Help with Strat Pickups

[bungalowbill]

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and need help with wiring a strat that I'm rebuilding. I have a Twangbanger to put in the bridge position and I have a Fender 57/62 and a Duncan SSL-1, now the question. Where should I put the SSL-1 in the middle or in the neck? I'm only doing this temporarally until I get money for a reverse wound middle pup. Thanks and nice to meet you .
Joe

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum and need help with wiring a strat that I'm rebuilding. I have a Twangbanger to put in the bridge position and I have a Fender 57/62 and a Duncan SSL-1, now the question. Where should I put the SSL-1 in the middle or in the neck? I'm only doing this temporarally until I get money for a reverse wound middle pup. Thanks and nice to meet you .
Joe

I say do whet ever until you get the last pickup...I wold put the Fender in the middle so when I got the other duncan I only had to move one pickup!

Welcome to the forum.

Good luck

 

[Curly]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

welcome

I'd say SSL neck/ Fender mid/ TB bridge ... but you will like have phase issues with the notch positions until you replace the Fender

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

I think I'll stick the Fender in the middle (less work to replace) I can't hardly wait to get that Twangbanger in, I always wished my strat could have a Tele bridge sound. Thanks folks,,,,Joe

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

I think I'll stick the Fender in the middle (less work to replace) I can't hardly wait to get that Twangbanger in, I always wished my strat could have a Tele bridge sound. Thanks folks,,,,Joe

Hi Joe and welcome to the greatest forum on the planet!

Don't mix and match pickups...Try to stick with all Duncans if your budget allows it...The Duncans are wound opposite polarity of the Fender pickups or the magnet polarities are opposite(I forget now)?

I tryed wiring a bridge SSL6 years ago with a Fender Fat 50 and I ended up having the Duncan company reverse the magnet polarity on my Duncan pickup...The SSL6 was North magnet polarity and the FAT 50 was South...I ran into alot of problems..Now I just use a set of Duncans and I'm always thrilled with the results..

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Thanks for the help, I'm gonna get a reverse wound for the middle position as soon as the budget allows. I've used Duncans with fenders before, I just wire the fenders backward. I might get a set of those Surf pups everyone is raving about....Joe

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Thanks for the help, I'm gonna get a reverse wound for the middle position as soon as the budget allows. I've used Duncans with fenders before, I just wire the fenders backward. I might get a set of those Surf pups everyone is raving about....Joe

The problem that I ran into with the SSL6 and the fender fat 50 wasn't a wiring phase problem,but a magnet polarity problem...The fix was to move the RWRP Fat 50 middle pickup to the neck,move the neck Fat 50 to the middle and then Scott at Duncan changed the SSL6's magnet polarity over to South...Switching the wires wasn't the cure in my case...

Hopefully you have a handle on things? Sounds like you do... :wink:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Here's what I would do:

When you hold the neck pickup and bridge pickup against each other, the magnetic polepieces should repel.

When you hold the middle pickup against the neck or bridge pickup it should attract.

So I'd install them with that in mind.

Then, when you plug in your guitar you should have humcancelling when the middle pickup is combined with either the neck or bridge pickup.

If you get a thin "out of phase tone" when the middle pickup is combined with the neck or bridge pickup, then reverse the black and white wires of the middle pickup.

Usually that will make everything work as intended.

Lew

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Wow, I have never heard of changing a pups polarity before, do they rewrap them the opposite way? I was a guitar tech in a local music store about ten years ago but, we never did anything as complicated as changing polarity on a pup. Sounds like a cool solution. I definately want a RW/RP for my middle position pup,my other Strat has the hum cancel in positions 2 & 4 and I guess I got spoiled..... Joe

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Thanks for the help, I'm gonna get a reverse wound for the middle position as soon as the budget allows. I've used Duncans with fenders before, I just wire the fenders backward. I might get a set of those Surf pups everyone is raving about....Joe

IMHO the Duncan Surfers are the Holy Grail.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Lew, you are the gentleman who should be sending me a Twangbager. I will do as you say about holding the pickups against each other, if I can get hum cancel until I can get a new middle pup I'll be a very happy camper. Thanks a million, you are very knowledgable......... joe

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Wow, I have never heard of changing a pups polarity before, do they rewrap them the opposite way? I was a guitar tech in a local music store about ten years ago but, we never did anything as complicated as changing polarity on a pup. Sounds like a cool solution. I definately want a RW/RP for my middle position pup,my other Strat has the hum cancel in positions 2 & 4 and I guess I got spoiled..... Joe

You can't change a pickup's polarity. Some pickups have the north pole facing up and some have the south pole facing up. If you have two pickups made with the north pole facing up (or two made with the south pole facing up) and you place them face to face they will repel. But if you have one pickup with the north pole facing up and one with the south pole facing up and you place them face to face they will stick together...they'll be attracted.

RW/RP is a relative term. The RW/RP middle pickup in one set of pickups is RW/RP relative only to the neck and bridge pickups in that particular set.

For example: the Antiquity Surfer RW/RP middle pickup is RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Surfer neck and bridge pickup, but it would not be RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Texas Hot neck and bridge pickup! :smack:

Seymour designed one set with the north poles facing up in the middle pickup of one set and the south poles facing up in the other set. :smack:

Lew

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

You can't change a pickup's polarity. Some pickups have the north pole facing up and some have the south pole facing up. If you have two pickups made with the north pole facing up (or two made with the south pole facing up) and you place them face to face they will repel. But if you have one pickup with the north pole facing up and one with the south pole facing up and you place them face to face they will stick together...they'll be attracted.

RW/RP is a relative term. The RW/RP middle pickup in one set of pickups is RW/RP relative only to the neck and bridge pickups in that particular set.

For example: the Antiquity Surfer RW/RP middle pickup is RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Surfer neck and bridge pickup, but it would not be RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Texas Hot neck and bridge pickup! :smack:

Seymour designed one set with the north poles facing up in the middle pickup of one set and the south poles facing up in the other set. :smack:

Lew

:smack: :smack: :smack:

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

I,m glad that there are knowledgable folks around that wish to help, sounds like I unintentionally opened a can of worms. :smack: :smack: :smack:

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

I,m glad that there are knowledgable folks around that wish to help, sounds like I unintentionally opened a can of worms. :smack: :smack: :smack:

I highly recommened a set of Antiquity Surfers for the Tone you are looking for. :smoker:

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

You can't change a pickup's polarity. Some pickups have the north pole facing up and some have the south pole facing up. If you have two pickups made with the north pole facing up (or two made with the south pole facing up) and you place them face to face they will repel. But if you have one pickup with the north pole facing up and one with the south pole facing up and you place them face to face they will stick together...they'll be attracted.

RW/RP is a relative term. The RW/RP middle pickup in one set of pickups is RW/RP relative only to the neck and bridge pickups in that particular set.

For example: the Antiquity Surfer RW/RP middle pickup is RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Surfer neck and bridge pickup, but it would not be RW/RP compared to an Antiquity Texas Hot neck and bridge pickup! :smack:

Seymour designed one set with the north poles facing up in the middle pickup of one set and the south poles facing up in the other set. :smack:

Lew

Lew....I don't know what Scott at Duncan did for my SSL6 but the magnet polarity was switched from North to South? I think he said they have a way of actually changing the polarity of the magnets...Either way,my SSL6 now reads South with my Stew Mac magnet polarity checker... :wink:

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Hi John, Maybe they demagnetized it and then remagnetized it? Ted Weber does that with speakers sometimes. If you have the equipment you can do it. When I said a pickup couldn't have the polarity changed I meant that a normal user couldn't do it.

Lew

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

Hi John, Maybe they demagnetized it and then remagnetized it? Ted Weber does that with speakers sometimes. If you have the equipment you can do it. When I said a pickup couldn't have the polarity changed I meant that a normal user couldn't do it.

Lew

Gotcha buddy....I thought I remember Scott at Duncan saying they'd just change the magnet polarity....Like a 5 minute change?

 

[BlueGuitar]

Re: Help with Strat Pickups

When I said a pickup couldn't have the polarity changed I meant that a normal user couldn't do it.

That used to be the case but with the superpowerful neo magnets available these days it is possible for even normal human beings to reverse the polarity on their pickups...

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/_gtr/neo_magnitizer.pdf

Amazing but true! :dance:

You can order the neo magnets from SK (Steven Kersting) at A.M.P.G.E. for $6 each (look for the full listing of components for sale):

http://www.ampge.com/components.htm