ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

[ratherdashing]

If there's one thing in life I suck at, other than basketball, it's getting two pickups to be in phase with each other. Here's the situation in my Number One Strat:

N: Fender Texas Special Neck
M: Fender Texas Special Middle
B: DiMarzio FRED

Neck and middle together is wonderfully quacky, but bridge and middle has the thin, nasal sound typical of out of phase pickups. This happens whether the FRED is split or not.

In a half-assed attempt to solve this problem, I swapped the neck and middle pickups. Again, out of phase tone. :yell:

So here's what I have left to try:

1. Swap the neck and middle pickups, AND reverse their wiring
2. Flip the magnet and reverse the wires of the FRED (I really don't want to do this)
3. Put the guitar under my pillow and hope that the Tone Fairies fix everything while I sleep

What do you think my next step should be?

Thanks!

 

[larry_emder]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

Flip the fred

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

As I said, I really don't want to have to do that. I'd rather make the single coils accomodate the FRED than vise versa. I don't really care which one is in what spot - I actually like the fatter tone of the mid in the bridge. Besides, I will be replacing them in the near future.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

bee you emm pee

 

[MikeS]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

You shouldn't have to flip the magnet in the Fred... it has to be magnetically in phase with one of the two single coils (assuming one is in fact RWRP). The polarity of Fender pickups has been all over the place over the years, so it's hard to say which matches the Fred and which is opposite.

Since you've tried each SC in the neck and middle with standard DMZ wiring, I'm afraid it's time to switch the wires on the FRED. Try both wiring schemes. If both are out of phase, swap the neck and middle SCs. If that's out of phase, switch the wires around again. One of the four HAS to in phase.

It'll be easier to figure this out of you do NOT split the FRED from the start. Once you get the phase issues figured out then you can split the FRED. It's one less variable to concern yourself with now.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

Just reverse the hot and ground leads on the single coils.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

Just reverse the hot and ground leads on the single coils.

That should do the trick.

When mixing Antiquity Surfers with Antiquity Texas Hots I have to do the same thing. I'll often use the Texas Hot for the bridge pickup and if I'm mixing it with Surfers I have to make the white ground and the black hot on the Texas Hot in order for it to be in phase with the Surfers.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: ARGH - Phasing issues, of course

Just reverse the hot and ground leads on the single coils.

That did the trick. Pos 4 sounds very "Sultans of Swing" now.

Thanks all!