Fender Atomic Humbucker

Passive humbucker, I forget ohmage, and I'm not taking it apart now.

This pickup was installed in the neck of a tele, removed the original tele bar neck. It has a dual rail pickup in the bridge. I changed over because I wanted more presence in the neck, and don't like the muddiness of many tele neck pickups. This pickup was installed just experimenting, in one of my test bed teles, since I got a pair bridge and neck at a great price. I can say for me, I'm stopping my experimentation, at least on this guitar, I'm keeping this pickup right where it is.

The output is more than stock but by no means atomic. I would agree it is in the middle, it has more volume than my vintage rail in the bridge and stock single coils but that's it. Balanced tonal response, with a little more emphasis on the high end than rather than the low. If you like chunky, fat, bottoms, this pickup is not for you. But, for dedicated Fender players who want to experiment with a humbucker to add more depth, this is a great pickup in the neck. Still has a distinct Fender sound, with a lot of clarity. Also I rate it higher than some other fender neck pickups in that the sound is very articulate, and even in chording notes remain distinct and musical without getting muddy. I am using 500 k pots and a 22 pf cap so I like it bright. if you want a warmer tone, go with 250's and a 47 cap. Contrary to what one might think because of the name, I would choose dedicated distortion pickups if you are a heavy metal player. Anything else I like the sound. Rock, Rock and Roll, Blues, Country, pop, all acceptable. Not the Standard tele sound, but I've got vintage '52's for that. Most humbuckers are too dark for my tastes. This is not and should expand the horizon of dedicated Fender single coil lovers who want a humbucker to play around with. I rate it a solid, 8, well above average.

Been playing thirty years, almost exclusively single coil pickups. Have owned Fender Strats, Teles, Univox, Epiphone guitars. Fender, Univox, Roland Amps. Bought this on a whim because I got a great price, and am more than satisfied. I would replace it with another, especially if I were a Fender purist. I have played SD JB's and Screamin Demon and sh55 seth lover as far as humbuckers go, and I like their tonal characteristics for my ear and playing style. This pickup would fall right in line. Not quite as much sustain or outrageous harmonics like some hot humbuckers, but a great versatile pickup. Real solid, and I think you would have to pay considerable more than what I paid to get a pickup with the same tonal characteristics that sounded better. I am characteristically a bridge pickup guy. Now that I installed this pickup, I find myself going a lot more to the neck.

Pickup features: passive humbucker, consisting of 2 single coils in series with 4 leads
Impedence or other specs: around 15K ohms, or whatever they are

Model of guitar or bass: Both 1998 Fender Cyclone and Toronado, got 'em brand spankin' new
Position: all positions
Pickup being replaced: ... one of these Atomics is going to be replaced, in the Cyclone; but the other 2 can stay ... the stock pickups in the Toronado
Other pickups on guitar: Cyclone had a crappy Tex-Mex tm. at the neck, that's been pulled & replaced with a stack, no endorsement. See Harmony Central for stacks! The Toronado has 2 nickel chrome covered Atomic Humbuckers, neck & bridge.
Artists using this pickup: none that I know of
You musical style(s): Blues, Hard Rock
Reason for pickup change: I haven't changed to or from these pickups yet. Just bought the 2 axes with them on. I don't want to be sued, but one of my nicknames is "Atomic Humbucker", so I should indeed have them, and review them, while being IMPARTIAL. I looked at the reviews below, from 1 to 10. There's gotta be at least one "F" dealer, or "F" supported player in there. I'll be straight with you ... I have no "special interest".

Perceived output level: Dead - on medium. My sound lab tells me so. These aren't hot or not. Just an average, if not adequate pickup.
Tone: In the Cyclone ... useless. Thin, weak & tinny. So far I've turned the pickup around to help it gain a little more fidelity, particularly bass. Frankly, in that instrument, it's gonna have to be replaced with something outta Texas or even, New York. In the Toronado, where the pickups are covered like Les Paul's, they're okay. I have no complaints about any lack of sound or frequencies, they're nicely balanced . I have found & agree with another reviewer that the player might have to turn the volume up, because they're not screamers, and they're certainly not splitting any atoms. But if you have a good amp or sound rig, go for it!
Sonic evaluation: Cyclone really isn't useable, unless I switch to neck or centre positions, where the killer stack carries the beast. They're pretty well suited to the Toronado, which has more mass in the body, and a full control cluster: 2 vols, 2 tones. I use Fender all-tube, & Peavey transtube amps, too many to mention. You NEED a darned good amp with these, and you'll be okay. I also use Marshall original Blues Breaker effects, Cry Baby, Fuzz Face, and vintage Ibanez stomp boxes, such as Tube Screamer, & compressor.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For blues, these pickups are a bit generic sounding. Sorry, not quite enough character or potential for expression. For Rock, turn on the effects, turn it up, and let 'er rip! It's doable.

Comments: I wouldn't take the trouble of buying these pickups, even though some people call ME the "Atomic Humbucker". Maybe I just know how to use them. No secret, I said "turn it up"! And don't expect anything from a little amp.
My other guitars are Strats & Teles with custom handwounds or Texan & New Yorker aftermarket pickups, and Ibanez, Les Paul, SG & PRS which are more like the atomic-sounding weapons I like to play, and suit my aggressive style. The better-humbuckered guitars can also play more variety, can be backed off and still retain their versatility.
I've been playing since the 70's, and compare with all popular manufacturer's and aftermarket brands.
I am neither satisfied or dissatisfied, except with the Atomic Humbucker on the Cyclone, where it's not just me???!!! ... I think it's the pickup that doesn't perform. Man, I checked the manuf's catalogue & the specs again to be sure, so I disclaim any bias or error here with the Cyclone.
I wish the pickups themselves had a little more power, but wouldn't want muddy or distortion. They sound more like a 7.5K pickup than a 15.
I'd rather have a dual-sound, dual-purpose or barbecue-type humbucker that sounds clean, warm & still full enough without having to punch through walls to get some tone happening.
If I was going to give an overall rating, which I can't, since I'm in the unique position of having 2 different guitars with these, and 2 different points of view ... I would be saying no rating at all, just junk on the Cyclone, while they pass, as 5 out of 10 is "half" or passing. I've concluded that the Atomic Humbucker is only half there for me, and I wish the other half ... mostly the good stuff wasn't missing. You decide. One player gives the lowest rating, another gives the highest. I'm stuck in the middle.

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs: 16.5 K Ohm

Model of guitar or bass: USA American Special Highway 1 Strat H-S-S
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Atomic ( Black )
Other pickups on guitar: Alinco Single Coil (2)
Artists using this pickup:
You musical style(s): No Country, No Rap . . . everything else is fair game.
Reason for pickup change: Geeze guys, have we all not lost our minds and went searching for something better? I honestly though I could find the tone this pickup has in something with a little more gain. Forget it! After trying Duncan's and DiMarzio's and wasting a ton of cake, I bought another Fender Atomic. The Atomic is a bit weaker than the EMG 81 and 85's in all my other guitars, but guess what, I'll just turn up from now on when I play the Strat. This pickup has restored my faith in passive pickups.

Perceived output level: Well as I have found out the hard way, there are plenty of louder pickups out there. This one has TONE. Everything I ever loved about " The Strat" tone is here by the truckload.
Tone: Just muddy enough to be snot nosed, but still distict and clear. Outstanding mid crunch with puchy bottom. Not the deepest or tightest bass, but I have active pickups in other guitars for that. The harmonics are just insane. I love this friggin pickup!
Sonic evaluation: My rig is a stage rig for large venues. Sansamp PSA-1 Preamp with original Rocktron blackface Intellifex, Rocktron Intellifex On-line, Rocktron IIBX noise reduction, Crown Power Base II (320 W\side Stereo 8 Ohms) feeding 4 Marshall 1960B (Flat) 4X12 300W\16 Ohm cabinets.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: For the variation of music that I write, this pickup's tone finds it's way into most everything I play\record. Clean and distorted, it simply shines. All my guitars have single bridge pickups only. If ya like sounding good, it's a great choice.

Comments: Man, I feel like I've stumbled onto the best-kept secret in the guitar world. Find me a pickup made by any manufacturer let alone one as big as Fender, producing pickups that are numbered by hand! There?s something very special going on with these pickups. If this were stolen I'd hunt the mother F'er down and get it back, no doubt in my mind. I've been playing professionally over 20 years and record on a regular basis. I only purchased the Strat to fill some very specific tonal needs I had with my writing. Basically, I need ? The Strat? tone. The Strat I purchased with this pickup delivered everything I needed and more ( I have reviewed the Highway1 here at Harmony Central ) and this pickup is a big part of that accomplishment. By the way, I purchased this pickup in white to replace the black one that came stock with the two white Alnico singles. I am leaving the stock pickguard original and complete. I have purchased a custom single humbucking single volume knob pickguard for the Strat. I want white on white. Turns out they are only installed the white Atomic as OEM on the Tornado.
Distorted this pickup growls and screams, pumps like Captain Crunch on steroids and delivers harmonics that ring like the bells of St. Mary! Solo?s cut through the mix like a hot knife through butter. Clean, it's warm and full with plenty of that trademark Strat twang but with much more balance and volume than any single could hope for. My only wish is that it had a bit more gain but what the hell, that?s what that volume knob on the amps are for right?

Pickup features: humbucking passive
Impedence or other specs: I don't know im a guitar player not a sparky!

Model of guitar or bass: Fender cyclone
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: dimazio super distortion
Other pickups on guitar: tex-mex single coil
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): blues-hard rock
Reason for pickup change: I replaced this pick up with a dimazio super dist, big mistake that pickup sucks.

Perceived output level: nice and balanced with the neck position tex mex
Tone: clean its very trebley but roll off the tone a little and its very usable when driven its everything you want in a humbker
Sonic evaluation: cyclone-marshall guvnor2/pro co rat2-fender london185 head-ashdown4x12 cab. with this combination i've got everything covered from blues to foo's! its great driven letting each string shine through but bassy enough to really rock. I play a half step down from concert pitch with 10 gauge strings and the pickup still sounds sweet.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: I play everything and this cuts the mustard for everything except numetal (but who plays numetal?)

Comments: well i replaced this originally with the super distortion and changed back as this is overall more balanced but still a wee bit on the treble side of the moon.

Pickup features: passive humbucking
Impedence or other specs: exposed-coil

Model of guitar or bass: Cyclone
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: none
Other pickups on guitar: Tex-mex single coil
Artists using this pickup: me
You musical style(s): Blues/Rock/Jazz
Reason for pickup change: It came stock

Perceived output level: Its pretty hot, not the hottest by any means, kind of like a P-90 with some extra bite; sub-ZZ Top
Tone: Its very middy for a humbucker, somewhat muddy, but quite ballsy, it also has a nice vintage appeal
Sonic evaluation: With this guitar, a fender cyclone with a marshall 100-watt plexi w/greenbacks

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It really sounds kind of nasal when its clean, but that's typical of a humbucker

Comments: For the price I would say it was a very good deal, it is a very versitale pickup, but I switch to the single coil when I'm playing clean. Its doesn't stand out as the best pickup on the guitar, I prefer the Tex-Mex much more, but for a manufacturer known for their single-coil guitars it is surprisingly high-quality, except for some discoloration from the strings.

Pickup features: Humbucking, passive
Impedence or other specs: not sure here

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Cyclone
Position: middle
Pickup being replaced: N/A
Other pickups on guitar: Tex-Mex single coil
Artists using this pickup: -
You musical style(s): Varied....hendrix/SRV to Nirvana/Soundgarden
Reason for pickup change: It came stock on my cyclone

Perceived output level: Quite hot pickup.....but then it is a humbucker
Tone: Great mid range grind.....all round balanced tone.
Sonic evaluation: Fender Cyclone---->BOSS OS-2---->Park G10

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Good for many styles...really nice versatille pickup

Comments: Well im completely contradicting my other review below. This is for 2 reasons....fistly ive grown to love this pickup and secondly my first atomic humbucker was faulty...it buzzed badly so i got another replacement from fender.
Its got a super sound, im satisfyed.....id like to buy this separately and stick it in another guitar see how cool it sounds.
I guess it was destroyed and i got it again..though it was free under warranty...but i couldve saved hassle and got a seymour duncan in it...but i wanted another one.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucking
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Cyclone
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: Stock
Other pickups on guitar: Tex-Mex Single coil
Artists using this pickup: None
You musical style(s): Grunge/alternative/rock stuff like butthole surfers to nirvana or hole.
Reason for pickup change: Stock

Perceived output level: Ummm output is pretty regular and pretty poor not very hot lets say.
Tone: Muddy and i found it trebly but that may be my set up. The tex-mex on my cyclone is more bassy.
Sonic evaluation: I use the cylcone thru a BOSS OS-2 [dist/od] and into a Park G10 [nice amp for the price].

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Styles as above and its not a very good match. It is just too muddy the chords become indistinct it sounds ok on leads though.

Comments: If it were stolen i wouldnt care but i would if it envolved my cylone going cause i love the guitar i only have two problems. This allegedly atomic humbucker and a buzzing sound i dont think it is wired quite right...not earthed or something.
Basically the "atomic" humbucker is a bit crap the unamed stock pickups on my old Epi LP were better sounding. Im probably gonna get a DiMarzio Super Distortion soon so that should hot things up.
Oh and it doesnt sound like nirvana In Utero for that u need a Super Distortion, a BOSS DS-2 and steve albini.

Pickup features: Passive Humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Cyclone
Position: neck
Pickup being replaced: None, Comes Stock on the Cyclone
Other pickups on guitar: stock Tex-Mex single-coil
Artists using this pickup: None, thank God
You musical style(s): Rock, Blues, Metal, just about everything with some distortion
Reason for pickup change: It`s stock on the guitar, but I will replace this pickup!!!

Perceived output level: None at all. I seriously can`t tell the difference between this POS and the stock Tex-Mex single-coil in the neck!!!
Tone: Very bassy. The other review said it had "low-end grind". Where did he get the grind from??? Maybe it`s because he compared this thing to a Seymore Duncan Pearly Gates, which doesn`t have any either. He`s just young, I guess =)
Sonic evaluation: Fender Cyclone into a Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah, into my Crate (60watt??) amp w/ a stomp-box to activate the built-in Overdrive that I`m very happy with.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: Anything with distortion, and this is not a good match. This pickup is unsuitable for every position.

Comments: If this was stolen, I`d pay the guy 20 bucks to keep it, because he`ll probably want to give it back anyway. I`ve been playing for about 4 years now and I can only say, DON`T GET THIS PICKUP!!! Only get it if you want the output of a typical single-coil, no treble, shitload of sustain (a good thing), and no quack. It`s almost like a red lace sensor with the output of a gold sensor (none at all).

Pickup features: Passive humbucker
Impedence or other specs:

Model of guitar or bass: Fender Cyclone
Position: bridge
Pickup being replaced: None, it came stock on the guitar
Other pickups on guitar: Fender Tex-Mex in the Neck Position
Artists using this pickup: ?
You musical style(s): Rock, Folk, Grunge, Oldies, Alternative, Punk.
Reason for pickup change: It came stock

Perceived output level: It Put out way more power and grind than the Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates
Tone: It is very ballanced, but is also really muddy.
Sonic evaluation: I'm putting my Fender Cyclone through a fender deluxe 112.

For which styles and positions is this pickup (un)suitable: It's perfect for any style of Rock. Unsuitable for Neck position

Comments: If this pickup were stolen, I'd put the same one into the next guitar I get.(in the bridge position) I also have a Martin DM. I compared this pickup to the seymour duncan pearly gates, and this one has way more low-end grind. This is the perfect bridge pickup. If the sound you're looking for is the Nirvna In Utero sound, this is the perfect pickup, no questions asked. It's Exactly that sound. It's way heavier than any pickup I've tried.