Fender Wide Range Humbuckers -- What are they?

[spacelabstudio]

So I was wondering about Fender wide range humbuckers and I haven't found a good explanation.  What I think is going on is they are like a Gibson humbucker, with two coils, but with magnet pole pieces in only half the number of spots, so you're getting the hum cancellation from both coils, but the string is only getting "sensed" with one string or the other, like on a P-bass or G&L Z pickups.  Strangely, though, Google isn't turning up any evidence that I'm right or wrong.  Am I right or wrong?

[jubal81]

There are posts there under the pickup cover. Wide-ranges are just plain humbuckers with a different cover and wider bobbins. They won't fit in a typical humbucker rout.

[spacelabstudio]

Hmm, ok.  I wonder what accounts for the allegedly more single coil like tone, then.  Thicker wire?  Less series resistance?  Wired in parallel?  Curious.

[G._Hoffman]

Hmm, ok.  I wonder what accounts for the allegedly more single coil like tone, then.  Thicker wire?  Less series resistance?  Wired in parallel?  Curious.

I can't say as that I would describe them that way.  They sound an awful lot like a humbucker, to my ears.


Gabriel

[FYL]

Current versions are basic hecho in Mexico F-spaced humbuckers. Adequate but far from great. Japanese versions are a notch better, but still basic.

The original version sounds great, with an unmatched clarity but are only available second-hand at obscene prices (around $400 per pup). Some manufacturers ship rebuilds (they use the casings of modern versions) or repros. Some are very close to the originals at a lower price.

[jubal81]

I just remembered the big difference with the originals (not reissues). They used CuNiFe magnets instead of AlNiCo.

From what I've read, CuNiFe is pretty much unobtanium these days.

[FYL]

I just remembered the big difference with the originals (not reissues). They used CuNiFe magnets instead of AlNiCo.

The Cunife screws were threaded magnets atop a mild steel reflector, RIs use steel pole pieces atop a magnet bar (Alnico for the MX version, ceramic for the JP).

From what I've read, CuNiFe is pretty much unobtanium these days.

The Cunife alloy is still in production but there are no more suitable off the shelf rods. You need to cut, shape, thread and charge the pieces...  Quite time consuming.

However, you can find modern repros such as Telenator's CH.

http://www.telenator.com/

[spacelabstudio]

I did some more digging around and found a forum where Jason Lollar was discussing his Regal design.  Apparently it's not so much the fact that the magnets were made of CuNiFe as the fact that pole pieces themselves were magnets, as opposed to the bar magnet underneath steel slugs.  You can imagine the field lines would be pretty different.  CuNiFe just happened to be a material that could machined into screws and magnetized.  Apparently Jason Lollar found someone selling machine screw magnets in a different material (he doesn't say what) that works just as well.  As long as you get the strength of the magnetization in the same ballpark they should sound largely the same.