What is it? SC or humbucker?

[drbassman]

OK, I got one of these for my Mosrite project but I don't know if it's single coil or humbucker.  The seller doesn't respond to email and doesn't say in his ads.  Any clues for the clueless here?

http://i118.photobucket.com/albums/o91/supersteve_666/Bass1.jpg

[Dave W]

Isn't that the same pickup Al bought for his Hi-Flyer project? I think it's SC, and I think it's the same as in this Eastwood http://www.myrareguitars.com/hiflyerbass.html, which calls it a P-90 (i.e. SC).

[drbassman]

I see.  He uses guitar lingo, like P-90, rather than saying single coil.  OK, that makes pot selection much easier!

[Pilgrim]

Yes, those are EXACTLY the pickups I got, include the trim rings.  My best guess is that they're single coils, but there's a lot of depth to them so the pickups could be filled with anything from peanut butter to electronics to unobtanium.  But given that I got both pickups for under $50, I think they're low on unobtanium.

[drbassman]

I decided to go with one pup, I like the look of that on the olde Mosies.

[Dave W]

I decided to go with one pup, I like the look of that on the olde Mosies.

I take it you mean at the neck position.

Re the pickups: anytime I see a single row of poles, especially on an older style pickup, I'll assume it's probably a single coil unless it says otherwise. There are exceptions -- sidewinder HBs with a single row, stacked humbuckers, hidden poles. But I'd say at least 90% of the time a single row indicates a single coil.

[sniper]

had one = took it apart to see. they are single coil. cheap magnet prolly good for a refridgerator magnet. i considered sending it to Curt, got lost in the mail. end of story.

if i had to do it again = i would have him wind it with some really fat wire and install a good magnet and i would send it insured!

if you need an extra magnet, go to grinnell park apartments, #8 = i left the magnet on the freezer door when i moved.

[sniper]

the upside:

after i tried it taped over my SGRI strings and decided it was a bit lean and took it apart, i found a nice thick coil overwound with really thin wire. probably to compensate for the weak magnet.

it was then i found Curt Novak's website and decided it could use an overhaul with some 38-40 wire and a good alinco magnet to give me a nice deep tone without the added highs or mids that an overwound pup usually gives. probably wind it to a 6-8 kOhm DCR....just a guess.

like i said lost in the mail, end of story. would love to hear what it would have sounded like had it not got lost. i loved the looks and thought at the end, i would have a nice sounding "P-90 bass pup".

[drbassman]

No big deal.  My idea is to use this one till a Mosrite one pops up on eBay.

[Dave W]

It's not really P-90 style in construction. A P-90 has adjustable polepieces in a bobbin with two small opposing magnets below. But it's about the same size and shape cover as a P-90.

A pickup is the sum of its parts. A thin magnet doesn't necessarily equal cheap, it might have been chosen for tonal reasons in connection with the wire gauge, coil shape etc. And lots of thin wire doesn't necessarily mean overwound. Look at Rick, for example, they've always used #44 and even their hottest pickups aren't overwound.

[drbassman]

I agree Dave.  I'll pass judgment on it after it's in and working.  For $16.99, I can't complain.

[sniper]

excellent points