Scribd
Upload
366 views

Single Pickups How To Make A Humbucker Out of Two

Turning two single coil pickups into a humbucker can eliminate hum. By installing a reverse wound, reverse polarity (RWRP) pickup in the middle position and selecting that pickup together with either the neck or bridge pickup, it creates a humbucking effect through their opposing polarities cancelling out hum. The document provides instructions for installing an RWRP pickup, including removing the existing middle pickup, soldering the new pickup's wires, and selecting pickup combinations that produce humbucking. It notes the pickups need to be similar strength for effective hum cancellation.

Uploaded by

Cj Jingco
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
366 views

Single Pickups How To Make A Humbucker Out of Two

Turning two single coil pickups into a humbucker can eliminate hum. By installing a reverse wound, reverse polarity (RWRP) pickup in the middle position and selecting that pickup together with either the neck or bridge pickup, it creates a humbucking effect through their opposing polarities cancelling out hum. The document provides instructions for installing an RWRP pickup, including removing the existing middle pickup, soldering the new pickup's wires, and selecting pickup combinations that produce humbucking. It notes the pickups need to be similar strength for effective hum cancellation.

Uploaded by

Cj Jingco
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 3

Single Pickups How to Make a Humbucker

Out of Two

Turn two single coil pickups into a humbucking effect.

Single coil guitar pickups produce a slight hum sound on top of the sound created by the guitar
strings. This sound can be appealing in some situations, but is typically unpleasant when large
amounts of distortion are added. Humbuckers use two pickup coils with opposite polarities to
eliminate this hum. It is possible to get the humbucker effect with two single coil pickups by
using a reverse wound, reverse polarity (RWRP) pickup in the middle position of the guitar.
Using the neck and middle or middle and bridge guitar pickup combinations will cause the two
pickups to function as a humbucker. Using any individual pickup will result in a single coil
pickup sound.

Difficulty:
Moderate

Instructions
Things You'll Need:
 Matching RWRP single coil pickup
 Soldering iron
 Electrician's solder
 Screwdriver

1.
o 1 Unscrew and remove the rear panel behind the pickup switch. Alternatively, you
may need to remove the pickguard on the front of the guitar if there is no rear
panel. This will expose the wires behind the pickup switch and control knobs.
o 2 Melt the solder connecting the middle pickup to the pickup switch of the guitar
using the tip of the soldering iron. Remove this wire. It is important that you
remember where this wire was connected.
o 3 Melt the solder connecting the middle pickup to the back of one of the control
knobs. This is the ground wire. It may be attached to a large chunk of solder that
contains multiple grounding wires. Be sure to only remove the ground wire for the
middle pickup.
o 4 Unscrew the middle pickup from the guitar or pickguard and remove it.
o 5 Place the reverse wound, reverse polarity (RWRP) single coil pickup into the
middle pickup slot. Screw it in place with the mounting screws.
o 6 Attach the hot wire of the pickup to the pickup switch where the original middle
pickup was connected. Melt a drop of solder onto the tip of the soldering iron.
Place that drop onto the wire and pickup switch connector. It will dry nearly
instantly once you remove the soldering iron. Consult the pickup instructions to
check what color wire is the hot wire and the ground wire if you are not sure.
o 7 .Attach the ground wire to the back of the control knob where the original
pickup was connected. Solder it in place like you did with the hot wire.
o 8 .Replace the rear panel or pickguard in place on the guitar.
o 9. Set the pickup switch to setting 2 or 4 to get a humbucking effect. Setting 2 will
create a humbucker with the neck and middle single coil pickups. Setting 4 will
create a humbucker with the middle and bridge single coil pickups. Setting 1, 3
and 5 will only use the neck, middle or bridge pickups alone, creating the normal
single coil pickup sound.

Tips & Warnings


You need  to use relatively similar strength single coil pickups to achieve a humbucking
effect with two single coil pickups. Ideally, the new middle pickup should be the RWRP version
of the original pickups in the guitar. Both single coil pickups do create a hum, but the RWRP
hum is the exact opposite of the normal pickup. This causes the hum to cancel out if the pickups
are the same strength. Dissimilar strength pickups will not completely eliminate the hum sound
when used in this fashion.

 Always wear safety glasses when soldering. Solder irons get very hot. Do not touch the tip of
the iron when on under any circumstance. Give the soldering iron at least an hour to cool down
after use, unless the manufacturer gives a different time estimate.

You might also like