effect of switching the pups around?

[hellatone]

i sometimes feel that my neck pup is too muddy and my bridge is too shrill - what would be the probably effect of turning them around -- i.e., so the neck pup points south instead of north and the bridge points north instead of south? might this liven the neck and tone down the bridge?

 

[Artie]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

It might make things worse. Usually, the stud coils are mounted to the inside, and they tend to be the hotter coils. Flipping the pups would put the stud coils of the bridge in an even brighter position. Not sure what the affect on the neck would be.

 

[hellatone]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

oh - i thought it was the other way around, with the hot coils at opposite ends - i see what you mean

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

I turn all of my neck buckers around. They are brighter more articulate when turned around.

Snowdog

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

It might make things worse. Usually, the stud coils are mounted to the inside, and they tend to be the hotter coils. Flipping the pups would put the stud coils of the bridge in an even brighter position. Not sure what the affect on the neck would be.

How is it that the stud coils are hotter -- unless you're saying the fact that the studs don't protrude below the baseplate concentrates the magnetic field in the strings on the slug side a bit more? (Which would make some sense, come to think of it.)

Anyway, my opinion is that unless the polepieces are dead-even heightwise with the slugs, there will be a difference in tone because the polepieces will are either higher or lower. Because 99.99999% of players have the polepieces significantly above the surface of the bobbin, the slug coil tends to be the dominant coil.

Spinning the pickup around 180 degrees would reduce the brightness of a bridge pickup (more treble toward end of string) and take away some of the fat sweetness of a neck pickup (more bass and low mid toward middle - 12th fret - of string).

Thus the pickups are set the way they are for good reason. Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it...

 

[Breogan]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

i sometimes feel that my neck pup is too muddy and my bridge is too shrill - what would be the probably effect of turning them around -- i.e., so the neck pup points south instead of north and the bridge points north instead of south? might this liven the neck and tone down the bridge?

Have you tried to play with the height of the pickup and polepieces? In case not here are some tips:

Neck pickup:

If the pickup it's too close to the strings tends to have a woofy tone, very wide and bassy. Reducing height helps to remove some bass response from the pickup.

Neck and Bridge:

If the screws are about the same heigh than the slugs the pickup has a warmer tone than if they are higher. It could be good to try rising the neck's pickup screws to have a less warmer tone and lowering bridge's pickup screws to have a warmer one.

 

[Artie]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

How is it that the stud coils are hotter -- unless you're saying the fact that the studs don't protrude below the baseplate concentrates the magnetic field in the strings on the slug side a bit more? (Which would make some sense, come to think of it.)

Exactly. I get that info straight from the Duncan Q & A. There's too many of them now to search them all, but check out #101, #179 (about 2/3's of the way down), and #416. There are others. Its the reason all Duncan schematics show splitting a humbucker to the stud coil.

Artie

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

I still prefer the screw coil on the split, particularly on a neck pu because it's under a fatter, sweeter harmonic node.

But I prefer the Spin-A-Split far beyond either.

 

[Artie]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

I still prefer the screw coil on the split, particularly on a neck pu because it's under a fatter, sweeter harmonic node.

Absolutely - me too. And I prefer the stud on the bridge when split. Seems to get a little better "bite" of the string vibration, plus, the coils will be humbucking when combined. Its the way they show Benedetto pups split. (Made by SD.)

Check out the bottom, left diagram:

http://www.benedettopickups.com/schematics/a6-paf_wiring.htm

 

[korovamilkdud]

Re: effect of switching the pups around?

I actually have both of my humbuckers turned around. The screw poles on the inside, studs outside.

I didn't notice a big difference for the bridge pickup, but I needed my hotter (custom custom) coil inside for splitting. It sounded weak closer to the bridge, and the PG coil would definately have been too weak.

It won't help change the series tone of the bridge pup though.

And the difference isn't very noticible in the neck either, you'd probably just be better off with new puppies.