Hum cancelling on a three pickup Tele.

[TheMicster]

Hi I would like to confirm that CS Nocaster and the CS Texas special are the only fender made pickups that have a RWRP neck pickup.
The reason to ask is i am setting up 5 way Nashville Tele type conversion on my MIJ recently purchased off set Telecaster. I just want it to be Hum cancelling between neck and middle and middle and bridge. My plan is to move the existing neck pickup into the middle position and install a reverse wound pickup in the neck position. I'm not 100% sure that my Tele is set up as a south up Bridge and a North up Neck but being a new guitar i'm pretty sure they're released that way so as to be Hum cancelling.(Would be nice if someone knew for sure).
Also just trying to confirm if the Texas special neck pick up is actually wound in reverse or is it like some Lindy Fralin's where it is designed with a 1 hot and 2 earth wire system where the chassis and other metal parts are grounded separately to the winding and thus you can change the polarity just by reversing two of the appropriate wires which would allow the Texas special to be set either way (Very Flexible). I did notice on a photo that the Texas special looks to be a three wire set up.
Any relevant help would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers Mic.

 

[sjtalon]

Stand the guitar up and take a compass to the pups.................the NORTH end of the needle will point to a SOUTH top pup.

Two pickups 101


Remember that RWRP is a relative term, one pickup to it's mate. A pickup per se is not RWRP.

The real term should be RC RP; that is, reverse CONNECTED. How a pickup is wound doesn't really mean jack. What matters is how the MANUFACTURES wire them. That is, what color leads they use so that when wired, they are correct with each other PHASE WISE. For instance, Fender is usually black positive, white ground (or coil negative).

There is no standard as far as connection, OR polarity in the industry of a SET, so it's a crapshoot when you mix brands.

One can get any two pups IN PHASE by reversing the coil leads on ONE pickup of the set. Sometimes a modification to the pickup has to be done to make it a three-wire, if one of the leads is connected to a cover (Tele neck) or base plate, which is often done to both ground the coil, and cover or base plate with one lead to a pot.

If you want noise reduction, ONE of the two pickups must be of opposite polarity and CONNECTED in reverse (or opposite how the wind is as far as it's positive lead).

If you don't care about the noise reduction, then POLARITY doesn't matter, they can both be the same, only the correct connection (of leads) so the two are in phase with one another.

What stinks about a Nashville is you can't have the best of all worlds noise reduction (NR) wise (RC/RP pup in the set) if you want 7 way. So on Strats, with a FENDER NR set, the neck and bridge are NORTH top and the middle south. So on 2 and 4 you have NR.

If a person wants the Telecaster option of Neck and bridge and NR with a Nashville, you would have to decide which "Strat" tone you prefer, usually Neck and middle (#4), then have those opposite for the NR, with the bridge opposite the neck.

When you do that, your middle and bridge will be the same polarity wise so no NR there. Not the end of the world anyway, some pups aren't that noisy like that, or if you don't use # 2 it doesn't matter anyway.

 

[sjtalon]

FENDER Custom Shop Tele

Texas Special and Nocaster NECKS have NORTH top polarity

TS and NC BRIDGE have SOUTH top polarity

So with that, just talking TELECASTER, in position two, regardless of WHICH pups a person would mix, you would have noise reduction in position 2.

 

[schmee]

Doesn't the Tex Mex set used on the Nashville have a middle RWRP pickup? Or is that only the Tex Mex Strat set?

 

[sjtalon]

>Or is that only the Tex Mex Strat set<

Yup, designed that way.

Neck and bridge north, middle south.....................like Strats (that are designed for noise reduction)

 

[TheMicster]

FENDER Custom Shop Tele

Texas Special and Nocaster NECKS have NORTH top polarity

TS and NC BRIDGE have SOUTH top polarity

So with that, just talking TELECASTER, in position two, regardless of WHICH pups a person would mix, you would have noise reduction in position 2.

Thank you for the time you've taken to answer my question.
So am i to assume that most of the other Fender made Telecaster pickups eg. Twisted Tele etc. will have a south polarity top Neck and a North polarity top Bridge?
cheers Mic.

 

[sjtalon]

You are welcome.

Tele sets (Fender) not designed for noise reduction (or NOT having a RW/RP in the set) are BOTH North.

Twisted neck, broadcaster bridge. the Older American standards, standard Tele (MIM alinco pre 2006 and then the late ceramic bar mag ones), Original Vintage Tele® Pickups, ( now-2014-called "Vintage Telecaster"), Tex Mex Tele, ALL NORTH TOP.

However the Twisted Tele SET, is a bridge south, neck north- so noise cancel.

 

[sjtalon]

Other brand Tele sets that are noise reduction (have a RW/RP) and match FENDER noise reduction sets.......both N&B.........id est, same polarity:

Keystone Deluxe, Tonerider, and the ones in Squier Classic Vibes.

Dimarzio Twang Kings are BOTH SOUTH top.

 

[sjtalon]

Or just get these, and flip the mags however you need

 

[TheMicster]

You are welcome.

Tele sets (Fender) not designed for noise reduction (or NOT having a RW/RP in the set) are BOTH North.

Twisted neck, broadcaster bridge. the Older American standards, standard Tele (MIM alinco pre 2006 and then the late ceramic bar mag ones, Original Vintage Tele® Pickups, ( now-2014-called "Vintage Telecaster"), Tex Mex Tele, ALL NORTH TOP.

However the Twisted Tele SET, is a bridge south, neck north- so noise cancel.

Ok, understood so Twisted Tele are actually the same orientation as the Texas Specials.
For some reason i was under the impression that Texas specials were the only ones.
Thanks again.

 

[jfgesquire]

Or just get these, and flip the mags however you need

Done that, works great, especially with the Fender Pure Vintage 64s, which are out of phase with other Fender pickups.

This is a Squier SSH, which had the bridge pickup out of phase from the factory, now fixed.