Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

[WDeeGee]

Hi

When you put a compass or a magnet over humbuckers, it seems the two HB magnets in LP type guitars are in reversed polarity, one has N up, the other S up. (at least, all my LP types are like this)

If you I wanted the middle position to be both HB out of phase, is it ok to reorient the magnet? The guitar has split coil option so rewiring the start and finish will make the slug, no the crew coil, active with coil split on. So it seems reorienting the magnet is the only way to go.

A few questions:


- Would it effect sustain if both magnets have the same orientation? (stronger string pull because they have the same polarity?)

- Does turning the magnet over drain its magnetism because of residual magnetic charges in coil, baseplate... ?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

The answer to both of your questions is...no.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

There's only one magnet in a standard humbucking pickup. Not two.

I don't believe the magnet in the neck pickup is reversed compared to the bridge pickup either.

Otherwise the two pickups would be magnetically out of phase with each other, and when the pickups were combined the sound would have that thin, nasal out of phase kind of sound.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

The same polarity is on the same coil. So the screw coil will have the same polarity for both pickups....and the wiring in the guitar is identical. With the same wire from the same coil being hot every time too.
Humbuckers don't have a polarity 'up'. They have polarities side by side.

 

[WDeeGee]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

The same polarity is on the same coil. So the screw coil will have the same polarity for both pickups....and the wiring in the guitar is identical. With the same wire from the same coil being hot every time too.
Humbuckers don't have a polarity 'up'. They have polarities side by side.

Thank you. With "up" I meant that when you hover a compass above them, one HB has the needle pointing "up" and the other "down", fwiw. But you explained it clearly, thanks.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

The same polarity is on the same coil. So the screw coil will have the same polarity for both pickups....and the wiring in the guitar is identical. With the same wire from the same coil being hot every time too.
Humbuckers don't have a polarity 'up'. They have polarities side by side.

Need to clarify that this is for most pickups, but not all. PRS have the flipped magnet (and opposite internal wiring) to be able to combine inners and outers noise cancelling.


WDeeGee, what exactly are you looking to do? With the end goal in mind, we can suggest the methods to get there.

 

[WDeeGee]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

Thanks, here's what I want: middle position out of phase.
But when coil split, it's still both screw bobbins that are active.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

Well, typical splits go to the slug coil, so you'll need to swap wires. On Duncans that would be green to hot.
It also means that you will need to flip the magnet to get the OOP effect.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Magnet orientation, sustain and phase switch options

right. green hot, black to ground, flip the magnet in one pup and youll get what you are asking