Hey all. So I'm helping my son on a rebuild project, and when we popped off the faceplate on his 3 single-coil strat style guitar, some of the bar magnets were unglued from the base of the pickups and got jumbled.. Is there a diagram somewhere showing the correct polarity and alignment of these guys? I've been googling for hours and can't find anything..
Thanks!
I haven't seen a diagram either on the computer or in any books, over the years. I guess there is no reference?
Your pickups have steel or slug poles, which are unlike Alnico pole magnets, they are inert, though I'd like a better word.
If your pickups are like most of this type you have 1 bar magnet on the bottom of each; Mexican Standard Strats have 2.
Firstly, if you note that one magnet is sprayed or spattered with white paint, that bar goes under the middle pickup to represent Reverse Wound Reverse Polarity, for hum-cancelling in positions 2 and 4.
As for the ceramic magnet bars themselves, I think that the poles are arranged on their flat, long sides, or top and bottom, and not end to end. In school, we usually saw magnets with the poles at the far ends, and they made iron filings arrange themselves in a field pattern.
On a Strat, you are going to expect that the bridge and neck pickups overall, as an assembly are North-poled, and the middle is South-poled. So, get a magnetic compass with a floating needle. Put it over a bridge or neck pickup, and observe the needle point North. In your case, place a magnet on the bottom of the plastic bobbin in such a way, that you get get a North reading at the top, over the poles.
If you do it often, the compass needle will get confused, and you must remove the compass to about an arm's length and shake it, then retry the test. In the same manner, place the compass over the middle pickup, and it will be correct when the needle points South. Re-glue the magnets with epoxy.
FWIW, I don't think this methodology has been used or is in print. My son and I came up with it 8 - 10 years ago for a friend who is a blues player and author, who kept transcripts of things that we did for years, copyrighted it, and wants to write a book someday. I think that many good books have already been written and never agreed to either simplify and re-explain what's out there or add a few more obscure twists and modifications that nobody seems to care about anyway? But this could be an example of one area that has been missed, I don't know?
I googled pickups and found the MIM setup pictured below, and whadd'ya know, a pic of ours that is a pleasant surprise, and linked to this forum! It's interesting, I covered up our sticker and my son's name because he did not want the little Guitar Technologies Company, logos and domain name that I made for him to draw attention, while it was just a hobby; he went on to study electronics but won't go back to working on guitars, as he did in High School with my daughters - that time is over and we did not to carry on with it. We have a bridge and other things with no plans to commercialize.
And here's the reference to Guitar Noise that I found while searching Strat pickup images. Welcome Busker John and thanks for your question. All the best to you, your son and your work on the guitar. Let us know how it turns out. :D
&imgrefurl= http://forums.guitarnoise.com/viewtopic.php%3Ff%3D3%26t%3D46571&usg=__JW9GgHmW3e_--fPHspf4CDSDom4=&h=452&w=600&sz=132&hl=en&start=121&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=FJYdqbEl_hFHCM:&tbnh=102&tbnw=135&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dstrat%2Bpickup%2Bbar%2Bmagnet%2Bpicture%26start%3D105%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26newwindow%3D1%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1I7DACA_en-GB%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch: 1"> http://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj37/techplay/100_0587-1-1.jp g" target="_blank">
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Did you get it fixed yet John. How's it going? :)
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
Which way the magnets usually go, N-S-N or S-N-S I can't tell. But the middle pickup should be both magnetically reversed and reverse wound compared to the outside two. Then any combination of the middle pickup with one of the outer ones is humbucking.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Too bad the magnets fall off sometimes. We all like to fix things for our off-springs! :shock: Or buy new pickups. :!:
Whad'dya think of that for an excuse? :roll:
I hope it worked. :lol:
Like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.
