1 wire SH-1b vs. 4 wire SH-1b is there a difference?

[markuser]

Is there a noticeable difference between the sound of a 1 wire over a 4 wire Seymour Duncan design?

[newey]

Differently constructed pickups will certainly sound different, but if the coils are constructed and wound the same in both, whether it has 2 or 4 wires doesn't affect the sound if the coils are otherwise identical.

Most 2-wire HBs are constructed so as to mimic "vintage" tone, and thus may be differently wound, etc. But if the coils are identical, then the wiring won't matter to the sound. 4-Conductor "modern" HBs allow the two coils to be wired independently, for series/parallel, coil splitting, etc. The 2-wire HB doesn't allow for those types of wiring options. Unless, that is, one converts it to 4-wire, which can be done. I've never done that myself, but JohnH has, and claims it's not as daunting as it seems.

Note that I say "2-wire". There is no "1-wire" HB; the braided shield wire that surrounds the conductor acts as both signal "ground" and as a shield.

[markuser]

Ok. The 2 wire and 4 wire.

So they sound the same. Great.

[markuser]

Are the Seymour Duncan SH-1b as a 1 wire able to be converted to a 4 wire , like the 2 wire. Is it missing anything that would prevent it?

[newey]

It can certainly be done. Here's a tutorial from the late member 4real:

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/6021/hb-re-wire-conductor-pictures

The trick is, you're working with very tiny wires of the coil windings. Take your time, plot each step in advance. If you've never done it before, it might be a good idea to get a cheap Asian-mfr'd HB off ebay (or use a crappy one out of your spare parts bin, if you have one), so you get the procedure down before you try it on your SD HB.

Also, in 4real's tutorial, he puts the cover back on before testing the coil wiring. I'd suggest testing it before putting the cover back on, then checking it again afterwards just to be sure.

[thetragichero]

i have converted a few humbuckers tip 4 conductor wiring
gfs now only sells kwikplug-equipped pickups which combine the series link into one wire. great for coil tap but not so much for series/parallel (have yet to meet a humbucker i prefer one coil operation over parallel)
in a pinch an old usb cable (like the one that only intermittently charges your phone) works great for 4-conductor wiring. i purchased a 3 meter section of 4 conductor pickup cable off ebay for less than ten bucks

[ziggystardust723]

Hello,
Sorry, I'm late,
- but really new on this Forum.
> I think so:
= For Neck pu: 0nly 1Coil must be better than //,
> because not '4 Times' less:
Ex: Serie 4k + 4k = 8k
- in //: 4k + 4k = 2k only..
- So, an other Thing never Told:
> Many many Neck pickups are Wound with the Same Wire than the Bridge:
= a Big Mistake.!
- The Neck is on another Place than the Bridge, & get more Presence (more Near the 12th Fret),
= so It have to get a Thinner Wire for Less Presence, not less 0hms..
> Like in contrary:
= the Bridge have to get More Presence: because just Near the End of Strings Vibration.!
> What did L.7ender in 1953 for the Bridge of the Tele:
= He turned it from Awg43 (0,056 mm, near 6,9 0hms/Mtr), to Awg42 (0,063 mm, near 5,47 0hms/1Mtr)..
=> So, the Tele is 0ne with the Most equilibrated pickups.!
( & maybe the 0nly one..)
- Don't Forget this: Most important..
- Bye, Ziggy (France,18h47)