Guild HB-1 Humbuckers: Anyone spec these out?

[Jefemaximo]

I'm consistently impressed by how great these pickups sound, whether they are in an archtop, semi-hollow, or solid body. Has anyone spec'd these out to determine what's inside - magnet type, windings, etc? I prefer these pickups over all of the PAF clones I've played, yet they get relatively little love.

 

[Zelja]

Four HB-1 auctions finished up on ebay in the last day or two. DC resistance specs were as follows:

7.36k & 7.47k (bridge), 7.14k & 7.24k (neck).

I guessed the neck/bridge designation based on where the 2 screw tab was & where the screw coil was in relation to that. It's too small a sample to confirm that the bridge PUs were always a little hotter than the neck (barely significant anyway). My experience tells me that most makers wer not really into balancing the windings of the bridge & neck PUs in the 70s like we do these days, but maybe Guild was different.

DC resistance only tells part of the story. Does anyone know what magnets were used in HB-1s - ceramic or alnico - what grade e.g. A2, A5 etc?

What would be really interesting would be if anyone with HB-1s has a multimeter which can measure inductance. The inductance of a pickup is far more useful in working out what a pickup sounds like than DC resistance. E.g. - TV Jones Classic Plus & Powertron bridge PUs both have a DC resistance of about 7.8k but the inductance is 3.71H & 5.94H respectively. The powertron is a middier pickup with less clarity & sparkle, which is consistant with what I expect as the inductance increases. If someone can get an inductance reading (along with the DC resistance) that would be really interesting info.

I just recently bough a late 90s Starfire IV so am expecting the crappier Fender pseudo HB-1s to be in the guitar. I know from GADs posts that original HB-1s are larger than the latter (standard PAF sized) HBs so I couldn't retrofit them without routing out the guitar a bit plus i would need the original sized PU rings as well. I'm thinking of rewinding ones that come with the guitar to maintain the look but would love to know magnet type & inductance &r wire guage size etc of the actual HB-1s to give the rewinder a chance to replicate their sound.

 

[Zelja]

For anyone with HB-1 equpped guitars, do the bridge & neck positions balance out well or does the bridge sound a bit thin & with less volume in comparison?

I also wonder if the coil sizes are similiar in height to standard Gibson style PAF HBs. I know the coils are probably a bit wider but not by much I understand. Coil shape would affect sound - Filtertrons have higher, narrower coils than PAFs. The Fender wider range HBs from the 70s have a wider coil which is not as tall I think (though magnetically they are very different & that affects the sound more). Magnet size/strength has a huge effect as well.

Lastly it would be interesting to know if the 2 coils in the HB-1 have an equal number of turns (measured by the DC resistance). A few believe that is the "secret" to the great PAFs - slightly unbalanced coils, giving a more open sound - a few boutique winders are incorporating this into their designs.

 

[Jefemaximo]

For anyone with HB-1 equpped guitars, do the bridge & neck positions balance out well or does the bridge sound a bit thin & with less volume in comparison?

I have not found the bridge pickup to sound thin, but I have found that the neck pickup can often benefit (in terms of clarity) by being disconnected from the tone pot.

 

[AlohaJoe]

I just recently bough a late 90s Starfire IV so am expecting the crappier Fender pseudo HB-1s to be in the guitar.

It sounds like you may not have rec'd the guitar yet. When you do, give the Fender pups a fair shot. I did swap mine out for a custom wound single coil (it wasn't exactly what I was looking for), but it sounded a lot better than I thought it would.

 

[Zelja]

It sounds like you may not have rec'd the guitar yet. When you do, give the Fender pups a fair shot.

True - I am getting ahead of myself - I'll give them a listen & see where they sit. It just seems the HB-1s get lots of praise & the later Fender ones, not so much, as they sound like "typical HBs" & I'm not a huge fan of typical HBs.

 

[bluesypicky]

For anyone with HB-1 equpped guitars, do the bridge & neck positions balance out well or does the bridge sound a bit thin & with less volume in comparison?

I have S-100 and SF-IV with HB1's (1st generation HB1 on SF-IV) and have a perfect volume balance between neck and bridge as can be heard on various recordings. Those are (IMO) among the best 2 or 3 humbuckers ever made, period.
I particularly love the "in between" position on the S-100.
And jefemaximo: They get lots of love from me.... :wink:

 

[Zelja]

I have not found the bridge pickup to sound thin, but I have found that the neck pickup can often benefit (in terms of clarity) by being disconnected from the tone pot.

I have S-100 and SF-IV with HB1's (1st generation HB1 on SF-IV) and have a perfect volume balance between neck and bridge as can be heard on various recordings. Those are (IMO) among the best 2 or 3 humbuckers ever made, period.
I particularly love the "in between" position on the S-100.
And jefemaximo: They get lots of love from me.... :wink:.

Cheers guys. My favourite humbuckers so far have been the non-standard type like Filtertrons & Fender WRHBs, hence why I have even more interest in the HB-1s, as from many decriptions, they seem to be a different beast.