Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

genethomas

New member
Hi
Is it achievable to get a Peter Green out of phase tone with a standard LP pot configuration by just replacing one of them with a push / pull pot?

Chapman Guitars have incorporated a similar feature on their ML-2 Classic using a toggle switch but I want a stock LP look.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

Hi
Is it achievable to get a Peter Green out of phase tone with a standard LP pot configuration by just replacing one of them with a push / pull pot?


Peter Green himself did it by reversing the magnet in his neck pickup. Magnetically out of phase but not electrically out of phase.

That's also how Gibson does it on BB King's guitars and on the ES-345 and ES-355 guitars with the Vari-tone circuit.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

But can this be done without a 3 way toggle by using a push pull pot?
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

Brain fade affecting me! I saw the 3 way switch and assumed it was another toggle switch rather than the standard toggle switch on the upper part of the body.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

Peter Green himself did it by reversing the magnet in his neck pickup. Magnetically out of phase but not electrically out of phase.

That's also how Gibson does it on BB King's guitars and on the ES-345 and ES-355 guitars with the Vari-tone circuit.

I heard his tech accidentally did this and then even proceeded to mount the pickup the "wrong" way.
Another story was that the pickup was rewound in reverse instead of the magnet installed backwards.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

I don't think this can be done with a switch if the pickup uses vintage style shielded cable. Reversing the ground would make all the metal parts on the guitar "hot" and it would buzz if you touched them.

But it looks like it can be done if the pickups use modern four conductor cable with a separate ground wire.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

ive flipped the magnet and wired the 4 cond pup to a switch and i couldnt really tell any difference tonally. if there is a difference you sure wont notice it in a band setting.

if you have 4 cond wiring on at least one pup then you can do it with a push/pull pot
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

I've read from many sources that it wasn't done to modify the guitar, but the the tech assembled it wrong after mr. Green had pulled the pickup apart. The neck and bridge positions worked normally, but the magic came from the middle position where the phase cancellation happens.
 
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

It's possible to achieve what is pretty much the equivalent of it with a switch, by having the switch reverse the phase of the pickup. That's a simple deal. But it is obviously not possible to use a switch to do it the same way he did it. His way involves flipping the magnet (which flips the magnetic polarity), and also flipping the pickup (which relocates the adjustable pole pieces closer to the bridge). Also, it wasn't done by design on his guitar; it was ignorant workmanship that resulted in a happy accident. Additionally, I assume you know that phase only matters when mixing two pickups. There will be no tonal difference at all when only one pickup is selected. In other words, the effect of the phase flip will only be heard in the middle position. So if you, like me, never use the middle position anyhow, you might as well just hard wire the pickups out of phase.
 
Last edited:
Re: Peter Green mod using push / pull pots

Not that it should matter to anyone who likes that out of phase tone, but I always hated it. :lmao:

This is the Peter Green tone I love:

 
Back
Top