Third pick on my Stingray HS

[dabis]

Hi there, this is my first participation here. I bought a Stingray HS 4 last year at Guitar Center Manhattan. Some months ago I notice that two of the coils ins the simple pick displaced down some millimeters. So finally I decided to open the plastic pickguard to try to reset the coils. What a surprise that I find a hidden single pick between the humbucker and the simple!!! I read somewhere that it is used to humcancell something that appears when you play both picks together.

Can anyone tell me how it works?

Thanks.

 

[syciprider]

It's there to cancel single coil hum.

 

[bdgotoh]

For any switch position with an uneven number of coils in this diagram that extra single is used to cancel hum.

 

[Movielife]

What I love is how super clean the EBMM basses are under the pickguard! Excellent quality.

 

[Kamakiriad]

Ahh! Get rid of that tool under the upper horn...

but yes. Phantom coil.

 

[dabis]

Thanks! It seems more like "killing flies with a bazooka" than do a better job (in the electronics) but it has his originality.

The only thing that I modified early in this bass was mount a Hipshot D-tuner.

Kamakiriad, don´t suffer, the screwdriver didn´t touch at all the wood jajaja, but my "live belts" let them marks some weeks ago. You can´t have all in this life...

 

[oli@bass]

Oh, wow, that's a really nice tiger flame you have on that neck!

 

[Bloodfist]

I would put a clear pick guard on that bass!

 

[dabis]

Actually I´m thinking in some options: let it without pickguard, put a transparent one (the first contact with an Stingray early I have was with a 90´s birdeye neck with a beautiful translucid pickguard) or put a black pickguard with only the hole for the humbucker and hide the neck pickup (original is white). It can be cool too. I have three Stingray´s in one!!!

 

[Murphy]

Does anyone know if they are wired in series or parallel?

 

[keko]

Does anyone know if they are wired in series or parallel?

As far as I know, all dual pickup Stingrays are parallel in all switch positions!

 

[Manfloozy]

Does anyone know if they are wired in series or parallel?

I would think parallel for hum canceling... just a guess though.

 

[bdgotoh]

As far as I know, all dual pickup Stingrays are parallel in all switch positions!

All Stingrays are wired parallel, so you're correct.

 

[Murphy]

I know my 20th anni SR5 HS has parallel and series options for the first 2 switch positions, for the bucker, but wasn't sure how the single stack is wired.
So parallel it is. Would that be so when both pickups are on together, both wired parallel sounds better?
Or because of other issues?
Thanks for all your responses.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Thanks! It seems more like "killing flies with a bazooka" than do a better job (in the electronics) but it has his originality.

Actually, that's an elegant solution. Single-coil pickups will pick up hum and buzz, usually many harmonics of the power-line frequency. (60Hz in the US, 50Hz in most of Europe).

Filtering out buzz is very difficult in the electronics, especially since the harmonic content of the buzz varies with the environment. Using a reverse-wired hum-cancelling single-coil, however, does the job beautifully: both coils pick up the same noise, and they're wired in opposite polarity.

 

[dabis]

Rick, I was thincking a while since the day I "meet" the third pick up. You´re right, cause is the most effective solution in all situations. And filter a wide range of possible buzz frequencies will probably cut the sound. Thanks everyone! This is a real constructive forum.

 

[guenter]

Actually, that's an elegant solution. Single-coil pickups will pick up hum and buzz, usually many harmonics of the power-line frequency. (60Hz in the US, 50Hz in most of Europe).

Filtering out buzz is very difficult in the electronics, especially since the harmonic content of the buzz varies with the environment. Using a reverse-wired hum-cancelling single-coil, however, does the job beautifully: both coils pick up the same noise, and they're wired in opposite polarity.

Do you know why the hum cancel coil does have magnets inside? From what I understand, they are not required to cancel hum. I would even say, that they cancel the "bass signal" if the would have the same distance from the string.

 

[Rick Auricchio]

Do you know why the hum cancel coil does have magnets inside? From what I understand, they are not required to cancel hum. I would even say, that they cancel the "bass signal" if the would have the same distance from the string.

Good point. Magnets wouldn't generally be necessary for the hum-cancelling function. And if it weren't for the extra distance from the strings, there would be some cancellation of the signal from the strings.

Two reasons I can think of:

1. The hum-cancelling pickup is just another standard single-coil pickup, so it's already handy in inventory. It's easier and cheaper to just use what you have on hand, rather than building something special.

2. A coil without magnets might have a different noise-pickup character. To cancel fully, this coil must pick up noise identically to the standard pickup.

 

[guenter]

Good point. Magnets wouldn't generally be necessary for the hum-cancelling function. And if it weren't for the extra distance from the strings, there would be some cancellation of the signal from the strings.

Two reasons I can think of:

1. The hum-cancelling pickup is just another standard single-coil pickup, so it's already handy in inventory. It's easier and cheaper to just use what you have on hand, rather than building something special.

2. A coil without magnets might have a different noise-pickup character. To cancel fully, this coil must pick up noise identically to the standard pickup.

Yes. Both points make sense.

 

[danny-79]

I would put a clear pick guard on that bass!

+1
Think a clear PG would look great on that !