I thought I read somewhere (maybe on Fender's website?) that the neck is wound a tad weaker than the bridge...?
Anyone tried the Fender WRHB CuNiFe Reissue?
- Thread starter geetarguy24
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Fearnot
Poster Extraordinaire
Just a little. Barely a tad.
Per Fender, .5K-1.7K. That's quite a variance... I wonder why they can't be more accurate than that? Other winders seem to be able to be. And You'll notice a 1.5K difference in pickups.
bender66
Poster Extraordinaire
I ordered a bridge from Fender after getting a notification that they were back in stock. Not 24hrs later Sweetwater advertises necks in stock. I call Fender & the rep tells me they dont have either in stock, but will have 200 available for vendors in 2-3 weeks. I ask to cancel and he said my order was processed/shipped already?
Huh? He just got done telling me they dont have them available yet. Guess I'll wait and see. 30 day return.
I told him Sweetwater is already advertising the neck version. So if you see these come up you should be aware they're most likely pre order. I wish they'd say that ahead of time (I think that was actually a recent thread). Save me wasting time.
Huh? He just got done telling me they dont have them available yet. Guess I'll wait and see. 30 day return.
I told him Sweetwater is already advertising the neck version. So if you see these come up you should be aware they're most likely pre order. I wish they'd say that ahead of time (I think that was actually a recent thread). Save me wasting time.
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bender66
Poster Extraordinaire
Got my bridge pickup. As has been stated, it measures at 10.2ish, give or take.
Anyone that get a pair notice any lead length difference between the 2? I think the bridge has plenty of length for a Custom scheme easily.
Anyone that get a pair notice any lead length difference between the 2? I think the bridge has plenty of length for a Custom scheme easily.
MyLesPaulHatesMe
TDPRI Member
I was able to grab a neck pickup from Sweetwater, and a bridge pickup from a Fender authorized shop on Reverb. If you see that Sweetwater has it, jump on it, as their stock is updating as they come in, and sell out.
I installed them and followed the Telenator guide to installing cunife pickups. I did not adjust pole pieces just yet as the guitar is getting a setup right now. I may make an adjustment once it comes back. Also, I am using 500K pots.
How do the pickups sound? They sound great, a huge improvement over the reissue pickups in my deluxe reissue. Probably the extent of my tinkering with this guitar.
I installed them and followed the Telenator guide to installing cunife pickups. I did not adjust pole pieces just yet as the guitar is getting a setup right now. I may make an adjustment once it comes back. Also, I am using 500K pots.
How do the pickups sound? They sound great, a huge improvement over the reissue pickups in my deluxe reissue. Probably the extent of my tinkering with this guitar.
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Fearnot
Poster Extraordinaire
I got a neck WRHB from Sweetwater two weeks ago and a bridge from Amazon is arriving this week. If things work out, my Squier Starcaster will more or less double in value this weekend. Yikes!
Telecaster88
Tele-Afflicted
I have the neck in my vintera custom and I love it! I have owned a few guitars with the MIM wide range lookalikes and this blows them out of the water.
Is the bridge pickup stock? How does the WRHB match up? And how does it sound in the middle position?
Thanks! Looking for a CuNiFe Custom option that doesn't involve spending $2K.
stock bridge pickup, no need to change it
not sure what match up means
sounds like a WRHB and a telecaster bridge pickup in the middle position? i don't know how to accurately describe it
Telecaster88
Tele-Afflicted
Just meant, does the WRHB overpower the single coil when switching back and forth, or are they fairly well balanced volume-wise?
nothing that a little height adjustment cant handle!
I just started a conversation with Racer5, I soldered the leads to the same ground and hot lug on the neck volume pot as the stock neck and it appears to be following the schematic included with the CuNiFe pup (that schematic is for the Deluxe-USA build no doub). But mine is definitely out of phase. Sounds just great out of the middle position, and Peter Green-y in the middle. I made some use out of it at the Blues Fest a bit ago, but I would prefer to have it in phase.
Today, I rewired the Vintera Custom bridge pickup and found joy-voila. I clipped the base plate ground at the ground (Black) wire. I cut a piece of 18 gauge wire and fed it through to the control cavity. Soldered this onto the base place of the pickup and to the same ground used on the bridge volume pot. I reversed the ground and hot and soldered them in place. I added a couple Orange Drop caps, .047 for the bridge and .022 for the neck CuNiFe. Put it back together, new strings and all is well. Someone on here mentioned the middle position being spendid, and it is. I ran the guitar through a couple different amps. I just picked up this guitar recently, did not warm to the darkness of the WRHB neck, so in went the new Fender CuNiFe. I played this guitar for different cuts both lead and rhythm at the Bluesfest this past weekend. I had a 72 USA Thinline AVRI with Mojotone WRHBs, a stock USA (2000) Fat Tele, and a strat with a Fralin Blues Special pickguard on stage. I was armed for blues battle ;-)
I found the bridge to be overpowering the neck and spent some time today adjusting the height of both pickups. I had previously used Telenators suggestions on setting the new CuNiFe pickup and also on my 72 Thinline AVRI where I installed Mojotone 72 Clones maybe 6 years ago. On the Vintera, I ended up raising the neck a tad and lowering the bridge a tad and now the guitar is balanced and in a word ballsy. I was fortunate enough in 1972 to be able to afford a new Thinline that I still have. It is still in great shape, but nearly 50 years old. I was pondering whether to upgrade to the new CuNiFes, but probably will just leave it alone…it has lost some of its punch for sure, so it is a display piece now and brings back memories of some really good times and a particular lovely woman, now long gone, but I have the guitar!
Interesting that you say the old guitar "lost some punch for sure"... recently, I felt the same way about my #1 tele, and I thought the pickups had lost some strength over the 30 years I have owned it, but when I measured the pickups DC resistance, it was exactly as it should be. I have read Telenator mention some of the WRHB's from the 70's that he has worked did indeed have weakened magnets... I wonder if CuNiFe does not hold a charge as well as the now-ubiquitous alnico?
Below is a response I received from David @ Mojotone back in 2016. I had asked the question about magnet composition a while after installing the 72 Clones in my Thinline AVRI. Huge difference over the re-issues that I was lead to believe were re-voiced by Fender in my guitar. I have read where the CuNiFe can lose and about 20 years is a point to have them checked. I suspect that Mojotone selected the FeCrCo composition which is machinable for cutting the threads. Since this topic is currently interesting me, I just visited a magnet company site a couple days ago. This was an industrial magnet site and in the description of the FeCrCo it stated it was a substitution for CuNiFe, and of course, listed as machinable and charge persistency. Interesting... Using my ears (;-)), yesterday I also A-Bd the Mojotone neck against the Vintera neck Fender CuNiFe and at this point thought the Mojotone was clear with excellent string definition. This cancels my idea of converting that guitar to Fender CuNiFe. No discernable difference I would pay $400 to change. One of the variables is that I don't know is what the pot value is in the Vintera neck. I suspect 250K? The AVRI Mojotone setup has 500K pots and may allow the Mojotone to breathe a little. Your comment on alnico is probably spot on. Many have written on these sites that the mystical CuNiFe is not the sole reason for the tone of these pickups....but, design and construction weighs in heavily. Anyway, I look at this and caffeine has pushed me into writing too much.
"Thanks for contacting me and I hope you had a great weekend. We use a threaded FeCrCo magnet similar to Alnico 5. We also charge them to a specific Gauss level close to a fully charged CuNiFe magnet which smooths the highs and adds more clarity to the sound. The nice thing is our magnets do not drift over time like original CuNiFe material. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions."
I am satisfied with the new Fender CuNiFe pickup in the Vintera, so not bashing it.
"Thanks for contacting me and I hope you had a great weekend. We use a threaded FeCrCo magnet similar to Alnico 5. We also charge them to a specific Gauss level close to a fully charged CuNiFe magnet which smooths the highs and adds more clarity to the sound. The nice thing is our magnets do not drift over time like original CuNiFe material. I hope this helps. Please let me know if you have any more questions."
I am satisfied with the new Fender CuNiFe pickup in the Vintera, so not bashing it.
I believe a member here who works in Fender's custom shop said that Fender specs the new CuNiFe pickups with 500K pots.
Thanks Ruger 9-This Vintera Custom is the first MIM Fender I have ever owned. It came equipped with a reissue WRHB that for me did not have the voicing I expected and like my AVRI Thinline the reissue(s) needed to go. I am unsure what they may put in with the MIM reissues pickups and can't tell from looking at the bottom of the pot. But, to your point Fender is spec'ing 500K for their CuNiFe builds. I will get a solid shaft 500k and set my intention to open it up again. It certainly can't hurt. Whatever pot is in their, I was playing it through a 57 Custom Champ tonight for a while and it sure sounds full and with bell and chime. This is something my wife would say and I may get flamed for...to my ear it was luxurious. OK, go ahead with the flames.
