Wide Range/Thinline Humbucker Reissue Upgrade

Reissue Wide Range Upgrade to True Vintage Spec

Upgrade your Modern Wide Range / Thinline / Deluxe Humbucker Reissue. Open up the sound with more clarity and string definition

The modern Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker Reissues are simply standard Humbucker sized coils encased in wax to fit the larger Wide Range Cover. As with standard Humbuckers they feature a bar magnet underneath, the difference being the use of threaded slugs to mimic the threaded magnets of the original late '60s-70s pickups. Having a bar magnet underneath the slugs means these pickups will have a different voice to the clarity, definition and fat brighter tone associated with the original, vintage versions.

If you'd like to upgrade these reissues you have in your guitar then now you can:

OPTION ONE:

I'll carefully replace the bar magnet and slugs, replacing them with a full set of Alnico 2 or Alnico 5 threaded magnets as found in my humbucker sized WR Humbuckers above. While not recreating the tone of the originals, this modification will open up the sound, giving more clarity, bloom, sparkle and better string definition and a bright warmth with tighter bass response. A great upgrade if you're looking to breathe some life into your pickups for more of a "doubled-up" single coil tone. I can also recommend potentimeter sizes & capacitors to work with, my personal. Once the work is done the pickup will be wax-potted if requested. This option is non-destructive, the original set-up can be re-instated at a later date should you require it

£45 per pickup

OPTION TWO:

Here I take your exiting pickup, remove the existing coils, magnet & slugs and replace them with two full size handwound coils (see pic) wrapped around my handmade bobbins with either Alnico 2 or Alnico 5 threaded magnets plus the custom handmade reflector plate used in the original design. Essentially a true Wide Range Humbucker pickup with the great warmth and tone similar to that of the original. I wind the coils to a slight variation on the original spec to account for the modern version of the threaded magnets. I wind the bridge coils to the same output as the original, reducing the output of the neck slightly for better calibration of volume & tone between pickups.

These will then be a truer replacement for the modern Fender Wide Range / Thinline Humbucker replacements. Classic fat 'doubled up' single coil sounds - Great clarity and string definition with a bright warmth. The Individual threaded pole magnets allow you to dial in each string. A warmer mid-range than standard single coils and with a higher output, they're great for breaking up an amp. With a great fat bridge tone sounding akin to a "doubled-up" Tele and a neck with a warm, sweet brightness.

Essentially a whole new pickup internally, I just use your existing baseplate and Fender logo cover.

£92 per pickup

In both cases the pickup will look the same with original Fender® logo cover & discounts are available for sets of pickups.

Alnico 2 or Alnico 5 Threaded Magnets

Sorry, but I dont offer my custom made CuNiFe magnets for upgrading Modern Fender Reissue WRHBs - I've had a limited number manufactured and need these to fulfill orders of my own Classic '71 Wide Range Humbuckers. Really sorry about this. If they prove popular I will have more manufactured.

Choose from stronger, brighter, more attacking sounding Alnico 5 or the slightly warmer, rounder, sweeter sounding Alnico 2.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm unable to upgrade Option ONE with 4-way wire for coil-splits etc. The plastic bobbins have tiny lugs attacked to them on the underside where the coil wire is soldered to the hookup wire. The danger in replacing this wire with 4 way is that the coil can be easily damaged as the plastic surrounding the tiny lugs tends to melt and break the coil wire, rendering the pickup dead. I have successfully performed this wire switch in the past but its just a risk I don't like to take. Option THREE can have 4-way wire as I use my own larger, custom made bobbins.

With Upgrades, I let you know when I'm ready to work on them so you can send them over just before, that way you're not left without a working guitar for too long.

You can find more details of my Creamery Custom Shop Handwound Replacement Wide Range Tele, Thinline & Deluxe Humbucker Pickups here.