Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Nightburst

Nightburst

New member
I hope someone can help me with understanding how the strat middle pickup works.
The way I understand it is that in a regular configuration with the middle pickup reverse wound AND reversed polarity it will give positions 2 and 4 on a 5 way switch the hum cancelling tones. I am not sure as to why the middle pickup needs to be both RW and RP?

Now I want to move the middle pickup next to the bridge a-la Robbie Robertson. In order for it to fit besides it I basically need to flip the middle pickup around 180 degrees and use a lefty pickup for correct stagger. Does this have any effect on how any of the bridge and/or middle pickup is wound? I cannot find any info if his middle pickup is reverse wound or reverse polarity and if they are wired in series or parallel? Does anybody know?
 
Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Rotating the middle pickup will have no ill effects. I did that awhile ago and like the results.
 
Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

It should be just fine. But I don't know if I'd track down a lefty staggered pickup- I'd just use a flat pole one. Or, better yet, one without a keyed baseplate.
 
Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Thx guys, but what exactly does it do technically?
I'm having a custom set wound for me locally but I need to decide if the middle will be RW RP both or just one of the 2. Or can I go all pickups wound the same?

My ideal set-up would be this config with a 5 way switch to have the regular strat sounds but with a push pull tone pot to kick in the humbucker mode. Can it be done?
 
Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Nightburst said:
Thx guys, but what exactly does it do technically?
I'm having a custom set wound for me locally but I need to decide if the middle will be RW RP both or just one of the 2. Or can I go all pickups wound the same?

My ideal set-up would be this config with a 5 way switch to have the regular strat sounds but with a push pull tone pot to kick in the humbucker mode. Can it be done?
Click to expand...
Think of it this way...

Two coils of wire wound the same direction and connected with the same polarity will “pick up” the same signal and noise in the same phase. If you change the wind direction or the leads on the coil, they will now be out of phase. This will cancel both noise and the signal. Now if you flip the magnetic polarity on one of the two coils it will flip the phase of signal only, since it’s magnetizing the strings but not affecting the noise. If you do both you’ve flipped the phase of the noise (cancelling it) and restored the signal to being in-phase on both coils. Rotating a pickup (with the face up not changing) has no effect on phase.

Humbuckers use this design and are wired in series. Hum cancelling Strat pickups use the same design and are wired in parallel.

I believe the RR Strat was still in parallel like a standard Strat, not in series like a Humbucker. Also, I’m sure the pickups weren’t RWRP, I think they were just stock 50’s Strat pickups. RWRP as a concept in Strat pickups didn’t start until the 70’s as aftermarkets I believe, and didn’t start coming stock in Strats until the 80’s.
 
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Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Coil winding direction and magnetic polarity are built in during manufacturing, and cannot easily be changed later. All you can change is the + and - leads on the pickup.

In other words, mounting a pickup 180 degrees from normal will not change whether or not it is RW/RP. Those characteristics are built in to a pickup.

Bottom line, if you want a hum canceling positions 2 and 4, then tell your pickup guy to give you a RW/RP middle. If you need to flip the pickup, then you also need reverse stagger. But on that last point, the Duncan SSL-3 Hot and SSL-5 Custom (plus some others) are made without lead mounting ears, so this certainly can be done. Maybe the local winder can do this for you, so you don't have to bother with ordering a left handed stagger on top of the RW/RP.
 
Re: Strat middle pickup RW RP with a RR config?

Ah right I get it now. Thanks PF and ItsaBass for explaining this! I wasn't sure if the orientation of the pickup would affect anything.
I asked my pickup guy for a RW RP middle pickup, I don't want to copy the exact same thing as RR, I prefer to use a 5 way switch or maybe even a push pull pot to kick in humbucker mode. I like that idea a lot.
Should I ask him to over-wind the bridge pickup to balance out with the other pickups?
 
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