New Video: Humbuckers vs Trembucker

Pickup A sounded ”bigger” to me when I listened to all the tests. After you revealed it was a humbucker I listened another time and tried to focus on the mids and highs, instead. That time pickup B sounded clearer/more open than A. Maybe the lack of mids/highs of pickup A made me think it sounded ”bigger”? But very close, that’s for sure!
 
Thanks Aaron. I agree with your conclusion. For me it's another one of those "If there's really a difference it's not big enough for me to care." Turning an amp's eq knobs a tiny amount makes a bigger difference. Practicing makes an even bigger difference!
 
I don't think there was an appreciable difference on the fixed bridge. But for completeness a test also on a guitar with a trem with the wider spacing may be better to do. When the strings are spaced farther apart, which is what an F Spaced, 53 mm is designed for on a trem does it make a difference there or just to aesthetics.

Not so much a blind test, of course, as I could see the pole pieces.
 
i couldn't hear a difference, but then, i wouldn't expect to hear one if using a trembucker on a narrow bridge like the one in the video.

i'll be straight #honest, this was a weird test, mon frere.

the better test would have been to use a wide vintage bridge because that is where ppl (needlessly imo) worry about the magnetic fields of regular humbuckers not being ideal. i think players are more curious if a TB makes a difference in that situation. personally, I still think the diff would be insignificant, but at least the test wouldn't be the inverse of what p'up makers intend.
 
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A couple things to note here. Seymour Duncan uses a wider bobbin to get the Trembucker spacing. Something about that wider bobbin makes them sound worse to me. The spread of the poles is also so far that the only real need for them is on vintage strat bridges with the 2-7/32" string spread. Additionally SD's "standard" spacing is a bit wider than other major makers so their pickups work for bridge spacings up to about 2-1/8"

Most other pickup makers offer F spaced pickups but retain the same bobbin size for both spacings.
 
BroccoliRob said:
i couldn't hear a difference, but then, i wouldn't expect to hear one if using a trembucker on a narrow bridge like the one in the video.

i'll be straight #honest, this was a weird test, mon frere.

the better test would have been to use a wide vintage bridge because that is where ppl (needlessly imo) worry about the magnetic fields of regular humbuckers not being ideal. i think players are more curious if a TB makes a difference in that situation. personally, I still think the diff would be insignificant, but at least the test wouldn't be the inverse of what p'up makers intend.
Click to expand...

I agree that using a wider bridge would have been ideal. I was working within limitations, and making the best use of what I had on hand. The Warmoth Body of Tonal Discovery has a hardtail bridge, so that's what I went with.
 
supertruper1988 said:
A couple things to note here. Seymour Duncan uses a wider bobbin to get the Trembucker spacing. Something about that wider bobbin makes them sound worse to me. The spread of the poles is also so far that the only real need for them is on vintage strat bridges with the 2-7/32" string spread. Additionally SD's "standard" spacing is a bit wider than other major makers so their pickups work for bridge spacings up to about 2-1/8"

Most other pickup makers offer F spaced pickups but retain the same bobbin size for both spacings.
Click to expand...

Yes, all this. And because Duncan's trembuckers have longer bobbins but still use the same number of wraps they use more wire and have a slightly hotter output than their humbucker counterparts.

So even though this test was done with the less-than-ideal hardtail bridge, the other differences were still worth testing.
 
aarontunes said:
Yes, all this. And because Duncan's trembuckers have longer bobbins but still use the same number of wraps they use more wire and have a slightly hotter output than their humbucker counterparts.

So even though this test was done with the less-than-ideal hardtail bridge, the other differences were still worth testing.
Click to expand...
In the video you make the generalization that Trembucker is the same as other makers "F" spacing. This is not correct. DiMarzio and others dont have the sonic disparity that a Duncan Trembucker has because of the bobbin issue.

Just feel its a very important distinction to make.
 
supertruper1988 said:
In the video you make the generalization that Trembucker is the same as other makers "F" spacing. This is not correct. DiMarzio and others dont have the sonic disparity that a Duncan Trembucker has because of the bobbin issue.

Just feel its a very important distinction to make.
Click to expand...

Yep, you are right.

If we sold any of those other brands I would have explained that in more detail.

Not really sure why SD still sticks to the odd bobbin size. I'm sure it would require retooling on their part, and maybe they believe the benefits aren't worth the cost. I think I also read that they were having problems with bobbins cracking, or something like that. All the other winders manage to make it work though, so maybe it's just Duncan lore at this point.
 
In the spirit of the unofficial W board, let me add that I have used many Seymour Duncan, Duncan Distortions, in the Trembucker form factor and they sound great, if not better than the regular sized. So there you go ....
 
aarontunes said:
Yes, all this. And because Duncan's trembuckers have longer bobbins but still use the same number of wraps they use more wire and have a slightly hotter output than their humbucker counterparts.

So even though this test was done with the less-than-ideal hardtail bridge, the other differences were still worth testing.
Click to expand...
Actually not true. It's the same number of windings (which is what produces the power), but of course takes a bit more wire on a larger bobbin, so the increase in wire length produces a higher DC resistance which has zero affect on power output.

And the standard Seymour Duncan humbucker poll pieces do not line up with vintage or modern Fender string spacing.
 
supertruper1988 said:
In the video you make the generalization that Trembucker is the same as other makers "F" spacing. This is not correct. DiMarzio and others dont have the sonic disparity that a Duncan Trembucker has because of the bobbin issue.

Just feel its a very important distinction to make.
Click to expand...
There is no sonic disparity with Trembuckers.
 
Seymour Duncan "Trembuckers" are significantly larger than "SH series" standard humbuckers. The pole spacing and especially the dimension of the bobbin is bigger than what most other brands sell as F-spaced pickups. It would not surprise me if there was some difference in the tone due to these aspects. The "Trembuckers" have a layer of copper foil on the outside of the bobbins which standard humbuckers do not, though I don't know if it has any effect.

I heard the difference in the demo as the Trembucker being brighter and having more output on the high e string. It's the same thing as what Aaron was describing, though I agree it's not very noticable. It did NOT sound like the Trembucker is hotter or more overwound. To me it seemed to confirm the string balance was different due to better alignment of magnetic poles.

It was interesting to hear this on a American standard bridge because it has a string spacing of 52.5mm which is wider than a T-O-M, but narrower than a Floyd Rose. Based on this it seems like there could be more noticable difference on guitars using vintage Fender bridges, some Gotoh or Wilkinson, and Floyd rose. Ie. ones that that have 54mm or greater spacing.

There was a previous discussion about this two years ago:

Humbucker Or Trembucker

Wanting to build a hardtail strat with a Fender American Standard Flat Mount bridge and 1 11/16" nut. which will line up for better string spacing, trembucker or humbucker? I know both will work, id just prefer it to visually line up correctly. Also do you guys know if the fat...
unofficialwarmoth.com unofficialwarmoth.com
 
Street Avenger said:
That's pure nonsense. The only possible difference would come from pole pieces lining up directly under the strings, and even that results in a miniscule difference.
Click to expand...
They have different DC resistance and longer bobbins which means a different magnetic field there is no way they can be the same.
 
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