Look Inside Wide Range Humbuckers - Vintera, MIM 2016, Squier & Should I open my CuNiFe? Comparison

[@MikeStevenReaume]

Would definitely be curious to see the inside of one of the new 2020 CuNiFe pickups! The vintage ones are pretty well documented, so it would be interesting to see how "accurate" the new ones are. I suspect they're super close, but the mystery remains!

[@haskitt]

I become increasingly curious!

[@BeesWaxMinder]

@@haskitt Curious enough to do a comparison?

[@2speedy4u22]

Very interesting. Thanks for putting this together. Fingers crossed for 1000 views!

[@haskitt]

Haha, me too! I'm getting more curious to know what's in those CuNiFes!

[@ChristopherStandardTime]

i'd love to see the Cunifes' innards, but they're expensive! i understand the hesitation.

[@bdogjr7779]

Awesome Scott《☆》Ya I'm interested in splitting open the CUNIFEs. The resistance readings on the fake ones are lower than I was expecting. Nice work👍Thanks for sharing🌴◇:*:◇🌴Greetings from⛾Florida🤳😎🎱☮🔊🖖👍

[@haskitt]

Thanks! Yeah, I was especially surprised to find the N & B basically were the same on the MIM.

[@hairlab_dc4417]

Thanks for another great vid -- you've settled the marketing shtick/forum rumors once and for all. I was one of the people who assumed from Fender's marketing copy/fora posts that they had made the Vintera WRHB's with either with "historically accurate construction...[using] AlNiCo V" magnets" (Fender) or by replacing the formerly-used foam/wax surrounds with side mounted magnets (TDPRI). It is interesting, though, how much they improved the Vintera pickups demonstrated in your previous vid with those "historically accurate" reflector plates.

[@haskitt]

Interesting, I spend some time on forums but I wasn’t aware of these particular debates! Cheers!

[@hairlab_dc4417]

​@@haskitt Check out the threads on The Gear Page. As a WRHB fan , you'll get a kick out of them: Not just "how are they made" topics, but also everything from wacky (and sometimes useful) ways to make them sound better to a...er... spirited debate between a guy who made CuNiFe versions before Fender reissued them and well known pickup maker.

[@jimmyjames2022]

Thanks for tearing these "Wide Range" pups apart as well as your compare series. I assume you didn't teardown either CuNiFe as I couldn't find it, but understandable due to cost. I find it disappointing that both Fender MIM and Squier use standard HBs with the giant wax spacer but call them wide range using the cover to provide, well, cover. It's flat out misleading marketing. But I guess the good news is you can replace the Player pups with CuNiFes and for the same price more or less have a better axe than the Vintera with the 'kind of but not quite' WRHBs.

[@ilmisxx2]

One small correction, the screw poles are deffinetly not alnicoV or any other type of alnico. The CuNiFe magnets are special because you can shape them into screw shape and you can't do that with an alnico or ceramic magnets because they are way too brittle for that

[@haskitt]

Yes, Jason Lollar was kind enough to correct me on this already! I think I pinned his comment. Cheers!

[@ilmisxx2]

@@haskitt didn't see a pinned comment, otherwise I wouldn't have written it 😁

[@haskitt]

@@ilmisxx2 ahh, you are correct… his comment is actually on one of my other Wide Range videos, he responded to one of my comments and I pinned that! Cheers

[@TheBoboMaker]

I have a MIM 72 thinline reissue, and the pups a somewhat microphonic. I enjoy the midrange onkiness that they have. A totally different sound than my MIA anniversary 52 Hot Rod Tele reissue. The Seymour Duncan mini humbucker neck in the reissue is super smooth and sounds amazing and jazzy. Complete contrast, I love both guitars.

[@vw9659]

The insides of vintage CuNiFe WRHBs are reasonably well photographed online. There's nothing too much that can go wrong in opening them. I've opened mine several times. The bobbins are bigger (tele bridge size ?) and there is the reflector plate underneath, but no wax. The coils are wrapped in ribbon and tape IIRC. The cover should come off easily when you break the two solder joints. Removing a pole piece on a vintage one possibly carries a small risk to the pickup or the pole piece itself (supposedly more brittle than steel). I'm curious as to the metal composition of the vintage, reissue, and new WRHB covers. It would be surprising if the new CuNiFe WRHBs weren't identical internally to the vintage ones.

[@haskitt]

yeah agreed... I've heard the neck position does away with the reflector on many rebuilds, but I don't know with the new cunife. those pole pieces came right out easily... the vintage one I had bought was cleaned and magnets regaussed.

[@-doggy-6670]

Ive got a project Toronado with a pair of Mexican wide range pickups in it.I found them to be realy muddy sounding so I (in a moment of madness) removed the 6 blind screws from each pickup.They sound so much better now!!!

[@ZachariahConnor]

Love these videos Scott!

[@haskitt]

Thanks Zachariah, more to come!

[@jameskrys5286]

A few years ago I bought a Squire Vintage Modified '72 Thinline.for $175 at a pawn shop. I have been E-mailing Guitar Fetish about their version of the Wide Range PUs which they call WideTone. The guy said he prefers the Alnico versions. (They make a 7K neck and a 10K bridge in both Alnico and Ceramic magnet versions). I'm going to buy a Ceramic magnet neck and an Alnico bridge. I remember how guitarists used to switch the pickups on EMG guitars and put the Alnico in the bridge and the Ceramic in the neck. I might crack one open and maybe put the Squire covers on if the fit.

[@haskitt]

good luck, sounds fun!

[@thomasmessina6910]

I like my squire pu's I'm upgrading the pots to 500, switch Oaks Gribsby and guitars jack. I'm trying to identify the existing wire colors both pu's have a black and white wire cut off and taped together, (Coil splitting) what appears to be the hot wire when I pull the plastic back there's actually two wires in there? Why two? Then there a ground. Anyway can someone explain the color codes?

[@herbsman05]

Im from the philippines and we have a local guitar brand that has wide range humbucker pickups. They said they are alnico 5 and also has coil split but on my research cunife are the original wide range humbuckers but there are also alnico 2 wide range pickups. Can alnico 5 used for wide range pickups and can they be coil split? Thanks!

[@hausf.kartreit1111]

Supposedly neodium magnets are one of the strongest magnets available. I haven't heard of them being used in pickups but they are cheap & plentiful.

[@haskitt]

I feel like I've heard of some bass pickups using them, but I've never tried them.

[@tgunmusicchannel1973]

Entwistle do cheap but pretty awesome Neodymium

[@asdaven1]

Why not make some of these with Alnico 5 slugs like on Strats or Teles ? Instead of pole piece screws since you cant find CuniFe anymore. I think the key to the Wide Range Fender sound is magnetic pole pieces instead of the Gibson style with a Bar Magnet and steel pole pieces. The Alnico rods are stronger than CuNiFe which is why they made Wide Ranges with a bigger coil. Probably could make all slug pickups with Alnico slugs on probably a standard Gibson bobbin as the Alnico is a stronger magnet and dosent need as big of a coil. Theoretically I would think this would get you within 70-90% of the sound. I dont know why companies including Fender and Squier arent doing that. Fender could even use the mangetic pole pieces they use in the Teles or Strat. Instead of building a PAF and making it cosmetically look like a Wide Range.

[@haskitt]

Jason Lollar commented on this very thing on another Wide Range video I did: “…anyone using a threaded magnet… alnico is way too hard and brittle to machine like that so Alnico is combined with threaded FeCrCo magnets to get an almost exact match with Cunife. Cunife had not been available since the 70s and recently Fender had small batches made and bought all of it and they have a deal with the manufatcurer to be the sole consumer- thats what I heard from a supplier that knows but could be BS…” So lollar, Brandonwound, creamery, fralin and presumably anyone else making threaded Magnet wide ranges are using FeCrCo/AlNiCo alloys.

[@asdaven1]

@Scott Haskitt True. Alnico cant be threaded or machined. But it CAN be used as a slug (like on Strat or Tele pickups). Seth Lover with the PAFs wanted to use all slugs. It was Gibson who asked for the threaded pole pieces for adjustablity. I dont find them necessary, some do but the whole pickup can be adjusted up or down on each side anyhow. Sure we can invent new alloys but thats going to be expensive. Im just saying take a PAF sized bobbin and use Alnico slugs no bar magnet instead of the steel pole and slugs with the bar magnet and I think it will be closer to a Wide Range than these knockoffs. It ll be a little different. Wide Ranges used weak magnets , wider coil with more turns and resistance. This would be more powerful Alnico 5 magnets and more inductance since theyre slugs and smaller coil and less resistance. But I think it would get into the ball park and not break the bank with common parts instead of experimental materials and design. The key being the magnetic pole pieces instead of steel pole pieces being charged by a bar magnet underneath.

[@bluematell]

I have an 2012 AV '72 thinline with the redesigned/revoiced WR's. I put a new CuNiFe in the bridge position which has that sizzle on top (but lacks a bit of that midsnarl the vintage WR's have) Keep the original 2012 in the neck though. Any info about these?

[@gordoplaysbass]

Are the pole spaces the same? Will covers interchange?

[@jamiemaldonado2389]

So, I just bought a Squire thinline and Fender’s cunife humbuckers are currently on sale for 150. Is it worth swap out and can they be swapped out? I’m really new to all of this so if I decided to swap them out, what else would need to be replaced? Just seeing if it’s worth it or just save up for the Vintage II.

[@comeback1827]

Hello ! In your opinion what are the humbucker pick UPs sets to not miss when WE love play clean/clear tones ? In sss config, i already have a "glassy" kit (Tonerider surfari), a light bluesy but clear kit (Tonerider Alnico 2 blues), a more heavy/fuller sounding Hendrix kit. And a more modern clear, caractereless but more volumish kit with thé 2020 indonésien Squier classic Vibe 70's pickup kit. And i think i'm an accomplish sss player with that 4 voicing. But what about humbuckers ? Thank you !

[@haskitt]

I think the lollar low wind wide range is the way to go with WRHB. For regular humbuckers, I love a Lollar regular wind Neck humbucker with their high wind humbucker Neck. Cheers!

[@bigsierra9653]

Trying to open my squires, how did you cut through the solder??

[@haskitt]

get a razor blade in there and rock it forward and backward... it takes some pressure but not too bad.

[@AlessandroLesignoli]

Hi! Is the squier splittable? Thank you!

[@haskitt]

Yes, splittable! I address that about these types of pickups here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXrYeGqGiLiGapI - cheers!

[@kaickprogrock]

is the MIM alnico magnet?

[@haskitt]

Good question… I don’t know what the bar magnets are in the Eminem pick ups. I would imagine they are not ceramic, because they’re not absurdly high output

[@awc5uk]

How do these compare to a Fender Alnico 2 pickup?

[@haskitt]

What sort of A2 pick ups in particular do you mean?

[@awc5uk]

@@haskitt MIM Player Series. Can’t find much online comparing modern Squier Wide Range Humbuckers with Fender Player MIM Alnico 2. Much of a difference in sound?

[@haskitt]

I haven’t played the mim a2, but from the examples I’ve heard, they’re much darker and lower output than the CuNiFe, and the squires are darker and seemingly higher output than the CuNiFe

[@telecasterbear]

Swart. Nice.

[@ipuya]

Thank you so much! Can we please please see a comparison between the 2021 WRHB and a Gibson PAF? Cause before deciding which WRHB to get, first we have to determine whether any WRHB is better than a standard PAF. 🙏

[@haskitt]

Good idea… Gibson ‘57 classic you think would be a good contender?

[@ipuya]

@@haskitt sounds good to me! Just subscribed and excited for the video!

[@richieryan2127]

It's been 42 years,but I can still hear the sound of a Tele Deluxe I played thru some Silverface model in a store across from my HS. Nothing since has sounded as good...🤩

[@blwnova4155]

Good god - can you just say “CuNiFe” the same way everybody else says it?

[@haskitt]

You know it’s not an actual word, right? Not that I really care, but when people say it that way, it’s to give a syllable to each element.