorry, can't see it on this picture if the single coils are noiseless ones. As far as I know, for Stratocasters Fender only made the Vintage Noiseless and the SCN (Samarium Cobalt Noiseless) with black covers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixstar Posted September 13, 2013 Author Share Posted September 13, 2013 Fender HSS Strats are being produced now with humbuckers, side by side coils I guess? I just wondered if that was the type of thing you mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 Fender HSS Strats are being produced now with humbuckers, side by side coils I guess? I just wondered if that was the type of thing you mentioned. I thought about these Fender stacked noiseless humbuckers: http://www.thomann.de/gb/search_GF_single_coil_pickups_BN_fender.html?KF=on&wgfid1=1155&wgf1155=&wgfid2=1156&wgf1156=&wgfid3=1157&wgf1157=&wgfid4=1158&wgf1158=&wgfid5=1159&wgf1159=&wgfid6=1160&wgf1160=&wgfid7=7868&wgf7868=Ja&wgfid8=7869&wgf7869=&wgfid9=7870&wgf7870=Ja&wgfid10=7871&wgf7871= All of my four HSS Floyd Rose Strats are rebuilt with noiseless SSS, and two of them with Graph Tech LB63 piezos. They came stock with one Fender humbucker and two true Fender single coils, I wanted to keep one original HSS initially but later switched to have this guitar - the Candy Apple Red one in my signature - retrofitted, too. The SCNs were stock on American Deluxe Strats for about ten years, and now they come with N3s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzing Posted September 14, 2013 Share Posted September 14, 2013 So you're an engeneer and you don't understand how a humbucker works? I don't think it has to do with the frequency of the alternate current, it has to do with radio waves and electromagnectic interferences, which a single coil will be picking up. I think the very least of the interference actually comes from the electric network. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixstar Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 So you're an engeneer and you don't understand how a humbucker works? No, I'm an engineer and yes I fully understand how pickups and humbuckers work. My point was that there could (should) be other ways to noise cancel. I am in fact at this very moment in time having a single coil wound as a toroid as an experiment, two coils obviously, on one bobbin. The main drawback of the P90 pickup is its susceptibility to 50 Hz / 60 Hz mains hum induced in its coil by external electro-magnetic fields originating in mains powered electrical appliances, motors, lighting ballasts and transformers, etc. hence I'm going to see how a toroid works being as they do such a good job with mains transformers and they are much more efficient than a standard dual core wound transformer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted September 18, 2013 Share Posted September 18, 2013 This is sounding very interesting. I think some of it is down to age of the design, cost and the conservatism or resistance to change of guitarists. There already are accepted ways to 'buck the hum', whether with humbuckers, an external noisegate or 'hum canceller' of some sort, active pickups or other 'noiseless' passive pickups such as the Fender noiseless S/Cs or Lace Sensors - think they were pretty quiet. We also have noiseless or low-noise P90s of various kinds - Kinman, Lollar or Gibson's own P100s. I am told if you reverse the polarity (?) on one of a pair of P90s (if that is possible), that may reduce hum too. What you are trying may have been tried before somehow or other and what it must come down to is cost and the economics of mass producing it. The humbucker was the cheapest obvious solution. But let us know how you get on and what success you have - it should be very interesting. Regards! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mixstar Posted September 18, 2013 Author Share Posted September 18, 2013 Although MY ideas for toroidal pickups were my own, it looks like others have thought about it well before me, have a Google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted September 20, 2013 Share Posted September 20, 2013 Ah yes - The Ovation Breadwinner! I was in a band once with a guy who played one..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
btoth76 Posted September 24, 2013 Share Posted September 24, 2013 Hello! Did I hear "noiseless", and "stacked humbuckers". Here's a pair of Les Paul's very own designs: Cheers... Bence Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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