Minibucker reference post

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It occurred to me that we should have a reference post on minbuckers. Mine seem to be hotter than the earlier versions, IIRC. Post your resistances and year of manufacture, so we can get some sort of benchmark.
1968 Starfire III

Neck: 7.29K resistance

Bridge: 7.23k Resistance

Newark Street Starfire lV

Neck: 7.25K resistance

Bridge: 5.08K resistance
 

griehund

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Please re-post pup resistance test procedure. Forgetful old farts want to know.:blushed:
 

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I plugged a guitar cable into the jack and measured the resistance between the ring and the tip, controls full up.
 

Zelja

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I plugged a guitar cable into the jack and measured the resistance between the ring and the tip, controls full up.
Note, this will give a slightly lower reading (a few percent) than if the pickup was out of the guitar as you are also reading the pots in parallel to the pickup. More than close enough to get a very good idea though. DC resistance will also change a bit depending on room temperature as I understand.

1965 Starfire V:

Neck: 7.02 kOhm
Bridge: 7.03 kOhm
 

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I know, but I can't reasonably expect people to take their axes apart, even for posterity. ;-)

Looks like my girl might be a little hotter than normal?
 
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SFIV1967

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Pickups measured with Fluke multimeter alone unsoldered from harness:

1967 Starfire IV:
Neck: 6.55kohms resistance
Bridge: 6.79kohms resistance

Just for general reference, the bridge pickup is the one with the center hole in the bottom as below picture from Ken Nash shows very well.
It also has different pole piece spacing.

hb47.jpg


Ralf
 
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Zelja

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and that's correct, as the bridge pup should be always slightly hotter than the neck
That's certainly preferably but I think on most, if not all, vintage instruments it was pure luck which pickup had the hotter wind. Back then it seemed that they were wired to be all roughly the same & if there was any difference it was just down to the imprecise methods of winding used.

I believe it was only with the advent of replacement pickup winders in the 70s maybe (Bill Lawrence, SD, Dimarzio etc), that specific winds for the different pickup positions came into play. If anyone has any concrete advice that this was happening on production instruments before that I would be very interested.

PS: I think you would be hard pressed to hear much of a sonic difference from two winds with a 240 ohm difference in your pickup pair (there should be some of course but would it be significant?). This is assuming that the resistivity in the wire used for both pickups was exactly the same & the additional overall resistance was totally due to more winds on the coil. It's the more winds on the coil which is important and not the resistance per se.
 

SFIV1967

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That's certainly preferably but I think on most, if not all, vintage instruments it was pure luck which pickup had the hotter wind.
PS: I think you would be hard pressed to hear much of a sonic difference from two winds with a 240 ohm difference in your pickup pair.
O.k., agreed!
Ralf
 

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1970 M-75 Bluesbird

Neck: 5.24kOHMs
Bridge: 5.39kOHMs

[Edit: corrected bridge pickup reading…I originally posted from (faulty) memory.]

Measured through the output jack via a short patch cable.

Despite the low-ish DC resistance these pickups aren't wimpy at all. But they are clear…the bridge p'up has a high-end sparkle that I really like and the neck unit has some snap along with its warmth.

-Dave-
 
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krysh

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2013 GSR T-400:

Neck: 7.25K resistance
Bridge: 5.08K resistance

still love the bridge PU on this lady.
 

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Is everyone's meter calibrated? I would bet not. So we shouldn't worry too much about the minute differences in readings. I did find it a bit unusual that Steve's
neck pup was quite a bit hotter than the bridge pup.
 

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Pickups on Ebay/http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Original-1960s-Guild-Bluesbird-Humbucker-Electric-Guitar-Pickups-Nice-/191659079530?hash=item2c9fc5776a

7.23K

7.14K

Not sure which is lead and which is rhythm.
<edit> Looks like they are both bridge pups.

$_57.JPG
 
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krysh

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US$ 595 is something I'd never pay for a couple of these. you can get custom wounds for 2/3rd if it, and this might be what I would pay max, if they were complete and in very good condition. but these...

people start to become crazy...
 
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I know, Michael! Just documenting the winds. I guess a guitar with two bridge pups isn't unheard of.
 

krysh

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well,
I scored these 2 pickups for less than half of this price (incl. tax and shipping) in the following auction and just wanted to swap the bridge pickup on my T-400 to compare copy and original, but I'm confused about the wiring because of the missing solder plate on the newer pickup.

original 60ies little bucker:
krysh_com_20150921_11_36_33_Pro_zpscwbjfbxy.jpg


new copy on the T-400:
krysh_com_20150921_11_43_21_Pro_zpshlhdwdbn.jpg


how am I supposed to connect the wires to the 60ies little bucker?
 
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