Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

john T.

New member
Does anyone can confirm the Standard magnetic pu polarity at Seymour Duncan for:

single coil neck (North or South)???

single coil rw/rp middle (North or South)???

humbucker bridge (SN or NS)???

These are 3 easy questions to immediate answers,please!:feedback:
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Come on guys,

It is possible to have an answer?

What are the SD's standards, concerning the magnetic polarity of single coil (N or S) and middle rw/rp coil (N or S)?

I can not find this information in nowhere for now. I'ved read a lots, lots of treats ( all in contradiction) and SD website.

However I can not find, it's a basic question It seems !
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Most single coils are usually South up and the RWRP would be North up.

The exception would be the Antiquity Texas Hots which are North up and the RWRP is South up. The magnets are North up because Seymour wanted to replicate the sounds of single coils from the 50's. Fender started out making pickups with magnets that are North up but then switched to South up in the 60's
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Anybody want to confirm that "Most single coils are usually South up and the RWRP would be North up" ?!
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Hey John, good morning.

Regular neck: South

RW/RP: North

Humbucker is kind of both. Our regular coil splitting diagrams split the humbucker to NORTH, so they can either change it so that it splits to South or put the rw/rp pickup in the neck.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Hey Scott!

A real nice answer,Thanks

So finally I will be ordering my :

-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1)
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat RWRP middle (APS-2 RW/RP)
-Vintage for Strat Flat (SSL-2) neck

HSS Auto-split mod and i'm gonna split the outer south(screw) coil. C'est réglé, Merci!
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

My Seymour Duncan SSL-7 Quarter Pound RW/RP is South polarity which conflicted with the Fender Tele South neck single coil for mid + neck hum canceling.

The mag polarity on my HSS Tele ended up being: NS...S...S (Invader humbucker...SSL-7 RW/RP...Factory Tele)
Yes, the Invader humbucker is "upside down" with the "Seymour Duncan" logo right side up.

Every time there's a magnetic polarity question we find there are exceptions to the SD "standard."

If you follow SD's wiring diagrams for a humbucker with a coil split switch the North (normally inside) coil will be active when split. If the standard for RW/RP pickups is North then it wouldn't pair correctly with a split humbucker (North + North). Since my SSL-7 RW/RP is South polarity it pairs correctly with my bridge Invader humbucker when split (North + South).

john T., test your new pickups to confirm their polarity before you install them. You can do this before opening the pickup's package. If it is incorrect you can send the pickup to SD to reverse the polarity. I had this done for a DiMarzio Area T stacked humbucker to correct the magnetic phase of my HSS Tele.

SD, please publish the polarity of all your pickups.
 
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Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Hey robrob2

I wrote to "Customer Service via e-mail" 3 or 4 times , since 1 month and never, any feedback!

What I'm gonna do it's buying my 3 pu and use my compass to test each polarity's pu

After that, I'm gonna split the appropriats Humbucker's coil (Ouside or Inner)

For now it seems, according to the lasts reply and..
that link I found last night:http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/guitar-wiring-explored-humbucker-internals/ where contained confirms the lastest reply about ""SD polarity's standard ""


By then i can expect that specs:
-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1) SN
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat RWRP middle (APS-2 RW/RP) North
-Vintage for Strat Flat (SSL-2) neck South
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Hey John, good morning.

Regular neck: South

RW/RP: North

Humbucker is kind of both. Our regular coil splitting diagrams split the humbucker to NORTH, so they can either change it so that it splits to South or put the rw/rp pickup in the neck.

Well things are a bit more complicated because the Ant2 for Strat are north up while the Ant1 are south up, unless you get the rwrp of course. The Tele Ants seem to be all over the place.

In humbuckers slug coils are north up and screw coils are south up, unless you get some Peter Green thing.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Well things are a bit more complicated because the Ant2 for Strat are north up while the Ant1 are south up, unless you get the rwrp of course. The Tele Ants seem to be all over the place.

In humbuckers slug coils are north up and screw coils are south up, unless you get some Peter Green thing.

Peter Green's LP didn't have any magnet flips IIRC. One of the pickups was wired out of phase (which gives a pretty cool snappy middle position tone FYI).
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Peter Green's LP didn't have any magnet flips IIRC. One of the pickups was wired out of phase (which gives a pretty cool snappy middle position tone FYI).

Hmmm, dunno about the original but IIRC most PG clone sets have a flipped magnet.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Yea and that's why i prefered a confirmation for 3 pu below before i'm buying them, and if I am refering to @robrob2 polarity's experiences!

-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1)
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat RWRP middle (APS-2 RW/RP)
-Vintage for Strat Flat (SSL-2)

How many polarity's exceptions, like the Antiquities or Blackouts?!

I do not know what to think, i'm a newer! But i learn i am curious, and i'm not sure it's clear subject for everyone.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

A single coil pickup has TWO polarities: magnetic polarity and electrical polarity.

For example, the rod magnets of the Antiquity Texas neck are charged to have a North polarity on the top end and a South polarity on the bottom.

The direction which the wire is wound gives the coil it's electrical polarity. The coils of the Antiquity Texas neck are wound to give a North polarity.

A RWRP pickup has a reversed winding direction (electrical polarity) and a reversed magnetic polarity in association with another pickup.

The RWRP Texas Special middle has a South electrical polarity (winding direction) and the magnets are charged with a South polarity on the top end and are North on the bottom

When matching single coils and humbuckers you need to know the electrical polarity of each coil of the humbucker(s) and also know the electric and magnetic polarity of the single coil(s).

You can reverse the electrical polarity of a single coil simply by swapping the hot and ground leads... the magnetic polarity is fixed because of the rod magnets.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

A single coil pickup has TWO polarities: magnetic polarity and electrical polarity.

You're thinking of phase. There is electrical phase (direction of current travel through the coil--clockwise or counter-clockwise NOT North & South) and magnetic phase which is what we're discussing in this thread.

Most RW/RP pickups are wound in the standard direction but the color of the coil wire leads are reversed so that when you wire it according to the manufacturer's standard wiring diagram you get the correct, reverse electrical phase. It's the direction of current flow that determines electrical phase, not the direction of winding.

The OP understands the electrical and magnetic phase requirements for hum canceling, he just wants confirmation of the pickups' magnetic polarity so he won't go through the mess I went through with mismatched magnetic polarity.
 
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Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

By then i can expect that specs:
-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1) SN
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat RWRP middle (APS-2 RW/RP) North
-Vintage for Strat Flat (SSL-2) neck South

John, with this setup you'll have the bridge humbucker's outside (bridge side) South coil active when split to pair with the North mid pickup. It is preferable to have the inside (neck side) active because it will sense more string movement. You can spin the entire humbucker around (with no effect on mag or electrical polarity) to put the South coil on the inside but if the pickup has a logo it will be upside down. I ended up with this situation with my Invader humbucker but I chose to leave the logo correct and live with the outside active coil.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

Rayne at MHD pickups told me Duncan buckers are screws north, and his are screws south.
 
Re: Duncan MAGNETIC PU POLARITY ???

ok i'm back.

Thanks for all your advices. I had to buy them before trying the "Magnet Polarity Tester"

So, for now i have 2 choices:

1-
-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1)....AutoSplit the outer (screw) coil SN
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat RWRP middle (APS-2 RW/RP) N
-Vintage for Strat Flat neck (SSL-2) S

2-
-Pearly Gates Trembucker Bridge (TB-PG1)....AutoSplit the inner (slug) coil SN
-Alnico II Pro for Strat Flat middle (APS-2) S
-Vintage for Strat Flat RWRP neck (SSL-2 RW/RP) N

To everyone, have you tried/heard the difference, in tone, between (outer/versus/inner)coil's humbucker paired with middle (Parallel setup)??

Big difference? Little..I build this guitar in a straty tone mood (except bucker position5)
 
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