Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

[hagcel]

Hey There,

3 way switch, 1 volume, 1 tone (push pull).

So I changed out my bridge pickup for a 4 conducter and left the 2 conducter in the neck. I have it wired with the red and white going to the middle position on my push pull pot and green and bare going to ground and black to the switch.

It all works and sounds great BUT in the middle position it sounds out of phase? Thin and weak anyway. It's actually a cool sound but I don't think I'd really use it that much. I've tried experimenting with the wiring but I can't get a normal middle position sound.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[jtougas]

Sounds out of phase with the 2nd hub split, or always is out of phase?

 

[hagcel]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

Always out of phase. I can hear the difference in the middle position if I split the bridge.

I should add that it's a " PRS-designed Paul Allender bass humbucking pickup" in the neck and a SD Alnico II Pro in the bridge.

Thanks!

 

[jtougas]

No, are the two pickups still out of phase when the 2nd hb is not split?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

flip the green and black wires on the duncan and you should be fine

 

[hagcel]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

Switching the black and green worked great. Thanks!

Just wondering, what's going on there to make that work?

 

[jtougas]

The difference in how the pickups were built and wired - if you were to swap out the neck pickup for another SD, you'd likely find yourself back in the same problem.

 

[hagcel]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

Hmmm anyone have a more technical explanation?

I'd love to learn more so hopefully I can fix these problems myself.

Thanks!

 

[jtougas]

Okay, you asked for it...

Two coils are humbucking for two reasons: 1) the polarity of the magnet, and 2) the direction of the wind. This is why a Reverse Wound Reverse Polarity pup in the middle of a Strat gives you humbucking in positions 2 & 4.

But there's also a third reason, and that's what you ran into: which end of the coil you pull the signal from. The black lead (that in SD pups is usually your hot output from a humbucker), was out of phase with the other pickup you are using. So, you had to swap your leads to have the signal polarity correct.

If your neck pickup had had two leads plus shield, you probably could have swapped those, instead of the leads on the SD.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

your PRS pickup is a south start pickup

as it starts on the south coil and procedes then to the north coil

your Duncan is north start and wires like this

 

[hagcel]

Re: Coil Splitting only 1 of 2 Humbuckers?

Wow! Awesome guys! Thanks!!!

So then I take it finishes are where you get get single coil taps and south start (on a north start pup)is where you get phase inversion?

Edit to add: maybe a good link on pup theory would be good