Polarity Question

[PoorMan]

I'm pretty new to doing my own pickup swaps and am confused by the subject of polarity and its tonal implications. Is this something I need to be concerned with when doing a pickup swap?

For example, I'm currently installing a Duncan '59 neck and a DiMarzio VHOT PAF bridge in a Tokai Love Rock...do I need to be concerned about polarity? At what point does it become an issue?

Can someone give me the quick and dirty explaination?

Thanks.

 

[Artie]

Re: Polarity Question

Polarity is something you need to be concerned about, but it will cause no harm if you get it backwards. It will just sound bad. (Maybe.) Think of two woofers in a speaker system. If one is reverse polarity, it will move forward while the other moves backwards. Instead of an air-wave traveling out into the room, the air will just go back and forth between the speakers. You'll get no bass.

In a pickup, the two signals will try to cancel each other when both are selected. If you get one reversed, you'll have a weak, tinny signal. You fix it simply by reversing the ground and hot of one pickup only. Phase is only an issue when dealing with two pickups.

(I'm leaving out the concept of reverse phase of one pickup to keep things simple.)

Artie

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Polarity Question

First off, thank you.

So in my case, should I just install them and see how it sounds with both pickups selected and proceed from there? Do DiMarzios and Duncans usually encounter polarity problems?

If I were to buy a polarity tester, what exatly should I be looking for on a Les Paul type guitar? Which side should be north and which should be south on the respective pickups? Should the polarity match on the slug side of both respective pickups or should they be opposite?

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Polarity Question

Nevermind...I just found the answer ina tutorial I directed someone else to.

 

[Artie]

Re: Polarity Question

You're welcome.

I don't think a polarity tester will help. It will only tell you magnet polarity. The coils could still be wound opposite, which would bring you back to "normal". Hopefully, someone who has mixed both will chime in, but if they don't, the best thing is to install them and take a chance. You'ld just have to reverse the wires on one.

Here's one more thing you can do, if you own a meter. Put the meter on DC voltage, around the 1 volt range. Connect the red lead to "hot", and the black lead to black on the meter. Place a piece of metal, like a large screwdriver against the pole pieces. Then yank it away. Watch the meter and see if it goes positive or negative. On a digital meter, watch to see if the little "minus" sign lights up. Do it with both pups. Use that to match the DMZ to the SD.

Does that make sense?

Artie

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Polarity Question

Thanks again, Artie. I didn't know wind direction factored in (I was way off on what I thought I understood).

I understand what you're saying and I do have a nice new multimeter I just bought. (However, I've never used one before.) I guess this is a good time to break it out and give it a try.

To make sure I understand what I'm trying to achieve here...I want the polarities facing opposite directions when installed in the guitar?

 

[Artie]

Re: Polarity Question

To make sure I understand what I'm trying to achieve here...I want the polarities facing opposite directions when installed in the guitar?

The thing is, you can't really state it like that. The phase of the voltage generated is controlled by two things: the orientation of the magnet poles, and the direction of the coil winding - clockwise or counter-clockwise. (Anti-clockwise to the Brits.)

Electricity can only go two directions, so reversing either wind direction or magnet polarity will result in reverse phase. If you change both - phase is back to "normal". DiMarzio may have wound the coil opposite, then installed the magnet opposite, resulting in an in-phase condition when paired with a Duncan.

Thats why you just have to try it. Unless someone else chimes in. I know someone here has mixed DMZ's with Duncans before.

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Polarity Question

I'll just install it and see how it goes. I can always rewire if it sounds off. Thanks Artie

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Polarity Question

These days you rarely run into phasing/polarity problems in installing different brands of pickups. The standard is that the screw coil on humbuckers will read South while the slug coil is north.

If you do run into a phasing problem with a new pickup (you'll know it when you hear it -- very thin, hollow, funky nasal tone), in the case of humbuckers or other bar magnet pickups, you can just flip the magnet over in one of the pickups and all will be well.

 

[PoorMan]

Re: Polarity Question

These days you rarely run into phasing/polarity problems in installing different brands of pickups. The standard is that the screw coil on humbuckers will read South while the slug coil is north.

If you do run into a phasing problem with a new pickup (you'll know it when you hear it -- very thin, hollow, funky nasal tone), in the case of humbuckers or other bar magnet pickups, you can just flip the magnet over in one of the pickups and all will be well.

Thanks Zhang. Indeed I encountered no problems whatsoever. I installed the DMZ bridge with the Duncan neck...no problem. Sounds great. Hopefully this will help others in the future.