fivebass52 wrote:
Do the split coils act like a humbucker and cancel out 60-cycle hum? And if so, does that alter the tone as compared to a "normal" Fender style pickup?
yes, the split-coils are RWRP so they are individually hum-cancelling when solo. they also pair nicely with a split-P pickup
the wind I did for this bridge split-coil J had two main goals outside of sounding good and being hum-cancelling: 1) get as close to a single-coil J as possible, and 2) to balance volume wise with a split-P. it does sound a subtle bit different than a true single-coil, but it's close enough that you'd never be able to hear it in the context of a mix or at a live gig. IMO (and also those who have field tested this paired set) this difference is a good thing when pairing/blending it with a split-P ... a single-coil J always sounds a little off when blended with a P, and it struggles to be heard volume wise due to the nature of how each pickup is made and where they are located along the string. the split-coil J sounds great when solo, but really holds its own thru the entire blend range with a P. and added bonus is that the significant volume drop typical when a P & single-coil J are evenly blended is 99% gone - there's just a smidge of volume drop, but it's less than what you get with a typical J/J single-coil pickup set.
we'll be using this as the standard pickup set for our VRB 4.3 P/J model, and are weighing whether this will be offered for sale as just a pickup set. I'm guessing it will, just not sure when
all the best,
R
