in the hot PAF range,what would be an exellent coiltapped humbucker,some ive tried are not that good...trying to shorten the search.. going in a les paul....thanx
Have you checked out Fralin Unbuckers yet? We have some Gadow guitars with them and they sound great.
i've had guits w/ dimarzio air norton's and dimarzio virtual vintage paf's that have sounded good w/ their coils split.
Harry Haeussel builds some excellent hummers that sound GREAT when *split* (I use the term on purpose). Handmade in Germany - if that can be a dealbreaker for you More here Good luck, JJ
WCR - I have a pair of Jim's Fillmores (4 conductor) and they sound great tapped. I have a Duncan C5 / Alnico II Pro combo that sounds pretty good tapped as well. Paul
In the neck position, the Seymour Duncan Alnico II Pro has the best split/tapped tone I've used. --chiba
I have them in my Baker B-1... I certainly wouldn't classify them as PAF-sounding, but I DO think that they sound really, REALLY good...!
As requested, Jon... I've gigged with the Unbucker-equipped baker B1 a couple of times now, and each time, I like it more and more! I have not owned a humbucker quitar in some time now, favoring P90s, of both the vintage variety and contemporary (Fralin, Lollar, HD) flavor. Most buckers I've played, including vintage, did not give me what I felt to be an articulate, usable sound in the neck position. Holmes aged pickups did sound quite good, but were not quite there for me. So, for the past 5 years or so, I've been playing primarily P90s, with the occasional foray into lower-output single coils (i.e. Fralin, Lentz) Being the only guitarist in my band, I like to be able to go from a sparkling clean 'Fender' type sound for comping and "fills", but also need to thicken it up a bit for soloing. P90s work that way for me, in varying degrees... I can get good cleans from them, and still get thick lead tones with lots of grit and edge, without resorting to a pedal -- just by varying picking attack and working the volume/tone controls on the guitar. As I understand it, the Unbuckers are wound unevenly, with the screw coils receiving most of the wire, and the slug coils receiving less. The result is a bucker that is not quite as thick-sounding as a typical PAF-style bucker -- especially in the neck position -- and they seem to have more of a P90 thing going on, but without quite as many "whiskers" on the overall tone... Beefy, yet articulate, with a nice edge... In single-coil (split) mode, they sound much more like a traditional single-coil pickup -- moreso than any other split hum I've tried to date -- and to me, sound almost midway between a Strat and a Tele pickup. And that, in combination with the aforementioned bucker mode, works really well for my needs and taste. Of course, the Baker that these are in is a 25-1/2" scale, and I recognize that the scale length also contributes to the snap and clarity that I'm hearing. But I would presume that enough of it is coming from these Fralins so that they would have a similar effect on a typical Gibson scale-length instrument. All in all, I am really digging these pickups. So far, I've played the B1 through an early Silverface Pro, a Two Rock Topaz, and a Matchless Chieftain. To me, it actually seems as if the individual character of each amp comes through more clearly with these Unbuckers than with even my best P90-equipped guitars. Bottom line: if you are not particularly happy with most PAF-style pickups -- especially in the neck position -- then the Fralin Unbucker may well float your boat.
Dave, Do you know the impedance measurements of your Unbuckers both in the full HB and single coil modes? I'm looking to get a set for a MIJ Fender Robben Ford model. Since Lindy offers some variations in the winding, I'd be curious to know how yours measure. I've been thinking of going with an 8k (split to 5k), neck and 9K (split to 5.5k) bridge. I think that's the hottest I can get in the single coil mode. Thanks
Do remember that the Un-bucker's "asymmetrical" coil winds mean that it does not cancel hum completely in order to retain the hi-end zing ... not necessarily a bad idea at all. Oh yeah and do remember to order the extra conductor if you plan to split'em otherwise you can't tap them, despite the fact that you may have specified the value of the individual coils. JJ
Dave, thanks very much for your detailed and informative review. I think I am exactly in the same boat as you as to what I'd be seeking from the Unbuckers and expect to cop a pair now based on your review. The folks here who have not liked the Unbuckers have criticized them precisely for not sounding like traditional PAF-style PUPs. While I don't know why someone would given the unambiguous name, that is precisely why I believe these PUPs are going to be the solution for my 25 1/2 inch scale length Godin LGX-SA (which I presently have Harmonic Design Z90s in but they're too hot for this particular guitar plus I already also have a set of Z90s in my Reverend Rocco which sound perfect there). P.S. Do you recall the exact specs yours are wrapped to?
