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 |
Looking for humbucker wiring codes? You can find them 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:
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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I have a new Fender Meteora (made in Mexico). I play lead in a mostly rock blues cover band, so I need both single coil and humbucker. Which is best suited, sunbucker, or unbucker? Would the sizing and rings work with the Meteora?
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Q I have a new Fender Meteora (made in Mexico). I play lead in a mostly rock blues cover band, so I...... Read moreThere are no answers for this question yet.
Do your pickups come with mounting rings? Do you have humbucker mounting rings for Fender spacing (52mm)?
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Q Do your pickups come with mounting rings? Do you have humbucker mounting rings for Fender spacing...... Read moreA
Hey Don, we have a few rings in stock for no additional charge. You can request them in the notes field on the checkout screen. Availability is limited to the actual stock we have at the moment. - Tyler
Would you happen to know the string spacing/humbucker size for PRS guitars? I think they use Fender specs but not ? sure. I have a CE24 and an S2 Standard 24 that I would love to install unbuckers in to coil split. Any help or recommendations are much appreciated.
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Q Would you happen to know the string spacing/humbucker size for PRS guitars? I think they use Fend...... Read moreA
I believe a 50mm Bridge and a 49.2mm Neck will work perfectly for your situation.
Hi, I have a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special with Enforcer pickups. These are pretty high output humbuckers, but when I dial it down to a Single coil, the sound is too thin and uninteresting. I was hoping to get some chimey strat-like tones out of it. (A bit Hendrix/Frusciante style, with a Jaguar twist!) Wondering if the Unbucker is compatible with this guitar, and whether u would recommend it. Also, is it available in off white colour (not...
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Q Hi, I have a Fender Classic Player Jaguar Special with Enforcer pickups. These are pretty high ou...... Read moreA
Hey Nick, we'd recommend any of our humbucker models, but with our Partial Split Resistor. This will allow you to get a stronger coil split-tone when split.
Hey! I'm having a fully hollow body guitar made for me and am opting for a HSH setup. I really want a pair of humbuckers that do the single coil sound and the Unbuckers appear to do the trick. What middle pickup single coil will complement a pair of Unbuckers? When in single coil mode, I want to get as close to Strat-like clean tones. Can these, and the other single coil, be wired for an out of phase sound, as well?
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Q Hey! I'm having a fully hollow body guitar made for me and am opting for a HSH setup. I really wa...... Read moreA
Hey Chase, I would recommend the High Output Strat for matching with the Unbuckers. You can absolutely wire them out of phase, just select 3-conductor lead.
Do the pickups come with screws and springs?
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Q Do the pickups come with screws and springs?A
Yes, all pickups are packaged with mounting hardware.
Hi, can you do a Unbucker with two cream bobbins ?
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Q Hi, can you do a Unbucker with two cream bobbins ?A
As it turns out, we cannot - the butyrate bobbins limit how much wire we can put on each coil, so we're limited to the Pure P.A.F. That said, our Pure P.A.F. sounds fantastic when coil splitting if you use a Partial Split Resistor. Check this article here for more information regarding that!
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What’s the difference between this model and the Pure P.A.F.?
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Q What’s the difference between this model and the Pure P.A.F.?A The Unbucker has slightly more turns per coil and uses a stronger magnet, giving this pickup a warmer and thicker tone than the Pure P.A.F. It also has a bit of scooped mids due to unbalanced coils.
Can you Coil Tap this model?
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Q Can you Coil Tap this model?A
Yup, that’s the whole point! Choose 3-Conductor or 4-Conductor Lead and use our diagrams here.
What Lead should I choose?
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Q What Lead should I choose?A Go with 3-Conductor if all you want to do is coil tap. If you want the maximum options, go with 4-Conductor.
What Output should I choose?
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Q What Output should I choose?A Our most popular set is our 7.5K neck and our 8.5K bridge. If you want a stronger and darker tone, go with a higher output. If you want a clearer and more open tone, go with a lower output.
What Spacing should I choose?
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Q What Spacing should I choose?A
It depends on your guitar's setup:
- Standard Gibson Spacing is 49.2mm
- Fender Neck Spacing is 50mm
- Fender Bridge Spacing is 52mm
Im looking to put together strat and unsure if i want HSS. I want P&W and U2 tones in position 2 and 4. Usually strat bridges are a bit thin and harsh. But i usually find humbuckers too warm/muddy. I usually favor bridge pickup of a tele or P90s. What would be some advice for a set of either HSS or SSS.
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Q Im looking to put together strat and unsure if i want HSS. I want P&W and U2 tones in positio...... Read moreA The Unbucker is a great companion to a HSS Strat as by nature, the Unbucker is a bit more “scooped” in the midrange and has an emphasis on clearer lows and more pronounced highs. If you wanted wanted to lean even more towards a Single Coil but keep the Humbucker Vibe, the Sunbucker Blues is a great option. It features even more of a Single Coil tone, but with all the characteristics of a Humbucker.
I have an Epiphone ES 339 with crappy pickups. I’m thinking about the Unbucker but not sure how to answer the questions posed here. Spacing? Not sure what that is. Type of lead? A mystery to me. Also, I’m assuming all your prices are in US dollars?
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Q I have an Epiphone ES 339 with crappy pickups. I’m thinking about the Unbucker but not sure how t...... Read moreA Check out the following articles for the answers to your questions: How To Check Your String Spacing How To Choose The Right Humbucker Lead
Planning on an Unbucker set. When splitting, can I use the traditional method (short out one coil) and get good SC sound, or should I wire the switch to isolate the unused coil? I don’t really care, but it effects what hardware and wiring scheme I will need, and how I order the pickups (3 or 4 wire version). Thanks!
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Q Planning on an Unbucker set. When splitting, can I use the traditional method (short out one coil...... Read moreA With the Unbucker, you only need to split the humbucker using the traditional method. If you order 3-Conductor lead, the Red lead will be your split. You don't need the 4-Conductor lead, but it would still allow for splitting, just twist red and green together.
I play a fender powercaster with a mp90 in the neck and atomic in the bridge. Interested in the unbucker as i want a good split tone and lower output for a more classic sound. Which p90 would be a good pairing with it for consistant volume when switching and complement each other when both on? Thank you!
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Q I play a fender powercaster with a mp90 in the neck and atomic in the bridge. Interested in the u...... Read moreA I would recommend our +5% Hum Cancelling P90 Neck to go with the Unbucker in the Bridge for a tailored balance between the two pickups. Also, if you want a bright and clean sounding neck pickup, I would opt for the Stock Output Hum Cancelling P90 Neck.
Hi, I have a set of unbuckers with a 9.5 bridge and an 8.5 neck. I am building a H/S/H guitar for my nephew, which strat pickup do you recommend for the middle position? Also what pot would work best with the unbuckers and single coil configuration -250k, 500k, something else? Thank you so much!
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Q Hi, I have a set of unbuckers with a 9.5 bridge and an 8.5 neck. I am building a H/S/H guitar for...... Read moreA I would recommend a High Output Strat Single Coil, or, if you were looking for hum-cancelling, a Blues Output Split Blade. Both of these pickups sound perfect on 500K pots.
Hi there, I have a Fret King JE model guitar (335 style). They have hum buckers with a split coil dial. I wanted to upgrade the pickups and wondered about your Unbuckers. Will they work in a semi hollow guitar? And do you ship to the UK?
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Q Hi there, I have a Fret King JE model guitar (335 style). They have hum buckers with a split coil...... Read moreA Yes, we ship to the UK every day. They will certainly work in an archtop guitar, but due to the unbalanced coils, they hum. If that would bother you, we also recommend a Pure P.A.F. or Modern P.A.F. with a Partial Split Resistor instead.
I’m looking to replace the PRS 58/15MT pickups in my semi-hollow custom 22. I like the idea of these unbalanced coils. I’m looking for a vintage/open chimey sound and unpotted to pick up the resonance of the body. Are these pickups potted? Is it possible (or wise) to get them without wax potting?
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Q I’m looking to replace the PRS 58/15MT pickups in my semi-hollow custom 22. I like the idea of th...... Read moreA All of our pickups are potted using a low dielectric coefficient paraffin wax – in other words, as transparent tonally speaking as you can get out of a wax. It’s not wise to forego the wax potting as we cannot warranty our pickups due to the higher possibility of corrosion. I would suggest taking a look at our Pure P.A.F.’s as well, if you’re looking for an open and chimey tone!
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The only pickups that have remained in my les paul for more than 15 years, and much more to come. There are no compromises in both modes. My personal recomendation is to mount the bridge reversed for a even fuller single coil sound.
Soon I will get another pair and I doubt I will ever buy other brand or model. Im married to these. Perfect
The Unbucker Set is perfect. I wanted tonal versatility from a classic P.A.F.-like Humbucker. These deliver on both. They provide better clarity and are marginally brighter than a P.A.F. Humbucker, but are very close. The mis-matched coils are where the magic lies. Volume/Output doesn’t drop off a cliff when could are split and these get the closest I’ve ever heard to true single coil tone. The bridge sounds very similar to a Telecaster bridge when split and the neck falls closer to Strat tones in my opinion. I chose the Raw Nickel covers and love the look. These are the best Humbuckers for coil-splitting, by far. Fralin team was helpful, answered my questions before I ordered and the Pickups shipped quickly. I couldn’t be happier with the quality of both the sound and construction.
I installed the unbucker in a Fender performer series with the neck humbucker. I like the way it sounds either split or not but there is a little volume difference between full humbucker and the split. I didn’t hear any hum though so the litlle difference in volume is not a bad thing. I really like the unbucker pickup split (selector switch in the middle position with tone pulled up) with the blues special I installed in the bridge. Thats my favorite combo on this guitar and it is my first tele. Jon at Sims music in columbia sc did a fantastic job and I am happy all around.
Please edit typo in second to last line. ‘know’ should be ‘knob’…
Swapped out the fine, but two-wire Gibson Classic ’57 pups in a 2010 ES-339 Custom Shop for a set of Lindy’s Unbuckers. The asymmetrical windings nearly balance the split/full output with no noticeable hum. Replaced toggle with FreeWay 3×3. It’s a pleasure to instantly go from rhythm to lead. I jump from neck Humbucker to single coil bridge with a flick, not having to toggle and mess with push/pull pots. The 60/40 output of single/dual coils eliminates the need to boost when I solo. I cut through with just a volume know twist. Shout out to the best in the business: Installed by James Hood Guitar Repair in Escondido, CA.
Impressed
I haven’t been playing very long, so I’m not a tone connoisseur, but I’m very happy with my Unbucker pickup. I built a short-scale tele-style guitar with a single pickup, but the Unbucker basically gives me two pickups: a great sounding single coil in coil-split mode, and a great sounding humbucker. I’m also impressed with Fralin’s customer service. They kept me informed of progress on the pickup built, and the “tips and tricks” emails they sent were informative and made me feel like a valued customer. Overall 5 stars, couldn’t be happier.
Great Pups
I’m not a professional or even good player, I do like guitars though. So, I have two Arias from early 80s one LP Standard and another LP Custom replicas, with 70s Dimarzio and 90s ? PRS McCarty pickups in them. The unbuckers went into 70s Ibanez ES 355 replica converted to mono. I play mainly through 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb essentially all original with JBL D130. In short, I love these pickups they are very articulate, the bass is not muddy like some other humbuckers that I have to lower to get something useful. One of the positions on the Varitone circuit splits the coils and these sound absolutely great with split coils. I have not tried it but I have a feeling that it would work exceptionally well with mild overdrive and a bit of chorus. Totally worth it in my opinion. Thank you, Lindy.
I ordered some custom Unbuckers. A 9k bridge comprised of a 5/4k and an 8k neck 4.5/3.5k. Nickel covers wiyh gold pole pieces;) They came in a little hotter at 9.25k and 8.25k and sound friggin incredible. I got them unpotted. They are in an s2 mccarty 594 thinline. Man these guys can build a great pickup! Lindy was pleasure to speak with on the phone and very helpful. I am curious to someday try out the sunbucker blues…
Great pickups. Very nice sound. Very little volume drop when split. It’s the closest you can get to a single coil. Very impressed.
I have them on a fender lead iii and it does a wonderful job.
I just wish they promoted this pickups better, maybe more videos on you tube. It took me a lot of research to know about this pickups!
Unbucker = Unbelievable! Excellent tone and strong output for both hum and split settings. Definitely the best split tone in a hum I’ve tried, a Perfect upgrade for the Fender duo-sonic HS.