Changed polarity (silly newby question)

[MORCILLO]

The question is so stupid that probably never was answered before...
For any unknown reason I strongly supossed that the start of the coil must be hot and wire it (3 strat PUps) this way in the guitar.
Does it matter? to change hot for ground?

The set does not sound bad, but, will this change in any way the sound?

The set is (I guess) correctly set in magnetic plarity with center ccw etc....

Do I must change the wiring? or does not matter.

Thanks for your help, I dont know how many more things can go wrong....

[big_teee]

The question is so stupid that probably never was answered before...
For any unknown reason I strongly supossed that the start of the coil must be hot and wire it (3 strat PUps) this way in the guitar.
Does it matter? to change hot for ground?

The set does not sound bad, but, will this change in any way the sound?

The set is (I guess) correctly set in magnetic plarity with center ccw etc....

Do I must change the wiring? or does not matter.

Thanks for your help, I dont know how many more things can go wrong....

Refer you to the StewMac Single Coil Kit Instructions.
Most of how to make a Strat single coil is in these instructions.
The Start lead is normally the Ground Lead.
STEWMAC.COM : Instructions for Parts Kit for Strat Pickup
Also don't forget that we have the Sub-Forum the Beginners Corner, for Newbie Questions and answers.
Good Luck,
Terry

[MORCILLO]

Thanks Terry, but the mistake is yet done, my question is if there are any change in the sound of the pickup by using the start of the coil as hot.

If not, I will leave the guitar as is, if yes, I will change and compare...

Thanks for your patience, next time Ill ask these questions in the appropriate forum....

[copperheadroads]

Its probably better to have the start wire as the ground , This way if you get a short to a magnet then it will probably be in the first few hundred turns & the pickup will still work you may or may not even tell the difference in tone .

[big_teee]

Like Copper says, if you don't have any shorted magnets all is well.
The Fender way was to Make Neck and bridge CW South up.
Middle North up CCW.
Most Winders, make their Pickups wound all same Direction.
I usually make Neck and Bridge CCW South up, Ground on Start.
I Make Middle CCW North up, but reverse the wiring on the middle P/U, Ground on Finish.
I wind all my Humbuckers CCW.
Good Luck,
Terry

[David King]

I like to ground the finish wire because it's supposed to allow the outermost layers of winding to act as a shield to the rest of the pickup. I've been told that the difference is noticeable but I haven't determined that for myself. If you have a tape layer over your magnets I would leave things as they are...

[MORCILLO]

I like to ground the finish wire because it's supposed to allow the outermost layers of winding to act as a shield to the rest of the pickup. I've been told that the difference is noticeable but I haven't determined that for myself. If you have a tape layer over your magnets I would leave things as they are...

David, this is the same idea that leads to me to wire this way! the shield effect of last wires!

Then the question is if htere is any real reason to wire hot to finih and graund to start.

Terry if you wind the humbuckers in the same direction, you get the same hum canceling simply changing the wiring of one coil? (one hot finish other hot start?)
The way fender did things are well documented in many places, and these sounds are a point in the horizon to follow for me, but I am trying to get the sound that are im my ears. Every time I try a guitar I was hearing it alone, listening to the harmonics sweetnes clarity and all of these words that describes a sound, for example positions 2 and 4 on strat, are really beautiful and love them... but I never use it playin with a group, and dont sound ok with even a little saturation (for me), with this in mind I will try to get a sound that cut the air in the middle of a band... or something like that...

Copperheadroads, this makes sense too. But im my opinion dont seems to me to be a weight reason for makers to do that way, if is there any....

Well, I will change the polarity in this guitar and try to see any difference, and try to know a reason to do it in any way, if that matters in any way....

[peskywinnets]

Back to the original question....does reversing the polarity of a set of three pickups sound different.... in reality (& IMHO) nope not likely.

of course, if you stood exactly in front of your amp about 1 metre away ...& if your signal chain did not invert the signal back a some stage...then yep the sound blasting from your speakers is outta phase with your strings which in principle ought to kill off their sustain....but since phase varies with distance it wouldn't be even cancellation across the guitar's bandwidth...and with the higher frequencies, you might even end up with phase reinforcement.

it's a lottery whether your vcomplete signal chain maintains the polarity anyway ...as I understand it, some marshall amps invert the polarity ...which means your pickup's inverted polarity would be inverted back etc, etc.

Best just brand them as 'polarity tweaked' towards a USP & increased sales

[jmaf]

A vote for David King's input.

Same thing with coupling capacitors, they are not polarized, but they're all mostly just some dielectric wound around with a conductor sandwich, so you should make the outermost turn the high voltage side and the grid circuit the most internal one.

[big_teee]

Back to the original question....does reversing the polarity of a set of three pickups sound different.... in reality (& IMHO) nope not likely.

it's a lottery whether your vcomplete signal chain maintains the polarity anyway ...as I understand it, some marshall amps invert the polarity ...which means your pickup's inverted polarity would be inverted back etc, etc.

The main reason for grounding the start is because of the rough magnets shorting out the wire.
And Polarity is only relevant when 2 pickups are played together ususally in Parallel.
I wind all 3 the same direction and ground start on neck and bridge, and ground the finish on the middle.
Can't tell that there is any shielding effect with the grounded finish on the middle pickup.
It's about as quiet or noisy as the other 2 when played in single mode.
Pos. 2 and 4 is another matter. Dead quiet. pos. 2 & 4 is actually quieter than my gibson style humbuckers.
Rock On!
Terry

[MORCILLO]

Thanks to all for your answers, I just phone now a friend who repairs bobins in motor and transform but could not talk with him, maybe he have another idea about this thing, I know that it is a very different thing, but, a second opinion will not harm to anybody.

I think there must be a electrical difference in doing it in one or other way, if not audible or practical, at least in theory... if not, roug polepieces will be the correct... for those that do not have a plastic bobbin....

[big_teee]

Thanks to all for your answers, I just phone now a friend who repairs bobins in motor and transform but could not talk with him, maybe he have another idea about this thing, I know that it is a very different thing, but, a second opinion will not harm to anybody.

I think there must be a electrical difference in doing it in one or other way, if not audible or practical, at least in theory... if not, roug polepieces will be the correct... for those that do not have a plastic bobbin....

I tell everyone to wind and test, then wind and test some more. lol
If your chasing tone, the main varibles on tone is height of the bobbins.
How fat the bobbin and how much scatter on the wind.
These things greatly effect tone.
You will find on single coils there are no set rules and everyone has their own ideas.
If you do wind start lead as hot, nothing wrong with that just be sure and seal and tape the magnets real good before you start!
Or you eventually will have shorted magnets.
Good Luck,
Terry

[MORCILLO]

You are right, and I go there, less computer and more winding

[David Schwab]

I like to ground the finish wire because it's supposed to allow the outermost layers of winding to act as a shield to the rest of the pickup. I've been told that the difference is noticeable but I haven't determined that for myself. If you have a tape layer over your magnets I would leave things as they are...

But.. are you magnets grounded? They should be. If they are, you might have a higher capacitance if the start is the hot.

I can't say I notice any difference though, but then I don't make single coils.

[MORCILLO]

Hi David.
The two, (a Dimarzio and a greman rockinger) Tele bridge PUs magnets I have tested, are not grunded, the slugs of 3 HB, one were grounded and two not...

Ground magnets?