Offset/uneven Z-coils?

Wed Nov 16, 2022 5:06 pm

Hi @Craig, has G&L ever experimented with different coil construction for the treble and bass sides of the Z-coil?
Things like different gauge wire, number of turns, insulation material, or magnet type between the two? Some of these might mean the end result isn't perfectly hum-cancelling, but it'd be interesting to tailor the bass/mid/treble response for each of the two coils.

I recently rebuilt a Z-coil the "other" way around (treble coil closer to the neck, bass coil closer to the bridge) and like the result, so I'm interested in variations. Specifically, I'm still looking to "tighten" the bass side a bit. Next step in the experiment will probably be to lower the bass side a but more than spec and raise the pole pieces so they're back to spec, and see if that does the trick. If so it'd make the first paragraph redundant - and now I'm starting to think out aloud as I type and ramble a bit :D

Re: Offset/uneven Z-coils?

Sun Nov 20, 2022 11:29 am

patricks wrote:Hi @Craig, has G&L ever experimented with different coil construction for the treble and bass sides of the Z-coil?
Things like different gauge wire, number of turns, insulation material, or magnet type between the two? Some of these might mean the end result isn't perfectly hum-cancelling, but it'd be interesting to tailor the bass/mid/treble response for each of the two coils.

I recently rebuilt a Z-coil the "other" way around (treble coil closer to the neck, bass coil closer to the bridge) and like the result, so I'm interested in variations. Specifically, I'm still looking to "tighten" the bass side a bit. Next step in the experiment will probably be to lower the bass side a but more than spec and raise the pole pieces so they're back to spec, and see if that does the trick. If so it'd make the first paragraph redundant - and now I'm starting to think out aloud as I type and ramble a bit :D


I don't know any of the specific experimentation Leo did with the Z-coils, we had heard from Gabe Dellevigne that "The Z-Coil was something Leo wanted to evolve but never finished developing."
When G&L came out with Will Ray's Signature models they built a new version Z-coil pickup for Will to be used in the middle and bridge positions.
The pickup is over-wound with 1400 extra windings using extended length pole pieces for wider bobbin aperture.
See this post: Under the cover: Z-coil pickup, which I justed added a post to, showing some photos I came across from Gabe Dellevigne showing differences of the Z-coils
which were built at the G&L factory (both Leo era and BBE era).

Also, check out member Rodney Hamblen's various posts on his experimentation with the Z-coil in The Project Page sub-forum.

Hope this helps.