Any downside to swapping single coil leads to get the right phase?

[zalobi]

I don't remember where but I recall reading that reversing leads in some single coils may cause more noise, perhaps due to coil geometry/distance from the magnets?

As usual, it could just be bunk on the internet, but I figured I'd ask here. I'm currently trying to find some single coils to match my TB-16 for an HSS setup and it seems that I have to swap leads (and reverse the neck/mid pickups) on the Ant Surfers to make it work.

Any input is appreciated

 

[beaubrummels]

The single coils where you can't just flip the wires are ones with a grounded baseplate, like Telecaster pickups. On those, you also have to reconnect the backplate to ground.

Others you should be good. For example, I have a Duncan Custom Custom in my Jackson with DiMarzio middle and neck and I opted to just reverse hot and ground on the DMZs so everything would be in phase.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^What he said.

On any pickup with a baseplate ground, be it like a Telecaster "lipstick" neck pickup or a humbucker, or anything else, if it has a baseplate, that baseplate connection should always go directly to ground on the back of a pot, never through a switch or through the pot terminals.

Some single coil pickups with baseplates or lipstick covers will have just two wires to connect at the pot / switch end, but if they've got a baseplate or a lipstick cover, there will be a little jumper wire on the pickup between the baseplate or lipstick cover and the pickup coil's ground wire. If you're going to reverse the phase, or do something like series/ parallel switching, you need to disconnect that jumper and add a third baseplate / lipstick cover ground wire, which should go directly to ground on the back of a pot, never through a switch or pot.

Humbuckers usually come with leads that have two insulated cores and one bare wire, or four plus a bare wire. In either case the bare wire always goes directly to ground.

Seth Lovers and P90s OTOH, come with a one plus braided outer ground wire. They're a PITA, but again you need to separate the coil ground from the baseplate ground if you're doing a phase flip or a series / parallel.

 

[Spaghetti Bolo]

I think it's about having the magnets sit closer to ground by having the start of the coil and inner windings at ground. I'd just reverse the leads personally.

 

[Teleplayer]

I read about the start of the coil being wound closer to the pole pieces. Since the guitar and player is grounded anyway, I find it hard to believe that makes a difference to noise pickup.

 

[uOpt]

I don't remember where but I recall reading that reversing leads in some single coils may cause more noise, perhaps due to coil geometry/distance from the magnets?

As usual, it could just be bunk on the internet, but I figured I'd ask here. I'm currently trying to find some single coils to match my TB-16 for an HSS setup and it seems that I have to swap leads (and reverse the neck/mid pickups) on the Ant Surfers to make it work.

Any input is appreciated

No problem as long as no ground or shield is connected to the leads. Surfers will be fine.

 

[zalobi]

I think it's about having the magnets sit closer to ground by having the start of the coil and inner windings at ground. I'd just reverse the leads personally.

I read about the start of the coil being wound closer to the pole pieces. Since the guitar and player is grounded anyway, I find it hard to believe that makes a difference to noise pickup.

Yes, I think this is what I read about. It's about the ground end of the coil being closest to the magnets one way and furthest when reversed, so I was wondering if there is any truly noticeable effect on noise either way. I do know that Lollars list their pickup polarity/phase specs as "South Up, CW hot to ground", which is opposite to SD's "ground to hot". I'm wondering if Lollar simply attaches the hot and ground leads the opposite way as SD's.

 

[zalobi]

So I rang up SD to ask about the lead swapping just out of curiosity and I got a very informative answer that some of you might appreciate.

Apparently depending on pickup construction, floating magnets may be in contact with the coil wires as in the case when no thick bobbin is used. In that case, having the HOT end closer with the magnets means any noise introduced onto the magnetic parts when you touch it will be louder than when the GROUND end is closer with the magnets. No difference in noise when the magnets are not touched.