BzzzKill - New Single Coil Hum Canceling Device

[Chocol8]

Presumably having a RWRP middle pickup as your starting point for this product is preferable and reduces residual buzz even further?

I don’t think it is preferable or reduces hum better. It is just extremely common so they have to support it. Ideally, these systems will work best with three identical pickups but reality is they need to support the modern pickup sets with RWRP middle and hotter bridge pickups that are in that vast majority of Strats.

The Ilitch system has two trim pots so you can dial a somewhat hotter bridge in separate from neck and middle, and I believe the newer Suhr system uses multiple taps from the dummy coil. I don’t know what the Bzzzzkill is doing for different winds, but that’s probably why they are talking up how great it is to have some uncancelled hum. RWRP can be handled with a second dummy coil or creative wiring. They chose the second coil which makes installation easier and more flexible.

 

[Chocol8]

I’d honestly much rather have an illitch as the design is better and fits Les Pauls.

I agree, or make your own. Also, for a LP presumably with P90’s, you need a bigger coil. The P90 is a hum monster because of the wider coil and hot wind, so the dummy needs more winds and or a bigger area than for a Strat or Tele. Suhr uses an active system for P90’s but I have not seen it.

 

[HomespunEffects]

… Suhr uses an active system for P90’s but I have not seen it.

Interesting. I need to know more.

The Fishman P90s are actually nice, too.

 

[Jarick]

And all of them are detrimental to the core tone.
The best single coils are made to sound ordinary by these systems. If you really need humbucking get Areas or something similar.

I have all the Area pickups and they don't come close to the sound of single coils especially in split position.

 

[Eagle]

I have all the Area pickups and they don't come close to the sound of single coils especially in split position.

And that will still be better than a dummy coil. I think great single coils come with free hum and such is life.

 

[Chocol8]

And that will still be better than a dummy coil. I think great single coils come with free hum and such is life.

Hmmmm. I am not so sure about that. A dummy coil done right, as in large area, low DC resistance and impedance, and far enough from the magnets, has minimal impact on tone. Not zero, but a heck of a lot less than a stacked coil on a noiseless pickup. You can install them on a switch and hear it (or not). Everything is a compromise and the various noiseless pickup designs and dummy coils have different downsides.

Now a dummy coil sized like pickup with similar DCR is going to impact the tone significantly, unless other tricks are employed. I am a bit curious what they are doing internally in the Bzzzzkill, but my initial thought is that the advantage of their system is it fits in the control cavity with no real modifications, but there are going to be some downsides to that choice. There is a reason Illitch, Suhr, and others have chosen to deal with hiding a much larger coil when a small one would have been so much easier.

 

[Chocol8]

Interesting. I need to know more.

The Fishman P90s are actually nice, too.

You can reach out to John, but I think he is using a large coil like his other systems, and then amplifying the noise to match/offset the P-90 noise. I would like to check out what he is doing, but I don't really need or want another P-90 guitar and my curiosity falls WELL short of Suhr prices.

 

[FuzzyAce]

I have all the Area pickups and they don't come close to the sound of single coils especially in split position.

I think the ones I've used are close. I mean, not all single coils sound the same either so it's kinda like .
Areas are their own thing, and they're great regardless.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Here:

https://ilitchelectronics.com/wirings/

Looks like the P90 version doesn’t work with RWRP. I think he just needs a different switch.

 

[Chocol8]

I think he just needs a different switch.

Yes, it could be done with a different switch, but unlike Strats that have 5 position 4 plane super switches readily available, I can't come up with a "proper looking" switch for a LP that would be an easy replacement. There may be something out there, but I am not aware of it.

 

[HomespunEffects]

Yes, it could be done with a different switch, but unlike Strats that have 5 position 4 plane super switches readily available, I can't come up with a "proper looking" switch for a LP that would be an easy replacement. There may be something out there, but I am not aware of it.

Free-Way Pickup Switch - StewMac

Guitar gearshift! Unique 6-position toggle switch broadens tonal options.

www.stewmac.com

 

[Chocol8]

There is probably a way to make that work, but I would buy two matching P-90's or two noiseless P-90's before I tried to gig a LP with a 6 position switch with so little throw. I would definitely have issues using that thing on the fly.

Actually, and even better idea...if you get a second guitar with a RWRP setup, you could swap two pickups and have two guitars with matching pickups. I call that a win win!