ASYMMETRIC WINDS

Not for the first time, I find myself hearing or reading comments about ‘asymmetric’ windings on PAF-style humbuckers and how it may or may not affect the tone. I currently have Gibson Classic ’57 humbuckers in my ES-335 that sound great to my ears, but now I am curious as to what asymmetrically wound pickups might sound like. What is your view on it, oh Q&A learneds – is it worth having them replaced? Chris Goode, via email

Yep, many humbucking pickups have deliberately asymmetrically wound coils – most Gibson Burstbuckers, for example – whereas your ’57 Classics were symmetrically wound the last time we checked. There are other crucial factors that affect the tone, too: magnet material, wire material and gauge, type of winding, level of potting, covered or uncovered… but the general thought is that for the same set of other specs, asymmetrically wound coils can sound a little clearer and brighter, clean up more when you roll the volume back, plus can have a slightly more ‘hollow’ character to the midrange. The downside is that because they’re not perfectly symmetrical, they’re also not fully hum cancelling, so expect a little bit more noise, albeit nowhere near as much as with a single coil.