Building a chameleon - a pickup design saga!

Alegree

After having discussions with @lysander and playing around with my tappable humbucker idea, I've decided to try the impossible(?) and design the most versatile humbucker set ever -  combining P90, Tele bridge, vintage Strat single, hot humbucker and hot PAF in one!

The idea is to make a tappable humbucker with two very different magnetic designs in each coil. One coil will have steel screws in it, powered by a bar magnet underneath the bobbins. This coil will be the P90 when split in full output mode, a split PAF when split in lower output mode (no one likes those though, so I'm ignoring that), it'll be a hot PAF when combined with the other coil in low output mode, and finally it'll be a hot humbucker when combined with the other coil in full output mode.

The other coil will be loaded with alnico rod magnets. When split in low output mode, vintage Strat, when split in full output mode, Tele bridge and when combined with the other coil, see above.

The first prototypes are ready and awaiting testing! I'll show the ridiculously long winded and difficult production process on the next prototypes.

Should this prove successful, you'll never need more than one guitar! Don't tell your wife.

Edit: I'm doing a several part blog of this build on my website at https://www.alegree.co.uk/blogs/news I'll keep this thread updated with pictures and brief outlines of where I'm up to - for more in depth info you'll need to go to my website where I'm sure I'll be writing multiple essays on this fun project.

lysander

Awesome ! Looks like instead of choosing one or the other designs you went all in in the end ! Very much looking forward to these
Will the nickel covers stay ? Funnily enough I was thinking about these yesterday and was hoping they would be covered, purely for the look.

Alegree

lysander said:

Awesome ! Looks like instead of choosing one or the other designs you went all in in the end ! Very much looking forward to these
Will the nickel covers stay ? Funnily enough I was thinking about these yesterday and was hoping they would be covered, purely for the look.

I don't think for a second these will be able to be made without covers.
The coils are absolutely bulging, so they need the protection.

Alegree

Pickups loaded and given a whirl briefly today. The splits are great. Humbucker modes are really bright due to the alnico rods. I'll try them with 250k pots to see if that tames them a bit. I doubt it'll shave enough top end off - so I'll be making new prototypes soon to remedy this I reckon, and making a walk through of one of these builds!

Funkfingers

If you are using switches to select which coils are operational at any given time, could you not integrate passive filtering networks to reduce the excess treble?

Alegree

Funkfingers said:

If you are using switches to select which coils are operational at any given time, could you not integrate passive filtering networks to reduce the excess treble?

That's an option, but I'm trying to avoid that to get the most authentic P90/Strat/Tele tones - every part of the pickup is used in every part of the switching, so unfortunately I can't just slap in some filtering in a part that is only active when they're in humbucking mode.

Plus I like to get the pickup as close to what I'm after before I start contemplating filtering.

Alegree

Further tests reveal that the alnico rods have a very significant effect on the humbucking tone. The 14k neck tap feels similar to a PAF due to the treble punch and clarity. This coincidentally will end up making these easier to build - yay

wackojacko

Photos or it didn't happen!

Alegree

wackojacko said:

Photos or it didn't happen!

Can't have distrust ruining my business! Not much to look at mind you.

wackojacko

looks nice mate. Care for a photo of the back? I want to see the guts...

wackojacko

PS majorly enjoying the yellow/black combo

Alegree

wackojacko said:

PS majorly enjoying the yellow/black combo

wackojacko said:

looks nice mate. Care for a photo of the back? I want to see the guts...

The control cavity guts ?
That's an absolute mess. I devised a very complex wiring for switching the modes (sadly I can't quite get them all on tap with 4 push/pulls)
I can get a shot of it if that's what you're after.

wackojacko

yeah if you wouldn't mind....feel free to PM me if you prefer. 

Alegree

I've had a bit more time with them, and I'm really loving some of the tones coming out - the single coil modes are pretty indistinguishable from their proper counterparts. 

I'm not so sure that the alnico rods increase treble as significantly as I first thought. They seem to bring a big, bright, percussive feel that keeps everything feeling more open and clear - I've been loving how my drop C metal material sounds through them so far.

Alegree

Update: been super busy recently - but my 6 way 4 pole rotary switch has turned up to start testing all the modes in one guitar. My head is hurting trying to devise a way to wire it all up though.

Expect updates soon!

Alegree

After about an entire day of playing around with switch schematics, I've decided that having every mode on a rotary switch is, as far as I can tell, impossible. 

I've devised a way to have all 6 modes accessible by a 3 way 4 pole rotary and a push/pull pot per pickup. 
The pots will switch between full and tapped outputs, and the rotary switch will switch between humbucker/screw side/alnico rod side.

I'll be selling rotary switches, and push/pulls pots as additional add ons.

lysander

Will the rotary switch be able to control both pickups at the same time ( is it a dual switch ) or will you need one for each pickup ?

Alegree

lysander said:

Will the rotary switch be able to control both pickups at the same time ( is it a dual switch ) or will you need one for each pickup ?

A 4 pole rotary will do both simultaneously.

lysander

Brilliant. One standard switch, one rotary switch and two push pull knobs is just the right amount of controls and the versatility will be ridiculous.

Alegree

If you use a HSH setup I can't think of anything but Tele neck pickup that isn't achievable. I've just started work on the P90 modes, and although I've got quite a bit of work to get them where I want them, there's already a massive array of usable tones.

Further prototyping is on hold until I get some special wire in that I've decided I need to proceed. Should be worth the wait though!

lysander

Who likes tele neck pickups anyway  ( actually I do have one which I like but it's a stacked humbucker disguised as a tele pickup )