Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

[DSM107]

Guys,
I bought this golden age HB to try out. That paperwork says the Screw coil is supposed to be the South orientation. But when I checked it with a magnet to verify it turns out that the south pole of my magnet end is attracted to it. And my north pole end is repelled.

This would mean it's polarity is North like Duncan P/U. Should I just follow what my magnet experiment told me or wire it as they say it is South orientation. It will make a difference because I want to split the coil and use the Screw side to determine where my RWRP SSL-3 will be located?

I though I had it all laid out then I had to go a check it with the magnet!

Thoughts?:smack:

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Use a Stew Mac or other polarity tester -- I know from experience it's real easy to get confused about which side of the magnet you're testing it with is north and south.

The standard set up on every pickup brand I've ever tried is the screw coil is south and the slug north.

 

[Frebnedzo]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Wait a second, I've seen a bunch of postings where people take
two humbuckers, set the tap to leave just the stud coils (or
"inner coils" in a typical LP orientation) and claim that having both
on is hum-cancelling. This would imply that one of the studs is
North and one South.

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

If you have the SD pickup, hold both pickups face to face with the screw bobbins facing each other. If the pickups repel each other, they have the same polarity.

You can split a humbucker to either bobbin. If you connect the split lead to ground, the north coil will be left on. If you connect the split wire to the pickups hot lead, the south coil will be left on.

You can wire a single switch to leave one HBs south coil on and the other HBs north coil on. his is not inner or outer, but one inner and one outer.

The inner or outer phenomina is done by PRS with a rotary switch and a bridge pickup with the opposite polarity from the neck.

 

[mannish]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Don't Stew Mac sell a Golden Age pickup ????

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Don't Stew Mac sell a Golden Age pickup ????

Yes, and I'm pretty sure his is a Stew Mac Golden Age. There can't be two Golden Age brands out there.

 

[Martian]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Aren't those "Golden Age" pickups Korean Kent Armstrongs?

 

[roadstar II]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Aren't those "Golden Age" pickups Korean Kent Armstrongs?

this is what i heard?
wicked lester said that a company called SKY makes the armstrong imports and the golden age and the duncan designed models?
http://www.guitarparts.com/guitarparts/index.html

 

[DSM107]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

Hey guys,
Thanks for the feedback, The G/A has one wire to split the coil that leaves the Screw coil on when split. The Split side has a resistance of like 6.3 ohms versus the 13.00 ohms of each SSL-3. When I go to position 4 Split H/B and middle single it kinda sounds out of phase for some reason, that may have to do with the massive output difference. The rest hum cancelling set ups work great with my RWRP in the neck position. I may pull the coil tap wire and see how position 4 runs with the full H/B and middle just for grins. For now I am putting some playing time on it, I have jam next week.

Like said if you go to stew mac the instructions says the South pole orientation of their pickup is the screw coil. Kinda weird.

The SSL-3's sound great! Still single coil tones but almost p-90 in strength they are great it you don't like the volume drop out going from H/B to single coils. I really like them.

As for the Golden age H/B it sounds really good for the money, but I still love my Seymour duncan Seymourized Humbuckers they have more mid bite and articulation than the Golden age. The G/age seems a bit warmer, both my S/D and G/A are around 12K ohms resistance.

I am very pleased with how the guitar turned out which was an ebay parts special. I took an old custom northern ash hardtail body put a charvel brass hardtail on it with a 1/4 sawn mighty mite neck and cutom cut a reverse slanted single coil pickgard, this is my Jake E. Lee signature guitar. I am very surpised how well it plays and sounds.

Thanks for all you help and input!:banana:

 

[Robert S.]

Re: Determining Polarity in Golden age humbucker?

DSM, lets see if I understand this. Your GA pickup has a hot lead, a split lead and either a ground lead or braided sheilding for ground.

You say the south/screw coil is left on when you split the HB and you are splitting the HB by connecting the split wire to ground? Interesting as SD Dmz and Gibson HBs all split to the north/stud coil. No biggy, some makers do their own thing.

If your split HB and mid single are hum cancelling but out of phase, flipping the magnet in the humbucker will cure that.