Strange out of phase problem

[Marko Ursin]

I made two identical four coil bass pickups. Two coils on each pickup are wound cw with N polarity, two are wound ccw with S polarity towards strings and the two pairs are wired as humbucker. Pickups are mounted same polarity under E and A string and same polarity under D and G string. When combining these pickups there's strange out of phase sound at only E-string. If either pickup is turned down a bit the out of phase sound dissappears. Each pickup works great soloed. What an earth is going on here? What did I make wrong?

[Mike Sulzer]

I made two identical four coil bass pickups. Two coils on each pickup are wound cw with N polarity, two are wound ccw with S polarity towards strings and the two pairs are wired as humbucker. Pickups are mounted same polarity under E and A string and same polarity under D and G string. When combining these pickups there's strange out of phase sound at only E-string. If either pickup is turned down a bit the out of phase sound dissappears. Each pickup works great soloed. What an earth is going on here? What did I make wrong?

It sounds like one of the E coils has the opposite phase from that you intended. If you go near a strong magnetic hum source, are both pickups equally good at rejecting the hum?

[David Schwab]

I had the same thing happen when I made a set of 5-string Jazz pickups with multiple coils. Only it was two strings. Seems I didn't wind two of them as I intended. When I rewound those two coils, all was as it should be. The tricky part was finding which pickup was at fault! I had to use a single coil to test them against.

[Marko Ursin]

I have to look which one has wrong wired/wound coil. I guess it's just the out of phase-sounding coil that needs to be checked right?
Marko

[Mike Sulzer]

I have to look which one has wrong wired/wound coil. I guess it's just the out of phase-sounding coil that needs to be checked right?
Marko

It should be the E string coil on one of the two pickups, if I understand right. If one of them picks up more hum, it would be that one.

[David Schwab]

It should be the E string coil on one of the two pickups, if I understand right. If one of them picks up more hum, it would be that one.

Right, it can be either pickup. What I did to find the coil was connect a single coil pickup in phase with the string that were known to be in phase on each pickup, and then listen for the out-of-phase coil(s).

[Marko Ursin]

Problem solved by looking closely to the coils. One E-coil was wired reverse. I tape the coils and mark which wire is start and if the coil is cw or ccw. This one had somehow wrong wire marked as start. Now the pair works fine.

[David King]

Yay!

[David Schwab]

Problem solved by looking closely to the coils. One E-coil was wired reverse. I tape the coils and mark which wire is start and if the coil is cw or ccw. This one had somehow wrong wire marked as start. Now the pair works fine.

I use white wires for start and black wires for finish. There's no mixing that up (unlike when I wound them the wrong direction).

Glad you figured it out quickly.

[David King]

David, I like that idea, are there other companies that do the same or similar?

[David Schwab]

David, I like that idea, are there other companies that do the same or similar?

I think I got the idea from Stew-Mac.

[big_teee]

I think I got the idea from Stew-Mac.

I used to use 4 colored cable on humbuckers, and it got too confusing.
Now I do like you do, I cut up the 2 wire white and black 28 gauge cable.
I usually have a scrap piece laying around.
T

[Marko Ursin]

I wire the coils direct to the base, that's why I made the mistake.





Marko

[David Schwab]

I used to use 4 colored cable on humbuckers, and it got too confusing.
Now I do like you do, I cut up the 2 wire white and black 28 gauge cable.
I usually have a scrap piece laying around.
T

I use 4 conductor cable. But I use the black and white leads from the bobbins. I have a chart printed out that shows me how to hook it up (although I have it memorized at this point!).

I buy spools of black white and green 28 gauge wire. The green is for grounds and shields, but I don't use it too much any more.