Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

[robrob2]

I thought I had a handle on electric and magnetic phase but after thinking about it for a while I realize I do have some questions:

Let's say I have a standard SSS strat with a 5-way switch wired with positions 2 and 4 as bridge + mid and mid + neck. But the pickups' magnetic phase are N...N...N so no hum canceling. We know the pickups are electrically in phase because positions 2 and 4 sound normal, not weak and tinny.

Since positions 2 and 4 are electrically in phase does this mean the mid pickup's current flow is the opposite direction to the bridge and neck pickups?

My understanding is with this guitar if you simply change the mid pickup's magnetic polarity you would then have everything needed for hum canceling in positions 2 and 4, or would changing the magnetic polarity of the mid pickup also change its electrical phase (which would require swapping its wires)?

 

[Natman]

Re: Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

I thought I had a handle on electric and magnetic phase but after thinking about it for a while I realize I do have some questions:

Let's say I have a standard SSS strat with a 5-way switch wired with positions 2 and 4 as bridge + mid and mid + neck. But the pickups' magnetic phase are N...N...N so no hum canceling. We know the pickups are electrically in phase because positions 2 and 4 sound normal, not weak and tinny.

Since positions 2 and 4 are electrically in phase does this mean the mid pickup's current flow is the opposite direction to the bridge and neck pickups?

My understanding is with this guitar if you simply change the mid pickup's magnetic polarity you would then have everything needed for hum canceling in positions 2 and 4, or would changing the magnetic polarity of the mid pickup also change its electrical phase (which would require swapping its wires)?

Yes, that's right and that's why Duncan offers RWRP, where the wind is reversed as well as the magnet polarity. You've understood everything but getting confused with the technicalities of "phase". It's better to think in terms of just series-parallel IMO. I had to study this stuff in university and do all the calculations. It was VERY hard to keep everything straight as changing one +/- sign ruins everything. In the real world (for guitars anyway) you just wire it until it sounds right

 

[uOpt]

Re: Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

My understanding is with this guitar if you simply change the mid pickup's magnetic polarity you would then have everything needed for hum canceling in positions 2 and 4, or would changing the magnetic polarity of the mid pickup also change its electrical phase (which would require swapping its wires)?

To get hum-canceling you need to have the other electric phase. It doesn't matter where you get a RW pickup or just exchange the wires on a regular one.

If you do that you are out-of-phase. To get back in phase wrt your string movement you need the reverse magnetic polarity.

The magnetic polarity have nothing at all to with hum and buzz. The coils pick that up all by themselves, even if they had no magnets at all (that's how blind coils work, e.g. in a stack).


ETA: to put it into other words - the way it works is that you want out-of-phase for hum and buzz and in-phase for strings. You can have that since on the strings "use" the magnets.

 

[robrob2]

Re: Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

uOpt, I just want to make sure I understand you. With the above SSS strat, the mid pickup would need the magnetic polarity swapped which would then require the mid pickup's lead wires to be swapped too?

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

uOpt, I just want to make sure I understand you. With the above SSS strat, the mid pickup would need the magnetic polarity swapped which would then require the mid pickup's lead wires to be swapped too?

That's right, and that's what a RWRP (reverse wind, reverse polarity) single coil is out of the box.

Usually when you buy a SD middle single coil it is RWRP by default.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Electric and Magnetic Phase Question

uOpt, I just want to make sure I understand you. With the above SSS strat, the mid pickup would need the magnetic polarity swapped which would then require the mid pickup's lead wires to be swapped too?

Yes, the only complication is that you can either switch the wires or use RW (reverse wind). But not both of course. Quite a few people have the wrong impression of that.