Neo Bar magnet polarity?

[jworrellbass]

Hello, I'm new here. I recognize a few names from Talk Bass. The question I'm going to ask will probably seem somewhat trollish, but I'm confussed about polarity with Neo bar mags.

I've used neo pole mags with good results (winding split coils). But I want to wind a set of humbucker with bar magnets.

So my question is if I have the north side of the mags facing each other on the neck pickup I end up with the same polarity on the top of the 2 mags (I've spun them all kinds of different ways with the same results). Should I do the opposite with the bridge pup? Or should I have N/S on top and N/S facing each other? I'm also going to use set screws in the center, kind of like Q-tuners jazz bass pups.
Q-tuners: World's first neodymium guitar and bass pickups.

I'm sure there's a diagram somewhere that will help. Does anyone have a link, or a answer?

Please feel free to treat me like a "trollish newbie" if you must.. I have done a limited search. I just need to know before I wind the pups.

If I'm confussing I can up load a drawing.

Thanks in advance.
John

[David Schwab]

I recognize you from TalkBass also!

Q-Tuners are sidewinders. The two magnets have the same polarity pole facing each other. The two coils are wired out of phase.

Normally you have one blade or set of poles up the center, or maybe the magnet is the blade and the coils have steel cores.

Q-Tuners differ in that they have the other end of the magnets charging a set of poles. So you would see N-S-N across the pickup.

Since they are humbuckers, you don't need to reverse the magnet pole on the other pickup.

On regular dual coil humbuckers, like on a Music Man bass, each coil has the opposite magnetic polarity and the two coils are wired out of phase.

So if you are using a bar magnet to charge the poles, instead of having the magnets in the coils, like the MM pickup, then each pole of the bar magnet is touching one set of poles.

[jworrellbass]

Thanks David, it's nice to see a familar name (along with a face).
So if I keep the same polarity from each bar magnet facing each other it will be ok.
I'm thinking I should wind each magnet the opposite direction.

Normally on split coil pups with pole magnets I wind them the same direction with the north polarity facing left and then I filp one over so I get my RWRP.

[David Schwab]

You can wind them in the same or opposite directions. All that changes is how you wire them together.

[jworrellbass]

Thanks, I'll let you know how they come out.