pup phase question

[LesPlayer]

Just recieved my c5 and proII today,I was looking over the wiring dia and read somthing about , (If your pups are out of phase) What exactly is out of phase and how will I know if they are ,,,hope this isnt too dumb of a question .........Thank's for any info

[ArtieToo]

Re: pup phase question

Out of phase refers to having the output wires reversed on one pickup. Or you could say, the + and - of one, going to the - and + of the other. You'll get some degree of signal cancellation causing a thin, weak sound.

You can do an easy experiment to demonstrate this if you have the type of home speakers that connect with speaker wire. Just reverse the wires on one speaker only, and listen to a song. You should find that most of your bass has disappeared. As you turn the balance control to left or right, the bass appears to return.

Thats phase reversal. As one speaker cone is "blowing" out, the other is "sucking" in. The air-wave simply moves between the speakers instead of being projected into the room.

Same sort of thing for a pickup.

[LesPlayer]

Re: pup phase question

Thanks,
good explanation,is this a common occurance,would that mean it was assembled wrong.

[ArtieToo]

Re: pup phase question

If you mean, is it a common occurrence within a wired guitar, I wouldn't think so, but its possible. Some guitars, like a Peavey T-60 for instance, come with a phase-reversal switch built-in. So, in some cases, its a desired effect. Its possible that someone who had the guitar before you wanted that "sound" on purpose.