FAQs
He are some answers to some frequently asked questions. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you have a question that is not covered here.
What are the different bridge spacings?
A. Tub Guitar Pickups come in 50mm (Gibson) and 53mm (Fender) spacing (we also offer 49.4mm vintage correct spacing solely for our Antique Tub humbucker). See the image for how this measurement is determined. Most Gibson and PRS guitars come with 50mm spacing though the wider 53mm is often used where a tremolo is present. If in doubt, look at the image and measure as shown to determine what's best for your guitar.
Why different leg heights?
A. This is all down to the pickup cavity depth/route in your guitar. Vintage Gibson Les Pauls had cavity depths of approximately 37.2mm (neck) and 35.1mm (bridge) respectively which suit the longer 12.7mm legs. Modern guitars such as the PRS have shallower cavities for a 6.4mm leg.
Single or 4 lead conductor wire?
A. The black and braided single conductor hook up wires offer the same basic series wiring option, with the braided version being more vintage correct. The black four conductor wire offers a plethora of wiring options such as series/parallel, coil splitting and in/out phase. You will require a push-pull pot or mini toggle switch to take advantage of all these options. If you intend to have basic controls the single core would suffice.
Do I need to have my pickups potted?
A. Single coil pickups are always wax potted but our humbuckers offer this as an option. The old Gibson PAF pickups of the 50's were not wax potted and sounded great due to the increased dynamics and feel that no potting helps create. On the other hand most guitarists playing at high levels prefer potting which helps to suppress unwanted microphonic squeals.
What's best, covered or uncovered?
A. This is a personal choice and doesn't have any great sound or shielding implications. There are as many great sounding uncovered humbuckers around as there are covered.
What on earth is RW/RP?
A. RW/RP stands for reverse wound reverse polarity and is practice that is common on the middle pickup on a Strat®. By winding the middle pickup in the reverse direction and also reversing the magnetic polarity compared to the other single coil pickups, humbucking performance can be obtained when the 5 way selector switch is in the 2 and 4 position. This is also possible on the neck pickups of a Tele® and a P-90® guitar.
