Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

[PFDarkside]

I pulled these Duncan Designed pickups out of a Schecter a long time ago, and I’m going to be putting them back in. I see the typical green, red and white but it kind of looks like another cable that’s got a bare wrap around the insulator, surrounding the main black conductor? Does this seem right?

I’m having a tough time getting the “shield” separated from the insulator, so I can’t strip the black conductor.

 

[Zheddar]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

Yup, that black one is supposed to go to ground and the green to hot. I think that the Duncan Designed are wound in reverse because I match up the colors of a regular Duncan doing the black to hot and green to ground, and did the same with a Duncan Designed and they were out of phase until I switched the Duncan Designed back to the green going to hot. I am pretty sure they do this so that if you replace 1 pickup and then use their standard wiring that you will find on their website, the pickup won't be out of phase with the Duncan Designed one. So once again with those Duncan Designed ones the green goes to hot and the black and bare to ground for them to work with other companies default wiring and phase.

 

[Herby]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

It looks like the pickups were wired backwards with the green wire as (black) hot. There should be a black wire and the case ground wire inside the inner sheath (shrink wrap). There must have been a reason for it, like getting specific coils in specific locations... maybe for (tonal) coil split and/or phase switching reasons.

[edit]
posted at the same time

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

Makes sense guys, thanks!

It’s got a coil split for both HBs.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

The “insulation” I couldn’t remove was electrical tape, insulating the bare from shorting anything out. Since I had snipped them out originally, it looked like an odd blunt cut wire. All resolved. Duncan Designed really are pretty good pickups. I’m questioning whether to sell this guitar now!

 

[Artie]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

Schecters are sweet. DD's are sweet. If you like it, keep it.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Duncan Designed - What am I dealing with

The goal was to return it to stock to sell, but now the frets are polished, the fingerboard is clean and oiled, the paint is smooth after swirl remover, the pickups sound great, it’s setup with slight relief, low action and no buzz, it’s a great guitar! It’s the one with all the abalone, I wish it was a little more “understated”.