Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

[Hank-]

I know different colors are used for indicating the type of magnet in the SD pickups but I assume they also indicate towards polarity.

Do you guys know if the marking is placed towards screw side or slug side?

I need to get rid of my 59n but I've been using A2 mag in it, the sh14 I have has a UOA5 in it. Now I don't really remember the correct orientation of the magnets for either of those & the original mag from one of those is paired in an asian oem which i may have flipped the sides on to get the orientation right. Dont wann take it apart again now

Since I would like it to be in original factory working condition when I sell, I would like to put the mag in it correctly. I don't have a compass around either.

So if any of you mag swap experts know what is the default side the mark on the magnet is pointing towards, could help me out here with this.

 

[EmiAba]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

The magnet in 59n is an AlNiCO 5 and the north pole side of the mag is marked in black. The slug side is the north pole. Hope this help

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

generally on the north, which is the slug side.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

And you can use the polarity any way you choose, there is no 'set' way. A humbucker will sound no different either way. You only need to make sure magnets have the same alignment in the same guitar to prevent OOP when combined.
But even then if there are no switching options being used and the pickup is 4-conductor you can simply swap wires.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

And you can use the polarity any way you choose, there is no 'set' way. A humbucker will sound no different either way. You only need to make sure magnets have the same alignment in the same guitar to prevent OOP when combined.
But even then if there are no switching options being used and the pickup is 4-conductor you can simply swap wires.

I thought out of phase with the coil wires vs out of polarity with the magnets resulted in a different sound, or loss of humbucking? (Can't remember which I read, but it was on a thread here.)

 

[AlexR]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

Its the same thing.......in either scenario the pickup is generating the same signal but simply with the electrons flowing toward the ground wire first instead of hot (or the other way around). It physically impossible for the pickup to generate a different signal as the magnet is still the same, the wind is still the same and the wire is still the same.
In singlecoils there is a possibility of loss of humbucking, but that isn't the scenario here.

Some do think that the magnetic fields could interact with each other.....the proximity of two differing fields could make the overall a different shape. I don't think there is any definitive answer here as I don't know anyone who has measured the fields with the very same pickup each way. The issue with humbuckers is typically you look more toward 2 pickup situations....where pickups are much further from each other.......

......going back to the singlecoil scenario, the Strat has perhaps close enough pickup fields where you might just get an effect. Certainly there is a mindset of 'I want no RW/RP middle as the notch tones sound better. Whether or not that is to do with magnetic fields or the general nature of the humcancelling effect I don't know.

 

[darthphineas]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

Keep going AlexR....you get the lab coats to show up. LOL!! [emoji38][emoji38]

 

[Hank-]

Re: Factory marking on duncan HB magnets, polarity?

Thanks guys.

The marking pointing towards the slug coil is correct as per default factory setup. I also noticed it in this video https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=C3YbWCunDeE

If it were going into any of my own guitars I would flip the magnet till I got the two pickups to work the way I want it. But since I'm letting it go I wanted it to be in factory reset mode lol.