Hb-1's

woodyng · Post by **woodyng** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 10:56 am

i read in another post somewhere that the hb1 pickups have 2 leads (1 per coil) i am FAR from technical-headed,but does that not mean that these pickups could potentially be wired for coil splitting...i like this idea...would save changing out hb's for toasters AND give you both sounds (more or less)....anyone? i had a similar wiring setup with my 4002 although that was with seymour duncan pickups(i know,i know...wasn't my call!)

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 11:48 am

No, the HB-1s have 4 wires.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 12:06 pm

The earlier ones had 2 wires. I don't know when the change was made. The HB-1s that were 2 wire have the smooth glossy black plastic that sits below the metal surface. The new ones with 4 wires have a textured surface that is flush with the metal surface. The gold pickup is a 2 wire and the chrome one is a 4 wire. I tried to capture the difference of the plastic top. I did these on my scanner.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:02 pm

RIC did a really cool thing with the HB-1. Below the coil is a small piece of PC board where the 4 coil wires terminate. The lead wires connect on adjacent holes allowing for every possible combination of sequence, selection and phase.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:39 pm

The 2 wire HB is not potted where as the 4 wire is. The 4 wire will not come apart. Maybe Sérgio can chime in on this. Here is what Ted is talking about. The 2 wire in the photo is installed on a friend's bass so I cannot scan its underside.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:42 pm

actually 5 connectors if you count the shield wire ...

http://www.rickenbacker.com/pdfs/19521-HB1%20Wiring.pdf

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 2:48 pm

I have not seen a potted HB-1. While there is epoxy in the assembly, it does not surround the coils. HB-1s can be re-wound if you are willing to replace the black plastic part. The expoxy sits just under it and over the tops of the coils.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:18 pm

On the 2 wire gold one above the black plastic piece just falls off when taken apart. It also did not have the circuit board type construction if I recall right.

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 3:48 pm

Sorry, but I'm not familiar with the 2-wire humbucker, only the 4-wire one which is indeed potted. I've taken apart a "dead" one wherein the epoxy surrounded much of both coils.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Feb 02, 2007 4:56 pm

I ripped a dead one apart and was surprised to find no epoxy at all on the coils windings. Just the top. I wonder if that one was under-filled.

zoomduck · Post by **zoomduck** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:27 am

Im still confused.....Ted......are you saying the based on the current wiring.... the coils can be split ? Did I install toasters for nothing ? I like them anyway

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Sat Feb 03, 2007 9:52 am

I wired my 4004 with a toggle switch that had 3 settings ... single, parallel, and series ... I didn't like the single or parallel sound from the hb1