Unbucker
The Lindy Fralin Unbucker gives you great split-coil and humbucking tones – all in one. The unbalanced Unbucker’s coils give you a stronger single coil tone when split.
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Unique Humbucker Design For Coil Splitting
Want to learn more about our Unbucker? Here's all the information you'll need:
Unbucker FEATURES:
The Lindy Fralin Unbucker is one of our best-selling pickups. We’re known all over the world for incredible-sounding Single-Coil and Humbucker pickups. Why not combine them both and get the best of both worlds? The Unbucker provides fantastic Humbucker tones as well as Single-Coil tones. We purposely unbalance the coils to give you a stronger coil when the Unbucker is Split.
Our Stock Set includes a 7.5K Neck and 8.5K Bridge.
Features:
- Unbalanced coil turns for a stronger single-coil tone (Screw Coil)
- Scooped midrange with an emphasis on top-end clarity
- AlNiCo IV Magnets for a smooth, rich sound
- Fits any Standard Humbucker or F-Spaced Humbucker routing
- Assembled by hand, one at a time, for impeccable attention to detail
- Compensated Overwound Bridge for even volume across all pickups
- Hand-wound with our “Sectioning” technique for unique, dynamic tone
- Hand-built for unrivaled quality control
- 10-Year Warranty on manufacturing defects
Sound
Bright and clear, with just the right amount of chime and an open midrange. Our Unbucker features a stronger wound screw coil that gives this pickup a unique tone. Our Unbucker has a similar vibe to our Pure P.A.F. with a more open and airy midrange and top end. Expect outstanding clarity and articulation. When you tap the slug coil, you still achieve a robust single-coil tone. When playing dirty, you’ll get a nice, sharp pick attack and excellent clarity, and a tight and punchy low end. Due to the unbalanced coils, Unbuckers won’t be 100% hum-canceling.
Our manufacturing process allows us to achieve unparalleled quality control. We wind each pickup by hand, one at a time. Each pickup is wound using our proprietary “Sectioning” technique. Doing this gives the pickup a sweet, clear tone. Finally, we assemble each pickup one at a time, by hand. Hand assembling pickups allows us to achieve unbeatable attention to detail. After assembly, we wax-pot the pickup to preserve the pickup and prevent microphonics.
Tech Specs
The Neck pickup is comprised of a 4.5K and 3K coil, and the Bridge pickup is comprised of 5K and 3.5K coils. The outputs are compensated and all sets have matched volume.
See below for the estimated DCR and Polarity Information for our Unbucker.
| SPECIFICATION | VALUE |
|---|---|
| Neck Ohm Reading: | 7.5K |
| Bridge Ohm Reading: | 8.5K |
| Neck Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor Lead |
| Bridge Polarity: | Reversible with 3-Conductor Lead |
| Magnet: | USA-Made Alnico 4 |
| Wire: | USA-Made 42-Gauge Single Poly Nylon |
| Baseplate Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Cover Material: | USA-Made Nickel Silver |
| Pole Piece Material: | USA-Made Steel |
| Bobbin Material: | ABS Plastic |
| Baseplate Leg Depth: | 6mm |
| Recommended Pot Value: | 500K |
| Recommended Cap Value**: | 0.02mfd |
**We recommend a 0.02mfd Cap Value on most guitar and bass pickups. The exception is a Magic Cap, which Lindy prefers on the Bridge Pickup of Fender® guitars only. Learn More about Caps Here.
Sizing
Humbucker Lead Color Codes
See below for our Humbucker Lead color codes. For help with matching to other manufacturers, check out this resource here.
Gibson Braided Lead:
2-Conductor Lead:
3-Conductor Lead:
4-Conductor Lead
Unbucker Questions And Answers:
Notice:
Have a question about our Unbucker? Ask it here. Your Question will be publically visible. If you want to ask a Private Question, please contact us through our Contact Us Form.
If you have multiple questions, please call us at (804) 358-2699.
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Is it possible to get the set in cream only…All the mounting rings are cream/94 PRS CE 22…Best spacing for this guitar? I’m the test monkey for Jim Hill and refitted a Suhr Classic a few years ago when Jim and I visited your shop and had lunch with you…Great pickups and service!
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Q Is it possible to get the set in cream only…All the mounting rings are cream/94 PRS CE 22…Best sp...... Read moreThere are no answers for this question yet.
In an HSS Strat, which middle single coil would have balanced output with the split mode of the Unbucker, disregarding how it balances with the humbucker sound? I'm looking for classic early 60's Strat sounds, and then a PAF ish sound to be used by itself.
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Q In an HSS Strat, which middle single coil would have balanced output with the split mode of the U...... Read moreA
Hey Kirk, I'd recommend something like our Blues Special, and a partial split resistor.
Is the single coil mode ceramic or alnico? Would this be better matched to ceramic mid and bridge pickups, or with alnico mid and bridge pickups?
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Q Is the single coil mode ceramic or alnico? Would this be better matched to ceramic mid and bridge...... Read moreA
Hey Andrew, our Unbucker uses Alnico 4 - so the single coil mode will feature the Alnico 4 bar magnet charging the screw side. Regarding matching to either ceramic or Alnico, it's tough to say. I'd lean towards ceramic, personally as you'll get a touch of P90 tone out of the single coil as it uses screw pole pieces. - Tyler
Hi. Does 50mm Bridge and a 49.2mm Neck size work for the SE version of the PRS Custom 24? or should I go for different size?
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Q Hi. Does 50mm Bridge and a 49.2mm Neck size work for the SE version of the PRS Custom 24? or shou...... Read moreA
Hey Todd, most PRS guitars are 50mm in the Bridge and 49.2mm in the Neck. - Tyler
I am planning to install a set of Unbuckers in my Epiphone ES-339, with coil splitting. I know they are designed for this, but I am considering adding a partial split resistor as well. What would be the effects of the partial split resistor with Unbuckers? Do you have a recommendation one way or the other?
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Q I am planning to install a set of Unbuckers in my Epiphone ES-339, with coil splitting. I know th...... Read moreA
Hey Dave, if you were going that route, we'd actually recommend going for the Pure P.A.F. or Modern P.A.F. and using the Partial Split Resistor instead of the Unbuckers. You'll get the following benefits:
- 100% hum-canceling (The Unbucker is about 80% hum-canceling) and
- Compensated tone when you split the humbucker (the split single coils sound best on 500K pots with the partial split resistor).
That said, if...
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I was looking for humbuckers to replace the stock 85/15 pups in my 2019 PRS CE24. I like the stock pups but they just were not working for the style that I have been playing. I play modern worship music where tones can range from soft rock, classic rock, pop, funk and a lot of clean. I reached out to Fralin and told them what I was looking for. A more open tone with a little more mids and a little less gain. I also mentioned that I use coil splitting. I thought I was going to get Pure PAF’s. I received a return email within 24 hours!! They recommended the Unbuckers which were not even on my radar. I went with their recommendation though. It took exactly 10 business days for them to make and ship them. I asked several other questions during the process and they were ALWAYS quick to respond, very polite and extremely helpful! I was a little concerned though because they are described as NOT being normal humbuckers and they may be a little bit noisy compared to a normal humbucker. I installed these yesterday when they arrived and have to say that these things have exceeded my expectations!! They are not noisy at all. The tones are amazing. I have been trying to think of words to describe the tone. They are very open, clear, CRISP,clean. I turned on my normal effects, delay, reverb, compression…still no extra noise. Then I turned on the Timmy overdrive. Wow! Amazing! Then the OCD!! It just kept getting better!!! Stacked those two…OMG!!! I highly recommend these humbuckers. Amazing!! And then they just freaking look awesome too!!!
The Best. Best humbuckers!
Yes it does that
I installed these when I was restoring a classic USA BC Rich custom shop guitar. I wanted a pickup that could do a respectable single-coil sound for live versatility, but I didn’t want to go to EMGs or other ‘modern’ designs that sacrificed the PAF tone. I gave these a try because I have Fralins in four of my other guitars and love the sound. They’ve now been in for a couple of weeks, and have been gigged three times, including in two separate shows yesterday (one small and one huge outdoor stage, with amps scaled for each). So… how are they?
The humbucker tone is pure Fralin. Sounds great. I notice no extra noise from the unbalanced coil wiring. I think it sounds as good as the Pure PAFs in my Les Paul which is probably my overall favorite pickup. The single-coil sound is far better than other coil-split HBs I’ve tried (various Duncans, Gibsons, Dimarzios, etc); it has a higher output than most of them and good articulate clarity. Does it sound like a Strat? Not really, but I didn’t expect it to. The Strat’s signature neck tone is very much influenced by the pickup’s position, the scale length of the Strat, and the body and neck woods, all of which are different on most HB-type guitars. So this pickup isn’t going to instantly turn your Les Paul into a Mark Knopfler or Stevie Ray machine. But having said that, with the screw coil only activated, you can pull off something that’s surprisingly close, and for live applications perfectly suitable. And in the middle position, the two single coils are great for that thin glassy clean sound.
So, keep your expectations realistic, and have faith in Lindy’s judgment that this is the best compromise among classic humbucking mojo, noise-canceling, split-coil output levels, and stratty tone. For an all-night guitar, it’s the best HB I’ve found so far.
Love the unbucker
This a super great and open sounding pickup! I bought on a whim and am so happy. Also love that I could get it in raw nickel. I know it’s advertised that the levels are close between the single and humbucker modes but that’s an understatement – they’re basically exactly the same. You’re truly just hearing the tonality change. It’s bizzare if you’ve been cool splitting in the past. I took for granted that the louder humbuckers were driving the amp harder than the single coil so there was some additional influence on the tone. I also love that fralin pickups are out of phase or polarity or whatever with other brands. The super thin sound when I combine the pickups is a whole new very usable sound production wise. ALSO – the customer service is super awesome.
I installed these pickups with some apprehension, knowing they were the best choice to split/tap coils, but not knowing much about the tone they produced. All my concerns disappeared as soon as I played the first few chords. These pickups sounded very clear, balanced, and very much like the PAF pickups I was used to hear, but more balanced. The bridge; full and clear but not ice picky or harsh. The neck was a bliss, fat, defined, and full. Mismatched coils are really the way to go, even if you’re not planning on doing the split thing!
Fantastic. Love the sound! And they were easy to install. They do look nice too.
My Telecaster sounds amazing!! push pull pots with coil spitting and bright switch the guitar has so many different sounds and they all sound AMAZING!!. Best mod I have ever don to a guitar. The customer service was great they worked with me until I got it right. Thanks again.
Hands down my favorite neck humbucker. Several years back I tried one on a whim and was shocked. There was the sound I’d been looking for for years. Now these are standard issue for me in every one of my guitars.
I’m not really much of a review writing kind of guy, but I had to tell the world about the Unbucker. I have a PRS MCCarty that I simply love playing because it’s very comfy. Sadly, I always end up reaching for one of my other guitars because I simply didn’t like how dark and flat it sounded thru my amp. I have considered selling this guitar many many times but knew I’d take a loss so I kept it. I’m really glad that I did. I scoured the internet and Youtube looking for possible replacement pickups and happened upon the Unbucker.
I decided that rather than sell my guitar or trade it in and take a multiple hundred dollar hit that I’d buy them.
The short of it is that my guitar now has the sparkle and snap in it’s tone that I have always wanted with out losing the rich sounding low-end. . I also have the benefit of the fantastic split tones that it offers. Before, my guitar suffered a very noticeable drop in volume when splitting. Now it’s like I have a whole other guitar built into mine. The split tones do not sound (to me) like conventional “F” style single coils. They have their own tone in this guitar which is even better!
I am so pleased with the outcome that I had to type a review. To me, these pickups were worth every cent. If you are looking for great humbucker tone with clearity and snap, as well as having great splitting without volume drop, you should give these a try!
Amazing sounding pickups. The clarity in the notes even on a dirty setting is fabulous. Plus coil tapping brings in a whole new set of tones to play with. Best purchase I’ve made in awhile.