Pickup polarity

[toneguy86]

I'm going to be swapping out some pickups in some guitars again and want to make sure things will match up. In particular I have a Rio Grande I am looking to put in the bridge with an MHD soggy bottom in the neck.

The question is, how do you know if things will match in order to avoid the ol' Peter Green sound?I like that for some things...but use my middle position to much for some old soul type stuff and don't want to lose that. Any help appreciated.

 

[toneguy86]

Anyone? How can you tell if humbucker pickups are matched in order to avoid the "Peter Green" sound in the middle position? There has to be a simple way. Again...an MHD would be going into the neck...a Rio Grande in the bridge. Any help appreciated.

 

[Dougie]

use a digital multimeter. Clip the pickup leads to it, set it on ohms, and watch the bar display under the readout. Touch a small screwdriver to the top of the pickup and pull it off quickly. Watch the first impulse on that bar display. It will jump to the left or the right. You want both pickups doing the same.

If one pickup jumps to the right first, and the other jumps to the left, you will get the PG out of phase tone. As a rule, I put both pickups where they jump to the right.

 

[toneguy86]

use a digital multimeter. Clip the pickup leads to it, set it on ohms, and watch the bar display under the readout. Touch a small screwdriver to the top of the pickup and pull it off quickly. Watch the first impulse on that bar display. It will jump to the left or the right. You want both pickups doing the same.

If one pickup jumps to the right first, and the other jumps to the left, you will get the PG out of phase tone. As a rule, I put both pickups where they jump to the right.

Amazing! Thank you. Never, ever heard that. I'll be doing that as soon as I have a moment to work on it.