Reverse Zebra

[madguitar26]

REVERSE ZEBRA
i recently got both duncan custom and a2pro in zebra and reverse zebra respectively to be installed in my les paul guitar,but found out that the a2pro neck is installed upside down as if it were a normal zebra.
i forgot to tell my tech the neck a2pro
was meant to be in reverse.
noticed its not in reverse cause of the link below were the correct position is black coil in place of the zebra one

http://www.gtrheaven.com/pickups/sd_zebra.htm


does that affect the tone of the pickup in any way?or damage it?
:smack: :smack: :smack:

 

[John Wymore]

Re: Reverse Zebra

Well, if you tech installed it backwards I'd say make him fix it. Tonal difference is minimal but it just won't look correct installed backwards.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

I found that flipping a neck pickup makes it slightly brighter. Very small difference to my ear.

 

[madguitar26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

the custom sounds so fat with the classic 50´s gain channel full blown that when i switch to the a2pro sounds almost very thin under distortion.
no mids what so ever,i actually question myself if i chose the right pickup for the neck.
very dark and great for jazz and blues on the clean channel thow.
is this the way a les paul neck pickup should sound?

 

[ErikH]

Re: Reverse Zebra

That site is somewhat correct. The special note is wrong. To get cream AND adjustable poles on the outside, just order a neck zebra and bridge zebra.

A neck zebra is the same as a bridge reverse zebra.
A neck reverse zebra is the same as the bridge zebra.

Lookie here.
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/reversezebra.htm

 

[madguitar26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

That site is somewhat correct. The special note is wrong. To get cream AND adjustable poles on the outside, just order a neck zebra and bridge zebra.

A neck zebra is the same as a bridge reverse zebra.
A neck reverse zebra is the same as the bridge zebra.

mine is neck reverse zebra and bridge zebra.
:reporter:

 

[ErikH]

Re: Reverse Zebra

mine is neck reverse zebra and bridge zebra.
:reporter:

I saw that but wanted to point that out to help avoid any confusion for others. The combo your going with looks really cool. EVH did that on some of his EBMM's and Wolfgangs but I think the bridge was reverse and the neck was normal.

 

[Travis]

Re: Reverse Zebra

Honestly, I never cared about zebra and reverse zebra. I just liked the combo of black and creme. It didn't matter to me which coil was which.

As to your original question, if the tech installed it backwards, make him install it correctly. Although, all that should be required is unscrewing two screws, turning the pickup around, and rescrewing. It shouldn't take you more than a couple of minutes once you've got the strings off.

For what it's worth, I was ready to swap out the pickups in my Peavey Wolfgang. At least the neck pickup, as it was a little too harsh and punchy for my tastes. Then I noticed that it was installed so the pole pieces were closest to the bridge and the slugs were closest to the neck. I turned the pickup around and I like it much more now. It smoothed out the tone and warmed it up a bit. It is noticeable. But it shouldn't damage the pickup in any way.

 

[ranalli]

Re: Reverse Zebra

All colors aside....if the adjustable polepieces are closer to the bridge....the pickup will sound brighter??? That's good to know....I hate dark sounding neck pickups.

 

[Travis]

Re: Reverse Zebra

It will be somewhat brighter. Some people may not notice at all. Also, I think it depends on the pickups themselves. All I can say is that I noticed a small difference when I tunred around the neck pickup in my Wolfgang.

 

[madguitar26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

i wrote guitar heaven where i purchased them and:

"The tone of the guitar or pickups is not affected or damaged; either by the pickup being Zebra or Reverse Zebra, or if the pickup is installed normally or reversed in the guitar.

Thanks for your interest,
GUITAR HEAVEN
www.gtrheaven.com"


thanks all

 

[Travis]

Re: Reverse Zebra

The color of the coils does not affect the tone whatsoever. So I'll agree with the zebra/reverse zebra argument. That's just cosmetic. But there is a difference in having the adjustable poles closer to the neck or bridge. It is very slight, but there is a difference. I'm also not saying one is better than the other, just different.

 

[madguitar26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

i hear ya perhaps thats why i feel the a2pro sound thin under heavy distortion on the high strings.
from what ive read it was suposed to sound very full.
any thoughts?

 

[ErikH]

Re: Reverse Zebra

If the A2P sounds thin, flip it so the screws poles are facing the neck. It should sound very full. You may need to adjust it so it's closer to the strings too.

 

[Travis]

Re: Reverse Zebra

Yeah, that would be the first thing to try, flipping it around. I've got a couple of APH-1's and they are anything but thin. Turn it around and mess with the pickup height. If it still sounds thin, look a little deeper.

 

[Sykes]

Re: Reverse Zebra

I've got an Epi Lp with your same setup. That Custom rocks! The a2pro has a warm full sound. Your neck pup should stay right with the Custom volumewise. Those two pups blend great together, or can fight their own battles.
My favorite combo right now.

 

[madguitar26]

Re: Reverse Zebra

when i said thin i didnt mean bright but without any mids.
i remember playing the 59 in a les paul and thought it was even thinner.
lack of mids so to speak,but had a great bright sound.
the a2pro sounds as if the tone control of the 59 was turned half way down.
sometimes i wish it was brighter so maybe ill leave it like this.
on the clean channel it makes my LP sound like one of those big archtop jazz guitars,very big indeed.