Electronics upgrade kit?

[David Schwab]

But, yeah, wire gauge and type makes a difference, more than pots do. In fact, just for fun take a 12ga solid buss solder it across the backs of the pots, leave a length extending out. Play, listen. Bend the excess into a curl, play and listen. Clip it off, play and listen. Yeah, it's weird, you'll hear it. Then you can decide if it matters or if you want to do anything about it.

Oh I believe it. I can hear the difference in a single pickup when it's polarity is switched via a "phase" switch. I can't describe what I hear, but I do hear it. It's so subtle that it makes no difference in the real world, but I was surprised that I head a change at all, since I have read that most people cannot hear it.

[bbsailor]

Oh I believe it. I can hear the difference in a single pickup when it's polarity is switched via a "phase" switch. I can't describe what I hear, but I do hear it. It's so subtle that it makes no difference in the real world, but I was surprised that I head a change at all, since I have read that most people cannot hear it.

David,

What you a hearing is the direction of the speaker cone on the initial transient of the initial string attack. On one phase the speaker starts out going inward and the other phase it starts out going in an outward direction. This is subtle but can be noticed as you did, particularly in the lower bass range.

Joseph Rogowski

[David Schwab]

David,

What you a hearing is the direction of the speaker cone on the initial transient of the initial string attack. On one phase the speaker starts out going inward and the other phase it starts out going in an outward direction. This is subtle but can be noticed as you did, particularly in the lower bass range.

Joseph Rogowski

That makes sense, and is something I had thought about.

Just the other day I read an interview with Andy Partridge of the band XTC. Back in 1986 they did an album, Skylarking, which was produced by Todd Rundgren. Recent Partridge had the album remastered and the engineer had noticed that all the audio was out-of-phase. They figured this was due to some equipment that was miswired in Rundgren's studio. The engineer flipped everything over, and Partridge says it sounds much better. He said he always felt it had a funny distant sound, and this fixed.

[Ronsonic]

David,

What you a hearing is the direction of the speaker cone on the initial transient of the initial string attack. On one phase the speaker starts out going inward and the other phase it starts out going in an outward direction. This is subtle but can be noticed as you did, particularly in the lower bass range.

Joseph Rogowski

Over in hi fi land absolute phase does get some attention. You'll find switches for it in fancier phono pre's. Among guitar players the subject gets flogged especially in relation to old amps with the "mislabeled" Jensen speakers. The usual convention is that applying positive DC to the + terminal of a speaker will push the cone forward. Old Jensens went the other way. Guys credit this as part of the sound of tweed Fenders, it's also a source of trouble after reconing.

Most guitarists who are concerned about it put it in terms of how the guitar and amp interact. That slight bit of feedback that's almost always present.