Searching for an odd humbucker

[Ace Flibble]

I'm building a black korina Thinline Telecaster, and I was going to use my favourite pickup, a Swineshead AMP humbucker, in the neck position. It's a humbucker made with seperate Alnico V pole pieces instead of a bar magnet, giving a much clearer tone.

Swineshead haven't been taking orders for a while since they've been backlogged - they've just started taking orders again and they've more than doubled their prices. A black plastic humbucker used to be £40, now they're £85, and that's on top of a four week waiting time (they used to do each pickup in about two weeks). As much as I love their pickups, I really, really can not afford that.


So, anyone know of a neck humbucker (I know Seymour Duncan make the Stag Mag, but that's bridge-only) that is either made in the same style as this or at least made in a similar style (i.e. seperate pole pieces, or other construction that will give a similar effect in what is quite a thick-toned body), and that is available easily in the UK for about £50? Might go up to £60 if I have to (so other made-to-order pickups like Bare Knuckle and Juicy are also out).

 

[dbw]

Fralin UnBucker?  RG Muy Grande?  I don't really know what you're talking about with "separate pole pieces"... but those are similar to the SD StagMag IIRC

 

[Ace Flibble]

By seperate pole pieces, I mean it's not made with a bar magnet like regular humbuckers are, it's made more like two single coil pickups directly next to each other. The Swineshead page for their AMP humbucker probably explains it better than I am.

And d'oh, both pickups you mention are far too expensive, they'd be more expensive for me to get than the Swineshead. Sorry, I probably should have mentioned, in terms of pickup prices, pickups that are under £60 or so here would equal about $80 or less in the US. Like, a normal Seymour Duncan humbucker is at the top of my budget.

 

[rockskate4x]

I've heard of stag mags used as neck pickups before.... but I don't know too much about the sound...

 

[Mor Paul]

Sounds like you're looking for something more like a Wide Range humbucker or something. Telenator, more active on the TDPRI site, does mods for those that have magnet rods.

 

[bpmorton777]

I used stag-mags for all three pickups in my build. I like them very much. sounds like a thick single coil. you can always use a switch for split or parallel coils.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=5003.0

the stag mag uses alnico2 magnets. I think that the Rio Grande Tallboy humbucker is close to the same but with alnico5 magnets and it's a bit taller than a normal humbucker. have to rout out the pickup holes and extra 1/8 inch for it.


Brian

 

[Ace Flibble]

Sounds like I'll be going for the Stag Mag and maybe wiring it permanently in parallel then to keep the output down, people at the SD forums seem to think it'll be a good way to go. Thanks, didn't know people had already been using them in the neck successfully before.

 

[bpmorton777]

you'll defanately get some tele twang out of them for that build. :icon_thumright:

Brian

 

[jerryjg]

http://www.telenator.com/

 

[Ace Flibble]

http://www.telenator.com/

Erm, that mod + the base pickup would cost me just over four times more then the Swineshead pickup would, and the increased cost of the Swineshead is what's caused my dilemma in the first place :laughing7: Thanks for the input, but I'd rather not spend all of the month's rent on one pickup :icon_thumright:

 

[neuftone]

Check out Bill Lawrence pickups, maybe...perhaps the L-600, listed at a reasonable 60USD, is what you would be looking for.