[psychepool]

Hi all. I'm first time to here.


Since I've been using Seymour Duncan, I've been looking for Seymour Duncan's products when I'm looking for new pickups.
But today I can not bear the curiosity, and I bought Dimarzio bluesbucker.

While waiting for delivery, I joined the forum and wrote some questions to know some knowledge about it.

BluesBucker was a pickup with all the specs that I was looking for when I read the product description.
- P90 sound with hum-canceling
- Can be mounted on humbucker routes
- True single coil tone when split coil

If these things really get implemented, it will be exactly what I was looking for.

But it is very unique pickup so there are a lot of things to worry about.
Let me ask you a few questions.


1. Pickup mounting direction

I know the slug-side coil of this pickup is almost dummy, and the one responsible for the actual sound is the screw-side coil.
So I heard that the sound varies a lot depending on the install direction of screw-side coil.
Like the tones in the series mode, the split single coil tones are also important for me.
Which direction do you recommend to install neck and bridge pickup respectively?



2. Combination with Duncan or Gibson pickup

I have previously installed both Duncan and Dimarzio pickups in one guitar.
I like the Neck + Bridge parallel tone very much.
But when I installed with the manuals of each brand, so I got out of phase when parallel.
If this is the case, connect one of them in the opposite direction.
But Bluesbucker has a direction to use, so I think we need to change the polarity of Duncan pickups.
Does Bluesbaker also has out of phase with Duncan pickup polarity?
Like the SH-1, if both coils are the same pickup, there's no matter.
But I think there will be a problem with asymmetrical pick-ups like the SH-16 that I use.
And I wonder if there are no out of phase issues with Gibson pickups with braided 2 conductor wires.



3. Combination with PAF style pickups

Whether it's on the neck or on the bridge when fitted with PAF-style pickups like the Duncan 59 or Gibson 57,
If I am satisfied with this, I would like to install neck bridges pair, but since I bought one, I plan to put on the neck.
But since the DC resistance is larger than the PAF, I think it is more appropriate to attach it to the bridge.
If you are using with PAF, which side is the favorite side for Bluesbucker?


That is all.
It is the contents that I can see when I install it by myself,
but it is hard to endure the question while waiting for delivery because I have big expectation on it.
please answer about my question. Thanks!

[DarthPhineas]

Which direction do you recommend to install neck and bridge pickup respectively?

Does Bluesbaker also has out of phase with Duncan pickup polarity?

If you are using with PAF, which side is the favorite side for Bluesbucker?

basically,  try it and see what works for you.  take your time with the wiring or maybe find a qualified tech that you trust to do it for you.


my Bluesbucker is 10.013k series, 3.446k north coil, and 6.606k south coil.  it's as much of a single coil when split than any other split humbucker.

[RayBarbeeMusic]

Not out of phase with Duncan humbuckers.  if you use black or red as the hot on the Duncan, use red hot on the BB; if you use white or green as hot on the Duncan, use black hot on the BB. 

Positive and negative on 4 conductor pickups is purely arbitrary.  Learn which colors go to which coil and which polary the magnets are from different manufacturers, and ignore the recommended wiring, it often leads to problems. 

BB does not sound like a P90.  Its a humbucker with some single coil character.  The slug coil isn't exactly a dummy coil, it does add *some* sound.  If you want to hear it as a single but still hum cancelling (and I personally do) push the slugs out of the slug coil. 

Wish they'd make a version of it using non-ferrous dummy poles on the slugs, but oh well.  Knocking them out does essentially the same. 

Which direction the screw coil goes it matters a LOT.  Screw coil toward bridge is brighter, toward neck, darker.  As to which is right for you, which do you want?  I can't tell you that.  I like the screws toward the bridge as a neck pickup; what you want out of it as a bridge pickup depends on your goals.  Screws toward bridge is pretty friggin bright.  Screws toward neck is ... well you just have to hear it.  Doesn't sound like any other bridge pickup.

[psychepool]

Thanks for the answers.

The number of cases seems to be getting really bigger. It seems that a lot of labor is needed.

I am currently using another pickup, but until recently I had used Duncan's P-rails set.
When I installed it in the recommended direction, I did not like it because the single coil tone on the rail-side gave a flat, dull sound.
So I turned around 180 degrees and tried it, the neck was not bad, but the bridge sound was useless.(too bright and shrill voiced)

The P90 pickup basically has a pole piece in the center of the pickup, so the pole piece is coming inside a little bit more than normal humbuckers
Also, when you see that most humbuckers are fitted with pole pieces facing outwards (to the neck and bridge sides respectively) and the slug coils are set to operate at coil split
Bluesbucker thinks that putting the screw coil inside is right.
I will try various things.

I like the P90 sound, but it does not mean I just want to find the original sound of the P90.
Personally recognize, the P90 is structurally a single coil, but more like a humbucker in character.
If the humbucker feels clear with lacks a low range, and has more bite, it is perceived as a category of the P90.

If I'm looking for reality, I'm are looking for a single coil sound when you split the coil rather than the P90 in series mode.
I have never seen a pickup that feels like a real single coil with a coil split.
I would like the results of the coil split to be good. Of course, still the main dish is the series P90 mode.


I will try several cases. Thank you!

[marcwormjim]

For what it’s worth: I approximated the bridge pickup sound of an Epiphone Casino I’m fond of with a Bluesbucker in my Strandberg (screws facing neck, and a 250k tone pot). I liked it enough to put another Bluesbucker in the neck with the same orientation, and it gets a better SRV sound than my strats.

A/B’d with Fender single coils, P90s, and PAF-style humbuckers, The Bluesbucker doesn’t authentically sound like any of them (series or split) - But that’s part of its charm.

[psychepool]

Oh, I didn't think about the pot value.
Because it is a humbucker, so I planned to install with 500K pots for volume and tone.
The number of cases is added. Haha...

The guitar that I want to use bluesbucker is custom thinline telecaster.
It has two humbucker route and 2 vol 2 tone 3way switch control.
There's 4 pots So I have difficulty choosing a pot value..

Which pot value is recommanded commonly?
How about switching pot value with adding 470K resistor when coil split?

[darkbluemurder]

BB does not sound like a P90.  Its a humbucker with some single coil character.  The slug coil isn't exactly a dummy coil, it does add *some* sound.  If you want to hear it as a single but still hum cancelling (and I personally do) push the slugs out of the slug coil. 

Wish they'd make a version of it using non-ferrous dummy poles on the slugs, but oh well.  Knocking them out does essentially the same. 

Another very cool idea but I guess that would be a permanent mod.

Cheers Stephan