Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

[ArtieToo]

Hey all, I finally got around to installing my STK-S4n, STK-S4m, and STK-S9b into my Strat. (I used this diagram.) But the neck pup seems to have a flaw. It's out-of-phase with the other two. I verified this using a meter and the "screwdriver" test. (Plus, using my ears.) With the meter on DCV's, the voltage will go positive as you approach the pickup, and negative as you yank the screwdriver away. This neck pup does the exact opposite. All of the wires are labeled on the back of the pup and are all in the proper position.

Here's my dilemma, I know that the resistor, (on the back of the pup, red arrow), is an integral part of the noise-canceling system. Can I just reverse the black and white wires on the pup, to bring it back into phase? Will this mess up its noise-canceling properties?

I hope someone in SD tech support sees this. Thanks all.

Artie

P.S. I think all my wiring and soldering are good.



P.S. 2: The reason I don't just flip the black and white wires on the switch, is that the wiring is all neatly bundled and heat-shrunk together. It would be a PITA to change the wiring there.

[LReese]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

P.S. 2: The reason I don't just flip the black and white wires on the switch, is that the wiring is all neatly bundled and heat-shrunk together. It would be a PITA to change the wiring there.

Can we see a pic? I love wiring pron. Turn me on!

I'm a neat freak when it comes to wiring - always looking for ways to do it better.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Heh . . . not sure if it's photo-worthy, but here it is:

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Bump.

[jeremy]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

i would assume you can but not sure

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

I guess I could always try it and see what happens. It's not like it's going to damage the pup.

[Rand-O-Monium]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Good Luck & nice lookin' work!!!

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Silly question, but are you certain you put the "N" in the neck, and don't have it accidentally swapped with the "M"?

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Silly question, but are you certain you put the "N" in the neck, and don't have it accidentally swapped with the "M"?

Nope, that was the first thing I checked. The STK-S9 is definitely in the bridge, and the middle pup has a STK-S4m sticker. But oddly, as you can see from the pics, there are no stickers, at all, on the neck pup. However, it was in a "neck" designated box.

But more importantly, getting those two in the wrong position wouldn't make them out-of-phase. It would make the bridge/middle combo non-hum-canceling. All the pups in a Strat are in-phase signal wise.

Come to think of it, even that wouldn't be a problem. The STK series are naturally hum-canceling as they are. Noise isn't my problem . . . OOP is.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Sorry guys. I want to bump this one more time, (for possible bonafide tech support), before I start messing with the pups soldering.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Artie. Take another look at the product description. This definitely states that the STK-4m is RP/RW.

I get this.

When you "reverse-polarity", you put it out-of-phase. When you "reverse-wind", you reverse again, ie., put it back into phase. The "normal" 3-singles in a Strat are never out-of-phase with each other.

When I select the neck/middle notch position on this Strat, I lose any bass, and the output drops to about 30%. Not so with the bridge/middle position where I just get the classic Strat chime.

Something is definitely not right with the the neck pickup. It's out-of-phase.

Artie

P.S. Just to make sure I'm not going crazy, I'm going to order a new STK-S4n and replace this one. I'll report back. But I was wondering if I can just flip the black and white wires on the pup itself.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Excellent. Similar to the others, by themselves. But in that neck/middle "notch" position, the output drops to very thin and lifeless.

Plus, I put the output into a 'scope. Doing the "screwdriver" test, the output pulse goes the opposite direction than the others, when yanking the screwdriver away.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

I'll check that. Even though this a new 5-way switch. But even then, I don't think a faulty 5-way would reverse phase.

Btw, I just fired up the soldering iron. I'm going to reverse those black/white wires, just so I know. It's not like I'm going to void the warranty.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

…and another thing.

You haven't used the schematic diagram suggested by the link. You have two tone controls. All selector switch connections appear to be made on one pole. Is that two treble roll off controls or a G&L style treble 'n bass circuit?

Lets do the easy one first.

I used that diagram so as not to confuse the issue. I'm experimenting with an unusual tone control configuration. Two tone pots with two caps, wired in parallel as a single unit. I can turn down the .001uf cap, or the .033uf cap. They're wired in parallel so the Strat "sees" one .034uf cap. That won't affect my problem.

If the screwdriver and meter needle deflection test shows that one pickup reads the opposite of the other two, that pickup is the middle position unit. The two with the same deflection are the bridge and neck, respectively.

I still think that DrN was right about the neck and middle pickups being in each other's positions. This still does not explain the volume drop in position 4.

We are still fighting against a major miss-communication. The three pickups in a "normal" Strat, with the middle pickup being RW/RP, are not out-of-phase with each other. RW puts it out of phase. RP brings it back. This is for noise reduction. And lets take this a step farther. On the STK series of pickups, this would only matter if I was doing the "split" function by grounding the red wire. I'm not.

If I don't ground the red wire, on STK pickups, I can use neck/middle, neck/neck, or middle/middle. All are identical. There won't be any phase issue at all. And all will be noiseless.

Please don't misunderstand my tone. We're getting hung up on the RW/RP thang, when I'm talking about an out-of-phase issue.

[ArtieToo]

Re: Help! Need some tech support on an STK-S4.

Ok . . . just reversed the black and white wires on the pickup. All is good. Not sure what went wrong internally here. Strange.