Hi, I have a 2005 mexican strat and as a birthday present, I got two seymour duncan pickups. Is it true that seymour duncan pickups are of the opposite polarity as fender pickups and I would lose hum canceling if I had regular wound pickups in the neck and bridge while keeping the stock middle pickup? If so, should I just have a reverse wound pickup in the neck and bridge position, or would it just make more sense to buy one more seymour duncan pickup so that I have a full set? I would like to have an SSL-5 in my bridge and an SSL-1 in the neck. As a gift, I received a reverse wound SSL-1 and a regular SSL-5 designed for 7 strings. I know I need to return the 7 string pickup, but after that, what would be the best course of action to take here?
Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
- Thread starter mexstrat
- Start date
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
If you have a SSL-5 in the bridge and SSL-1 in the neck, I believe you can move the current neck pickup to the middle and retain hum cancelling. (May have to flip the wires) That being said, the full compliment of SSL-5/SSL-1 rwrp/SSL-1 will give you great position 2 & 4 tones, probably better than the stock MIM pickup would, as it's the ceramic bar style single coil.
If you have a SSL-5 in the bridge and SSL-1 in the neck, I believe you can move the current neck pickup to the middle and retain hum cancelling. (May have to flip the wires) That being said, the full compliment of SSL-5/SSL-1 rwrp/SSL-1 will give you great position 2 & 4 tones, probably better than the stock MIM pickup would, as it's the ceramic bar style single coil.
RogerMexiko
New member
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
I mixed two Lace Sensors with a Fender Custom Shop Texas Special and it worked out better than I ever expected. But guess the hum canceling issue didn't really come up in my case. So my point is not so much hum canceling but mixing pickups can give you some really surprisingly cool results.
I mixed two Lace Sensors with a Fender Custom Shop Texas Special and it worked out better than I ever expected. But guess the hum canceling issue didn't really come up in my case. So my point is not so much hum canceling but mixing pickups can give you some really surprisingly cool results.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
Welcome to the forum!
Yes, Seymour Duncan pickups are opposite polarity of modern Fender pickups. You will have to switch the hot & ground (black and green- bare still goes to ground) on the Seymour Duncan pickups for them to be in phase.
Welcome to the forum!
Yes, Seymour Duncan pickups are opposite polarity of modern Fender pickups. You will have to switch the hot & ground (black and green- bare still goes to ground) on the Seymour Duncan pickups for them to be in phase.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
Wow. Thank you. I was really overthinking this. Simply moving the neck pickup to the middle and putting a regular SSL-1 and SSL-5 in the neck and bridge respectively is what I plan to do now. At some point in the future, I may decide to replace the middle pickup with the SSL-1 rwrp, but I might decide to get something else instead to make it more unique.
Wow. Thank you. I was really overthinking this. Simply moving the neck pickup to the middle and putting a regular SSL-1 and SSL-5 in the neck and bridge respectively is what I plan to do now. At some point in the future, I may decide to replace the middle pickup with the SSL-1 rwrp, but I might decide to get something else instead to make it more unique.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
Amazon is taking forever. I expect my SSL-1 to arrive in the mail tomorrow. My SSL-5 arrived. Just out of curiosity, has anyone else tried putting an SSL-1 in the neck, SSL-5 in the bridge, and stock neck pickup in the middle position? I'm curious how it will sound.
Amazon is taking forever. I expect my SSL-1 to arrive in the mail tomorrow. My SSL-5 arrived. Just out of curiosity, has anyone else tried putting an SSL-1 in the neck, SSL-5 in the bridge, and stock neck pickup in the middle position? I'm curious how it will sound.
Securb
One of Jerry's Kids
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
So am I. We all have different ears. Try it out you might love it. Experimentation is the key to our creativity as musicians. Find YOUR tone and find YOUR soul.
So am I. We all have different ears. Try it out you might love it. Experimentation is the key to our creativity as musicians. Find YOUR tone and find YOUR soul.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
I agree with you completely. I just don't want to make expensive mods to my guitar and then regret it later. Hope everything works out nicely. Something of slight concern is the tradeoff I get by having an SSL-5 in the bridge. It has a higher output and would sound stronger than stock or vintage, but what are the chances that I don't find the SSL-5 to be bright enough in the bridge? Some of the things Frusciante uses the bridge pickup for is what comes to mind. The extra punch of the SSL-5 would be awesome, but having that funky bright twangy cleaner sound in the bridge pickup is also nice. I didn't consider getting the tapped pickup until yesterday, so I feel like it's too late to change my mind now. The tapped version is $20.00 more expensive anyway, and I have no idea if it would even be worth it.
I agree with you completely. I just don't want to make expensive mods to my guitar and then regret it later. Hope everything works out nicely. Something of slight concern is the tradeoff I get by having an SSL-5 in the bridge. It has a higher output and would sound stronger than stock or vintage, but what are the chances that I don't find the SSL-5 to be bright enough in the bridge? Some of the things Frusciante uses the bridge pickup for is what comes to mind. The extra punch of the SSL-5 would be awesome, but having that funky bright twangy cleaner sound in the bridge pickup is also nice. I didn't consider getting the tapped pickup until yesterday, so I feel like it's too late to change my mind now. The tapped version is $20.00 more expensive anyway, and I have no idea if it would even be worth it.
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Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
I have no idea why I'm concerned about the bridge pickup not being bright enough. I don't need it to be very bright and the sweet tone from an SSL-1 in the neck would be fine. I'm confident I'll like having the SSL-1 in the neck and the SSL-5 in the bridge. The stock middle pickup is the only mystery and I'll find out soon enough. The SSL-1 came in the mail today. Since I have no experience with soldering or anything, I'm having a pro swap the pickups for me to make sure it's done right. I'll probably take it to him on Tuesday afternoon since that is when I have time. I'll find out soon enough how well this will all work. I'll let you guys know how it turns out once the pickups are installed.
I have no idea why I'm concerned about the bridge pickup not being bright enough. I don't need it to be very bright and the sweet tone from an SSL-1 in the neck would be fine. I'm confident I'll like having the SSL-1 in the neck and the SSL-5 in the bridge. The stock middle pickup is the only mystery and I'll find out soon enough. The SSL-1 came in the mail today. Since I have no experience with soldering or anything, I'm having a pro swap the pickups for me to make sure it's done right. I'll probably take it to him on Tuesday afternoon since that is when I have time. I'll find out soon enough how well this will all work. I'll let you guys know how it turns out once the pickups are installed.
dotsdad
New member
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
While your at it, you can hotrod your remaining fender pickup. The mexican pickups have two small ceramic magnets hot glued to slug poles. You can break the magnets off with needlenose pliers and pull out the slug poes. You will be left with a perfectly good coil. Order a set of alnico v magnets from addiction fx on ebay and slide them into the housing. Instant American Standard pickup!
If your SSL1 has the white wire on the left when looking down at the pickup, hotrod the mexican pickup that has the white (or yellow) wire on the right. Insert the magnets so the side pointing up sticks to the top of the duncan pickup. Is you do this it will be noise cancelling with the SSL1
While your at it, you can hotrod your remaining fender pickup. The mexican pickups have two small ceramic magnets hot glued to slug poles. You can break the magnets off with needlenose pliers and pull out the slug poes. You will be left with a perfectly good coil. Order a set of alnico v magnets from addiction fx on ebay and slide them into the housing. Instant American Standard pickup!
If your SSL1 has the white wire on the left when looking down at the pickup, hotrod the mexican pickup that has the white (or yellow) wire on the right. Insert the magnets so the side pointing up sticks to the top of the duncan pickup. Is you do this it will be noise cancelling with the SSL1
Lewguitar
New member
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
Your existing neck pickup that you plan to put in the middle: place the poles of the SSL5 against the poles of that old neck pickup. Do they attract or repel?
If they repel they are matching polarity and you will not have humcancelling. If they attract they are opposite polarity and if that pickup is also reverse wound you will have humcancelling when that existing neck pickup is used as a middle pickup with the SSL5.
But just checking to see if they have the same or opposite magnetic polarity will let you know if there's even a chance that you will have humcancelling when that pickup is combined with your new neck and new bridge pickups.
Your existing neck pickup that you plan to put in the middle: place the poles of the SSL5 against the poles of that old neck pickup. Do they attract or repel?
If they repel they are matching polarity and you will not have humcancelling. If they attract they are opposite polarity and if that pickup is also reverse wound you will have humcancelling when that existing neck pickup is used as a middle pickup with the SSL5.
But just checking to see if they have the same or opposite magnetic polarity will let you know if there's even a chance that you will have humcancelling when that pickup is combined with your new neck and new bridge pickups.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
So it took me about an hour of playing my guitar at home before realizing that the guy who installed my pickups put the SSL-1 in the bridge and the SSL-5 in the neck, the opposite of what I wanted. However, I do know that positions 2 and 4 didn't sound bad with the mixing of fender and Seymour Duncan pickups. However, I paid the guy $70.00 to install the pickups and he did it backwards. I'm taking it back to him tomorrow morning to swap them. In the meantime, I need to learn how to solder so I can do this kind of stuff on my own in the future. I'm rather frustrated about this.
So it took me about an hour of playing my guitar at home before realizing that the guy who installed my pickups put the SSL-1 in the bridge and the SSL-5 in the neck, the opposite of what I wanted. However, I do know that positions 2 and 4 didn't sound bad with the mixing of fender and Seymour Duncan pickups. However, I paid the guy $70.00 to install the pickups and he did it backwards. I'm taking it back to him tomorrow morning to swap them. In the meantime, I need to learn how to solder so I can do this kind of stuff on my own in the future. I'm rather frustrated about this.
PFDarkside
of the Forum
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
That sucks man. I hope he didn't cut the lead on the SSL-1.
That sucks man. I hope he didn't cut the lead on the SSL-1.
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
What does it mean to cut the lead on the SSL-1?
What does it mean to cut the lead on the SSL-1?
Silence Kid
New member
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
'Lead' means 'wire.' Whether he cut the wires short or not he should be able to fix the error, but no one likes to buy pickups where the wires are cut down to nothing, so it could reduce the resale value if you ever decide to pull them and replace with something else. This occurs (more often) with bridge pickups, where the wire only needs to go a couple inches or so. If he trimmed the wire far back on the 'bridge' pickup, it may require a bit more wire to be soldered in when you change it to the neck position in order to reach the cavity.
That's seriously shoddy work, btw. There's no reason anyone should make that mistake. How do you know they were switched? Difference in volume? Did you take measurements, or lift the pickguard?
'Lead' means 'wire.' Whether he cut the wires short or not he should be able to fix the error, but no one likes to buy pickups where the wires are cut down to nothing, so it could reduce the resale value if you ever decide to pull them and replace with something else. This occurs (more often) with bridge pickups, where the wire only needs to go a couple inches or so. If he trimmed the wire far back on the 'bridge' pickup, it may require a bit more wire to be soldered in when you change it to the neck position in order to reach the cavity.
That's seriously shoddy work, btw. There's no reason anyone should make that mistake. How do you know they were switched? Difference in volume? Did you take measurements, or lift the pickguard?
Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
I knew they were switched when I remembered opening the SSL-1 box and seeing excess lacquer on one of the pole pieces. The SSL-5 that I got in the mail didn't have that. The bridge pickup had the excess lacquer. It's possible that I misspoke when I told him that I wanted the SSL-5 in the bridge and SSL-1 in the neck. He claims that he did what I told him to do. There is no way to prove that I misspoke though. He may have misheard. When I made this discovery, I then thought to myself "no wonder the bridge pickup sounds so much brighter than I expected"
I knew they were switched when I remembered opening the SSL-1 box and seeing excess lacquer on one of the pole pieces. The SSL-5 that I got in the mail didn't have that. The bridge pickup had the excess lacquer. It's possible that I misspoke when I told him that I wanted the SSL-5 in the bridge and SSL-1 in the neck. He claims that he did what I told him to do. There is no way to prove that I misspoke though. He may have misheard. When I made this discovery, I then thought to myself "no wonder the bridge pickup sounds so much brighter than I expected"
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Re: Mixing Seymour Duncan and Fender pickups
I agree. While annoying, I'd still go to this guy for anything related to fret damage though. He leveled my frets over the summer and did an amazing job. While the pickups seemed to be wired correctly and positions 2 and 4 got their hum canceling, installing new pickups is something I should probably learn to do myself. I get the impression that it isn't that hard. However, if positions 2 and 4 sound good on my strat, I wouldn't feel a need to buy a new middle pickup, so I wouldn't have an opportunity to learn for a while. I'm still in college, so I can't afford to keep making upgrades.
I agree. While annoying, I'd still go to this guy for anything related to fret damage though. He leveled my frets over the summer and did an amazing job. While the pickups seemed to be wired correctly and positions 2 and 4 got their hum canceling, installing new pickups is something I should probably learn to do myself. I get the impression that it isn't that hard. However, if positions 2 and 4 sound good on my strat, I wouldn't feel a need to buy a new middle pickup, so I wouldn't have an opportunity to learn for a while. I'm still in college, so I can't afford to keep making upgrades.
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