Mixing Fender and Duncan pups?

[cowpunk]

I currently own a Fender Lite Ash Tele. I'm looking to replace the neck pickup with the neck pickup from a USA Fender B-Bender (Nashville) Telecaster.
I figure even if the Nashville was setup to be hum cancelling in the 2 and 4 positions, that only the middle pup would be RW/RP. Therefore, the neck should be standard American tele winding/polarity. So would this Fender neck pup be readily compatible with the Duncan AlnicoII pro bridge pup?

[tele12]

I believe remember reading that Duncans were wound opposite of Fenders.

[tfsails]

Electronically, I see no reason why you can't mix the two brands. Tonally, I have no idea. If the two brands are wound backwards, you'd be able to get something resembling Strat quack in the middle position, I'd think. If they're wound the same, then you'd have a nice mixture of tones.

Mixing the brands isn't going to hurt the guitar or amp at all.

[Tarnisher]

I have a Duncan Little '59 in the bridge and my neck pickup was pulled from the neck of a Mexican Strat. They sound great together.

[sjtalon]

The neck polarity would be normal FENDER (north top polarization) but it's hard to say if it will be right phase wise (which has nothing to do with sounding like a strat) with the SD. So even though the Fender is "normal" doesn't mean it will be "normal" with another manufacture as there is no standard to polarization, or wind direction.

Just wire the neck up and hook the bridge up with jumper leads and play them combined. If they sound weak and thin (nasel-ly) then switch the bridge leads. The green and black would be the ones reversed from ground to switch or vise versa.

[cowpunk]

Originally Posted by tfsails

If the two brands are wound backwards, you'd be able to get something resembling Strat quack in the middle position, I'd think. If they're wound the same, then you'd have a nice mixture of tones.

Mixing the brands isn't going to hurt the guitar or amp at all.

Originally Posted by tele12

I believe remember reading that Duncans were wound opposite of Fenders.

I think the reverse wind should be okay. I'm not sure if there is a difference in polarity though. Does some combination of these two variables (polarity and winding direction) have an effect on phasing? (I've heard out-of-phase pickups can sound thin and wimpy.) For instance: I know RW/RP is used for noise cancellation, but what if it's reverse wound but with the same polarity - or vice-versa?

Originally Posted by Tarnisher

I have a Duncan Little '59 in the bridge and my neck pickup was pulled from the neck of a Mexican Strat. They sound great together.

Thanks. This gives me hope.

[mellecaster]

As Duncan States on his Website, the two usually don't mix well together,

but either can easily be changed w/ the methods below.

[sjtalon]

I've been editing my post so if you read it, you should get the answers.

[cowpunk]

Thanks sjtalon. I think you answered my question(s)^

[sjtalon]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

As Duncan States on his Website, the two usually don't mix well together,

but either can easily be changed w/ the methods below.

It's a HB so no base plate is my take on switching the bridge wires instead of modding the neck.

[cowpunk]

I read on the Duncan site that the worst case scenario is that you have to flip the magnets. Hope that isn't necessary.

[cowpunk]

It's a HB so no base plate is my take on switching the bridge wires instead of modding the neck.

The Alnico proII tele pups are what I have now. http://www.seymourduncan.com/product...co_ii_pro_f_1/ Unless you mean that the pickups are humbucking when combined.

[sjtalon]

Originally Posted by cowpunk

Thanks sjtalon. I think you answered my question(s)^

You're welcome.

Just another note.

The manufactures wire colors are going to tell a person how to wire the pickup in regards to which lead goes were. As far as ONE pickup, it doesn't matter which way you wire it actually. Now when you wire two pickups in a guitar, each has to be connected correctly WIND WISE so together, they are in phase with each other.

In the case of a set that is noise cancelling, one pickup is RW/RP of the other so when played together, they basically remove unwanted signal NOT produced by each pup.

RW/RP is a relative term, so two different polarizations are a must for noise cancel, but the real way to describe it is REVERSE CONNECTED in lieu of reverse wound. So it just boils down to either the START of the wind going to ground, or the FINISH of the wind going to ground, and that is what determines which way the little electron Gommers run around the coil, cw or ccw, as current is generated.

[sjtalon]

Originally Posted by cowpunk

The Alnico proII tele pups are what I have now. http://www.seymourduncan.com/product...co_ii_pro_f_1/ Unless you mean that the pickups are humbucking when combined.

Oh crap, I sit corrected. When I cut and pasted Duncan AlnicoII pro bridge to Google for images, a HB came up, so go by what mellecaster posted if you have to reverse the lead of one/either, as you have SINGLE COIL PUPS.

But like I said, try one with test leads first, and then do the mod if you have to reverse it from what is standard for the leads. That is Fender has BLACK to ground white to switch.

[stratman323]

Thanks for those diagrams mellecaster. I hadn't seen those before. This is more complicated that I thought it was.

[mellecaster]

Originally Posted by stratman323

Thanks for those diagrams mellecaster. I hadn't seen those before. This is more complicated that I thought it was.

Nah....read them over a few times, it's really not that difficult, and If you

decide to Mod the Bridge Pup, the added separate Ground to the Bridge plate

is a good Idea anyway IMO.

[cowpunk]

Originally Posted by mellecaster

Nah....read them over a few times, it's really not that difficult, and If you

decide to Mod the Bridge Pup, the added separate Ground to the Bridge plate

is a good Idea anyway IMO.

Doh! For some reason I can't see the diagrams in your previous post.

[sjtalon]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...lead_phase.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...ng/NeckPup.jpg

[cowpunk]

Originally Posted by sjtalon

Oh crap, I sit corrected. When I cut and pasted Duncan AlnicoII pro bridge to Google for images, a HB came up, so go by what mellecaster posted if you have to reverse the lead of one/either, as you have SINGLE COIL PUPS.

But like I said, try one with test leads first, and then do the mod if you have to reverse it from what is standard for the leads. That is Fender has BLACK to ground white to switch.

LOL! No worries. I think the humbuggy is the most common. I should have been more precise. Thanks for the info. Thanks to Mellecaster too.
Invaluable knowledge for newbies like myself.

[sjtalon]

Let us know how it works out.

As far as checking the polarity of your set:

Take a compass to the top of the pickup, the one the NORTH end of the needle points to is a SOUTH TOP polarization.

You can also take the two you have and hold them top to top with each other, if they attract (stick together) that means they are opposites, and that's good, as then you will have noise cancel in position 2.