Humbuckers. Flipped around?

[Kirk Dahnke]

Has anyone tried flipping both humbuckers around? So theyre still in phase but perhaps getting a liitle more neck in the bridge and vice versa? I got the idea from a Keef tele build I did where he flips his neck humbucker around to get a little more treble?

 

[Mincer]

Pickup direction doesn't have to do with phase, but I don't know if I would notice a difference after I got the guitar back together, unless they are un-matched coils.

 

[GuitarStv]

You mean switching the screw with the slug coils? I've tried that with a Tone Zone and it did sound a little different (flipped was a little brighter than normal if I recall correctly). Unless you have mismatched coils in the 'bucker there I wouldn't expect much though. Even then, there's not a huge difference in sound.

 

[Hsb]

I tried it once with a single necl pickup, there was a small difference in tone, decided to turn it back around the way it was originally installed and like it better that wat

 

[alex1fly]

I've done it for grins. Minimal change in tone. Worth a shot if you want though.

 

[Chistopher]

Sometimes the sound does change, yes, but never in a meaningful magnitude. It sure looks cool on some guitars though.

 

[Clint 55]

It was effective for me. Rounds the bridge a bit and increases a bit of cluck for the neck.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

When there's a disparity between the two coils, the tone can be noticeably different when turned around.
The bigger the disparity, the more difference in sound.

Most Duncans are symmetrically wound, meaning both coils are wound the same.
So the change would be extremely slight, just from the screws and slugs being reversed.

The only Duncans I can see it mattering much for would be the 59/Custom Hybrid (which has two very different coils), the Brobucker (which has a bit of coil offset), or something more exotic like a Fuglybucker.

 

[Blille]

When there's a disparity between the two coils, the tone can be noticeably different when turned around.
The bigger the disparity, the more difference in sound.

Most Duncans are symmetrically wound, meaning both coils are wound the same.
So the change would be extremely slight, just from the screws and slugs being reversed.

The only Duncans I can see it mattering much for would be the 59/Custom Hybrid (which has two very different coils), the Brobucker (which has a bit of coil offset), or something more exotic like a Fuglybucker.

And the Prails. I used to turn the neck one to have the rail closer to the neck. Given that the rail was weaker and it was supposed to be more stratty it made sense to me. There was some difference.

 

[Adieu]

For most it is fairly to totally meaningless (screws vs. slugs or even hex for same hex), but a few pups have two unbalanced coils and it could actually switch things up a bit... biggest impact would be for very unbalanced coils or one of the dimarzios with a single rail side

 

[Chistopher]

Also it makes a considerably bigger difference in the bridge. Using the P-Rail for example, if you flip the bridge, you are cutting the distance between the rail and bridge in half. That's how I use mine, albeit with an A8 under the rail.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

And the Prails. I used to turn the neck one to have the rail closer to the neck. Given that the rail was weaker and it was supposed to be more stratty it made sense to me. There was some difference.

Also it makes a considerably bigger difference in the bridge. Using the P-Rail for example, if you flip the bridge, you are cutting the distance between the rail and bridge in half. That's how I use mine, albeit with an A8 under the rail.

I'd forgot all about the P-Rails; don't have any of those myself.

Placement makes a bigger difference near the bridge in general, I think.
I've posted about how back around '81, I moved the bridge humbucker ¼" further from the bridge on one of my Floydcasters.
Very noticeable difference in the sound. Warmer, smoother & richer, gave some extra body and a little more push.
Made things much more convenient for me - I no longer had to tweak my rig every time I switched guitars.

Not that it made the Floydcaster sound anything like a Gibson, mind you. Just a better version of itself.
Still had distinctive Superstrat character.
But before the change I had to twist knobs just to get the right feel from my amp.