Humbuckers vs Trembuckers

[kramer.geetar]

I'm thinking of buying the Seymour Duncan '78 and am wondering is there is a tonal difference between the humbucker version and trembucker on that or any pickup really.
It'll go on a guitar with a Floyd. I know spacing wise I should get a trembucker, I have a SH-11 with regular humbucker spacing in my guitar now with a Floyd and its fine. I just heard some prefer the tone to the hums rather then trems. Any validity to these statements or people just being anal? Thanks for the help.

[Warlord]

many people have "dirty" opinions about it.
I heard that a humb. in a floyded guitar have lower volume in the E strings. Migh be true, might be not.

[kramer.geetar]

Yea I dunno I havn't experienced that at all with my SH-11 about the volume drop

[munkee]

This is so Weird...I was just going to start this same thread I just replaced a pickup in a Kramer 84 with a Duncan Custom Custom. It didn't seem to fit over the strings properly, then I realized it wasn't a Trem spaced pickup

But I have to say it sounds really good. Sometimes I wonder if Trem spaced pickups are a Placebo

[kramer.geetar]

I got the same pickup in my Striker. I like it a lot. How does it sound in the '84 compared to the stock?
Some say they can't really hear a difference, others complain about volume loss on the high e (possibly if your pickup isn't close enough to the strings) and other say the humbuckers have a better tone over trembucker and some just use them for asthetic puposes so theres no gaps between the mounting rings and the poles line up. I know EVH used humbuckers up until he switched to Music Man. I dunno, just wanting to get people opinions before I shell out $160. If the tone is the same I'd go for a trembucker.

[pointyheadstock]

try slanting the pickup to get a better string over polepiece alignment.. it works depending on your pickup route obviously, best of luck though

[munkee]

I got the same pickup in my Striker. I like it a lot. How does it sound in the '84 compared to the stock?
Some say they can't really hear a difference, others complain about volume loss on the high e (possibly if your pickup isn't close enough to the strings) and other say the humbuckers have a better tone over trembucker and some just use them for asthetic puposes so theres no gaps between the mounting rings and the poles line up. I know EVH used humbuckers up until he switched to Music Man. I dunno, just wanting to get people opinions before I shell out $160. If the tone is the same I'd go for a trembucker.

Comparing the CC to the stock 84 pickup is pretty close. I will say the CC seemed to have a bit more bass, it was warmer than the stock 84t

[Shwayman11]

Comparing the CC to the stock 84 pickup is pretty close. I will say the CC seemed to have a bit more bass, it was warmer than the stock 84t

which do you like better?

[munkee]

which do you like better?

If I had to pick it would be the CC. It's pretty close.

[MAKiguitars]

Correct me if I am wrong....

You know why Kramer designed the Baretta with a slanted humbucker route? It was to solve the problem of the pole pieces missing the bass strings and lacking the bottom end. It was a great idea and one of the reasons you should install the non trembucker or non F spaced humbuckers in any guitar with a slanted humbucker route.

If on the other hand you have a non angled route like the 1984 reissue then you should try the trembuckers, they are not a placebo as mentioned by someone here. I believe the first trembucker was the parallel axis as featured in the Proaxe. I have trembuckers in my own prototypes and I changed a standard Duncan Screamin Demon to a trembucker version and there was a tonal difference in the bottom end on a Kamikaze II hybrid - more bass

The best thing is to experiment though and find out for yourselves! You can always fit a Schaller hot stuff,X2N, Dimebucker or Invader as pole spacing doesn't matter on these beasts, I remember the hot stuff humbucker on my comet Baretta, so much bass, it was something else

Rob

[munkee]

You are right about the slanted pickup. They were copying EVH's idea. The interesting thing is if it made a big difference why didn't he do it in the 5150/1984 guitars

[kramer.geetar]

You are right about the slanted pickup. They were copying EVH's idea. The interesting thing is if it made a big difference why didn't he do it in the 5150/1984 guitars

True, if you look at the pictures of his 5150 on VK the pole pieces aren't lined up. I guess it depends how you like it, there is no wrong way is there just personal preferences.

[Warlord]

Hey does the focus 2000 had slanted pickups?

[pel666]

It's simple, the bigger Gibson (widerspaced) PU's did not fit Fender (narrow spaced) layout....so to have the poles with a Gibson HB aligned on a Fender spaced Axe, EVH slanted the PU. So fender spaced guitars normally have regular HB's, Gibson wider spaced use Trembuckers and F-spaced PU's.

Nowadays it's kinda blurry, since there are all kindof spaced bridges out there.....

[kramer.geetar]

It's simple, the bigger Gibson (widerspaced) PU's did not fit Fender (narrow spaced) layout....so to have the poles with a Gibson HB aligned on a Fender spaced Axe, EVH slanted the PU. So fender spaced guitars normally have regular HB's, Gibson wider spaced use Trembuckers and F-spaced PU's.

Nowadays it's kinda blurry, since there are all kindof spaced bridges out there.....

I thought its the other way around, Gibson has the regular spaced humbuckers and Fender uses the F-spaced (trembuckers). Thats why they called it F-spaced for Fender

[pel666]

There is a vid on youtube with Eddy explaining, he liked the Fender model but wanted the Gibson tone in it...he took the Gibson HB and slammed it in a Strat style guitar. At least that is what he said...to make the pole pieces align he slanted it.

All I do myself is look at the bridge spacing period, Dimarzio says:

F-spaced humbuckers should be used in the bridge position on all guitars with string spacing at the bridge of 2.1" (53 mm) or greater.

[pel666]

Now I start to question myself on the Eddy thing, this is what I found as well:


http://www.jag-stang.com/fSpaced.htm

[Unhomed]

I thought its the other way around, Gibson has the regular spaced humbuckers and Fender uses the F-spaced (trembuckers). Thats why they called it F-spaced for Fender

You are right. Trembuckers (from SD) and F-spaced (from Dimarzio) are the same thing: Fender pole spaced humbuckers. Because of the trem, fender strings are wider spaced apart, and thus the pickup poles are wider spaced apart.

[Warlord]

BTW what is slanted?

[kramer.geetar]

BTW what is slanted?

Placed at an angle, like a Fender Strat has a slanted bridge pickup or the Baretta has a slanted pickup as opposed to having it placed normally like EVH's Kramer 5150 (straight)

[munkee]

I just spoke with a Seymour Duncan Dealer and he has spoke with the reps at SD regarding TRembucker/Humbucker differences. The reps stated it it merely a "Cosmetic" difference, it doesn't effect tone.

[Warlord]

but to convert to slanted you have to dig up the body

[ElChiguete]

I allways guess that the ¨F¨ was for Floyd...

[kramer.geetar]

Just thought about something here....

Ok so Seymour Duncan says the difference between a trembucker and humbucker is merely cosmetic as munkee stated earlier in the thread but if you think about it theres got to be a tonal difference. A trembucker is wider thats obvious but then so would the windings be, meaning more material used. I know its not a huge difference but over the course of winding that pickup with that many winds it adds up.....unless they compensate somehow because of that and give it slightly less windings to even it out Am I over thinking here?

[junior]

There has to be some differance in the windings on a F/Trem spaced pickup. I found just how much trying to fit a bridge pickup in a Wolfgang. The bobbin on a F/trem spaced pup is quite a bit shorter. So to me it seems they have less wraps, yet both JB's have about the same ohm reading's.

A WG pup normally has a flat base, a Gibby spaced pup even with short legs is to tall to fit. But a trem spaced pup with short legs is just about the right hight.