Phase of a humbucker?

[big_teee]

I'm not asking how to do something. or how to fix a problem. I dont have one.

In fact I just shipped out an amazing HSS loaded guard to a guy that works perfectly.

I want to discuss theory here.

I want an example of a humbucker (that is NOT split) and a single-coil pickup, being out of phase with each other.

I am asking because - a humbucker is two opposite coils, joined as one.

So in the eyes of the single-coil, what does the humbucker look like when it reaches out to take it's hand?

In relation to it's interaction with the single coil, what determines a humbucker's "wind direction and polarity"??

Do you follow? A humbucker is two directions and two polarities in one. So what do they equal electronically?

Is a humbucker neutral and will match with a SC that matches either one of it's windings?

Omit all answers regarding the switching of leads to correct; proper wiring only, please.

-Rob

So start by telling us how your pickups and your pickguard is configured?
SO I suspect the neck is S/up/CW?
Your middle was probably N/up/CCW.
So how did you wire the humbucker?

[copperheadroads]

Combining pickups without phase issues & without rw/rp YOU need coils wired the same direction & same magnetic polarity ,so the closest coil of the bucker & the single coil should be wound the same direction & have the same pole of the magnet facing up

[big_teee]

Combining pickups without phase issues & without rw/rp YOU need coils wired the same direction & same magnetic polarity ,so the closest coil of the bucker & the single coil should be wound the same direction & have the same pole of the magnet facing up

However you do it, it usuallty winds up a crap shoot.
So then you have no RWRP with the neck & middle pickup?
Like you said earlier, on SCs there is really no standard.
Everyone does them every which way.

[Mark Norwine]

Just so I'm tracking....

We're discussing polarity, not phase.

Right??

[J S Moore]

The humbucker doesn't have a polarity compared to a single coil. For the two of them to play nice the coils have to be wound the same direction. The single can be any polarity, reversing it won't solve phase issues with a humbucker.

[big_teee]

The humbucker doesn't have a polarity compared to a single coil. For the two of them to play nice the coils have to be wound the same direction. The single can be any polarity, reversing it won't solve phase issues with a humbucker.

And, Why don't they have a polarity?
Most Humbuckers have a North polarity.

[copperheadroads]

Pickup Polarity and Phase Made Simple | Seymour Duncan Blog

[David King]

I used to check my bass phase to make sure my stage rig's speakers were moving in and out at the same time as the front of house speakers. I had a Crown DC300A and the preamp was a TC electronic dual parametric eq. Everything was DC coupled so I could move the string in and out slowly with my thumb and forefinger and see if the drivers were going the same way.

[J S Moore]

And, Why don't they have a polarity?
Most Humbuckers have a North polarity.

One coil is north and one coil is south so there really is no distinct polarity to the pickup as a whole.

[big_teee]

One coil is north and one coil is south so there really is no distinct polarity to the pickup as a whole.

The question was more of the phase and polarity relationship between humbuckers and single coils.
Like HSS, and HSH, not just within the humbucker itself.
The polarity of the humbucker is determined by whether it is fed north or South.
The Seymour Duncan link outlines this well.
Pickup Polarity and Phase Made Simple | Seymour Duncan Blog

[J S Moore]

The question was more of the phase and polarity relationship between humbuckers and single coils.
Like HSS, and HSH, not just within the humbucker itself.
The polarity of the humbucker is determined by whether it is fed north or South.
The Seymour Duncan link outlines this well.
Pickup Polarity and Phase Made Simple | Seymour Duncan Blog

I thought I covered that in my original post. Polarity makes no difference with a single coil in regards to a humbucker. It's the direction of the wind that matters.

[big_teee]

I thought I covered that in my original post. Polarity makes no difference with a single coil in regards to a humbucker. It's the direction of the wind that matters.

Whatever works, and however you best understand it is all that matters.
Just so We all know how to wire them up, so that they don't hum.
Most of us have our own little ways and tricks of doing things.
T

[Steve Conner]

Do you follow? A humbucker is two directions and two polarities in one. So what do they equal electronically?
Is a humbucker neutral and will match with a SC that matches either one of it's windings?

Yes. In order for a humbucker to work, the two coils have to match each other. If they didn't, the signals from them would cancel, there would be no output.

Therefore, a single coil pickup that matches either of the humbucker's coils, will match the humbucker as a whole. At least it'll match in terms of signal phase. Adding a single coil to a humbucker loses the hum cancelling.

I don't like "neutral". I prefer to say that (North up+CW) and (South up+CCW) are equivalent because they have the same phase. Winding the coil in the opposite direction inverts the phase, flipping the magnet inverts it again, and the two inversions cancel out.

[Mike Sulzer]

The humbucker doesn't have a polarity compared to a single coil. For the two of them to play nice the coils have to be wound the same direction. The single can be any polarity, reversing it won't solve phase issues with a humbucker.

Let's look at what polarity means. Suppose that when a string is moving towards the pickup pole piece, the pickup output is a positive voltage.(1)(2) We could call that a positive polarity. Any pickup that puts out a positive voltage under the same conditions also has a positive polarity. This could be a single coil or a humbucker(3); it makes no difference.

(1) string moving: velocity is what counts because the voltage produced is proportional to the rate of change of magnetic flux through the coil. When the string moves the flux through the coil changes; flux can increase or decrease, resulting in voltages of different signs.

(2) Both magnetic and electric effects matter, and so there is both an electric and magnetic polarity since changing either changes the sign of the output voltage. Change the direction of the magnetic field (which pole is up), and the polarity of the coil changes. Change the direction the coil is wound while keeping start/finish connections the same, the polarity of the coil changes. Swap start and finish, the polarity of the coil changes.

(3) Each coil of a humbucker has a polarity; connected properly the combination has a polarity also. To add signals, the two coils must have the same polarity, but to cancel hum this must be achieved by reversing both the magnetic and electric polarity of one coil. The two reversals make the polarity of the coil the same, as defined by string motion. But since hum pickup does not care about the direction of the steady magnetic field (which pole is up), the differences in electric polarity of the two coils results in hum cancellation.

[mcgruff]

The blue dots are coil starts, the red squares are coil finishes. Coils show the direction of winding and the arrow shows the direction of the magnetic field.



A humbucker can be thought of as a single coil: