humbucker humming when coil splitting ?

[Donnie]

When I pull up on the volume knob for the bridge and neck together I notice that each humbucker would hum depending on which pup selector switch was chosen.

Example, neck pickup with both coils split produced a hum. Unsplit the bridge and pick up hum stopped.
Example 2, bridge pickup selected with both coils split I got hum. Unsplit the neck and pick up hum stopped.

you can only split the coil that is selected to get "no hum"

Is this normal ?
Edit sorry got it reversed. It corresponds to correct pick up.

If I turn my volume knobs higher than past half way the humming goes away. weird.

 

[SJM]

I have no problems with hum at all and I have three of my Epi LP's set up for coil splitting. Is this a factory job or has it been modded for coil splitting?

 

[Donnie]

I have no problems with hum at all and I have three of my Epi LP's set up for coil splitting. Is this a factory job or has it been modded for coil splitting?

factory.

It seems to be worse depending on the volume level. higher volume lower noise.

 

[Stuart_tate41]

Single coils hum. Humbuckers do not hence their name.

Splitting a humbucker is trunin it into a single coil.

 

[Stuart_tate41]

Also if you have two split coils together you will get no hum as thu are acting the same as a humbucker.

 

[dspelman]

I have no problems with hum at all and I have three of my Epi LP's set up for coil splitting. Is this a factory job or has it been modded for coil splitting?

Right. Let me get this straight. This is a factory hum job and you have no hum at all.

 

[Donnie]

Single coils hum. Humbuckers do not hence their name.

Splitting a humbucker is trunin it into a single coil.

So let me ask you this, do strat single coils all have this hum? how do they play a really clean tone like that ?

I was just surprised that the hum goes away if I turn the volume up.???

 

[Bigneil]

Single coils hum.... Split humbuckers, are essentially a single coil ... P90's hum, essentially they are fat single coil. If you want no hum, you need a HUMbucker. If yii like the sound of single coils but hate the hum, then there are a few things you can do to reduce it by shielding the pickup and control cavities and not standing near a computer or tv screen.

I like humbuckers.

 

[SJM]

Right. Let me get this straight. This is a factory hum job and you have no hum at all.

One is a Trad Pro. It's stock. The other two have been modded with pre-fab wiring harnesses. I have no problem with excessive hum with any of the three. I also have a rather old Fender Tele. I've never had a problem with it either and it of course has single coil P/U's. Some hum? Yes, but nothing like what he is describing or that I would consider a problem. The hum I get is slight and doesn't go away when I crank the volume.

 

[Donnie]

You'd think that would have been fairly obvious.

Yes.

That said, a lot of factors go into how much hum, and whether the hum is enough for you to care.

I have a Strat that seemed fairly hum-free to me. I plugged it in at another person's house, different amp... Holy crap. Unusable.

My house wiring is pretty old. My amp doesnt hum with out a cord attached even with the amp volume up. The guitar only hums with the coils split only. I need to take it somewhere else and try.

 

[SJM]

I apparently have ideal conditions in the section of my home where I keep and play my Gits. I just had my Trad Pro out for about 30 minutes and played it in single coil mode. I turned the amp volume to max, I ran the volume controls up and down, tried both coils split, one coil split and all three switch positions and I'm not hearing even the slightest bit of hum. I think your idea of taking it to a different location to try it out might help answer your question.

 

[Tanqueray]

The hum you hear is caused by your pickups picking up noise from nearby power mains and transformers. Things like the wires in your walls, your fridge, your computer, whatever. Some places are better than others, and I think some pickups can be more sensitive than others.

A humbucker doesn't hum because it has two single coils, with one wound in reverse. This cancels out the humming sound, but also gives that much fatter sound that a lot of guitarists favor over the thinner sounding single coil.

Coil-splitting essentially turns off one of the coils in the humbucker, turning it into a single coil. You get that single coil sound, but you also get the hum that comes with it since there's no longer a reverse wound coil there to cancel it out.

 

[Bristol Posse]

You might find this of interest that I did to get rid of occaisional hum in my guitar w split coils

http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/tonefreaks/224164-shielding-my-trad-pro.html

It won't completely eliminate single coil hum (and that is part of the charm anyway) but at least your electronics won't act as a giant antenna to pick up even more

 

[Thumpalumpacus]

So let me ask you this, do strat single coils all have this hum? how do they play a really clean tone like that ?

I was just surprised that the hum goes away if I turn the volume up.???

I think what's happening is that you're turning up one pickup. With that pickup down, you're not getting much cancellation. As you turn up one pickup you get more cancellation as the delivered voltages from each pickup start to get closer.

And yes, Strats hum in positions 1,3, and 5. 2 & 4 are hum-cancelling in modern Strats.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

that 60 cycle hum is part of 'vintage sound'

you can hear it in early Zeppelin recordings, (as well as others)

take a Strat to a bar with a bunch of neon signs and old wiring and you learn a new way to feel miserable.

 

[Lutherie]

The hum you hear is caused by your pickups picking up noise from nearby power mains and transformers. Things like the wires in your walls, your fridge, your computer, whatever. Some places are better than others, and I think some pickups can be more sensitive than others.

A humbucker doesn't hum because it has two single coils, with one wound in reverse. This cancels out the humming sound, but also gives that much fatter sound that a lot of guitarists favor over the thinner sounding single coil.

Coil-splitting essentially turns off one of the coils in the humbucker, turning it into a single coil. You get that single coil sound, but you also get the hum that comes with it since there's no longer a reverse wound coil there to cancel it out.

Hence the name HumBucker

 

[Stuart_tate41]

Maybe a sound clip of the noise will help here

I used to have a 5150II when I used my tele at home it was fine, used it at a venue awful because of all of the other electric interference in the room as well.

It could be a number of issues.

 

[BugsyB]

When I pull up on the volume knob for the bridge and neck together I notice that each humbucker would hum depending on which pup selector switch was chosen.

Example, neck pickup with both coils split produced a hum. Unsplit the bridge and pick up hum stopped.
Example 2, bridge pickup selected with both coils split I got hum. Unsplit the neck and pick up hum stopped.

you can only split the coil that is selected to get "no hum"

Is this normal ?
Edit sorry got it reversed. It corresponds to correct pick up.

If I turn my volume knobs higher than past half way the humming goes away. weird.

Single coils hum....that`s why they made humbuckers in the first place.Problem is single coils have some pretty awesome tones.In single coil mode,you will get hum unless you are using the middle position as the two singles cancel out each others hum like a really wide humbucker.

 

[mechtech]

Single coils hum. Humbuckers do not hence their name.

Splitting a humbucker is trunin it into a single coil.

This^^!

 

[56GT]

single coil hum adds to the charm!