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RW/RP neck pickup with an RW/RP bridge pickup

Discussion in 'Just Pickups' started by SUNBEAMTIGER, Oct 20, 2020.

  1. Oct 20, 2020 #1
    SUNBEAMTIGER

    SUNBEAMTIGER TDPRI Member

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    Hi all! I'm a bit of a pickup wiring noob so please excuse any ignorance I may unknowingly display about my question. I did manage to replace the bridge pickup in my Squier CV 50 tele with a Seymour Duncan Jerry Donohue a few years ago when the original PUP fried somehow and it is a RW/RP pickup. My question is, I'm now chasing that elusive tele airy/hollow neck pickup tone but don't want to spend big money like on the SD to do it - I think I've found it in the GFS Pro 52 neck pickup which is also RW/RP - now do I solder the wires white to black and black to white to keep the middle position hum cancelling with the RW/RP bridge pickup or do I go white/white and black/black? Any help would be great. Thanks very much!
     
  2. Oct 20, 2020 #2
    TimTam

    TimTam Tele-Holic

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    No need to apologize. This stuff can be confusing. RWRP is not a single "thing". You can only say that a pickup is RWRP in comparison to another known pickup. "Reverse wound (RW)" and "reverse (magnetic) polarity (RP)" means both are opposite to the wind/polarity of another pickup. So that's why GFS says "Reverse Wound/Reverse Polarity to create a hum cancelling effect when in parallel with any of our GFS bridge pickups." Unfortunately they don't say if the Pro 52's magnetic polarity is north up or south up.

    In order for a pickup pair to be RWRP they must first have opposite magnetic polarities, eg one north up and the other south up. If you already have both pickups, you can bring the tops towards each other - opposites attract, which is what you want (if they repel, they are same-polarity and your options to get RWRP are limited).

    If their polarities are opposite, you then just connect the hot and ground the 'right' way round to give you an in-phase pairing. There are ways to test for the 'right' way before installing (with multimeter 'screwdriver' test), or you can just try one way and see what you get. If the result sounds out of phase, you then flip the hot and ground wires on one pickup (if you need to flip and the ground is shared with the cover/metal, you will need to add a separate ground wire for that).
     
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  3. Oct 20, 2020 #3
    sjtalon

    sjtalon Doctor of Teleocity Ad Free Member

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  4. Oct 20, 2020 #4
    SUNBEAMTIGER

    SUNBEAMTIGER TDPRI Member

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    Thanks guys, I thinks I'll pull the trigger on the GFS pickup because it's only $30 which would mean about $50 to me once I get it here and for that it's worth a shot to play around.

    A question to Tims statement about RW/RP not being a standard - I'm assuming the GFS like the Duncan is referring to being RW/RP in relation to the way Fender currently winds/assembles their pickups? It's a bit academic at this point because I don't yet have the GFS pickup on hand to try the simple attract/repel test you suggested (thank you for that by the way, didn't think of that - was more focused on the wiring) but if they repel wouldn't that mean they are both RW/RP in the same way? So in that scenario I should reverse wire or black/black white/white? Also, I'm not opposed to attempting the trial and error experimentation you suggest but what do pickups sound like when they are out of phase? Again, please excuse what may seem like a dumb question - my electrical skills are normally limited to changing light bulbs!!
     
  5. Oct 20, 2020 #5
    Blackshadowrider

    Blackshadowrider TDPRI Member

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    I know you are trying to save money but the SD JD Bridge pickup you have is perfectly paired with the SD Alnico Pro II neck pickup. I do recall something about SD pickups being wound differently than other manufacturers when using single coils. The GFS may not be a perfect match up for the SD JD pickup you have. Good Luck
     
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  6. Oct 20, 2020 #6
    SUNBEAMTIGER

    SUNBEAMTIGER TDPRI Member

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    I appreciate the suggestion for sure but where I live we get the short end of the stick as far as dollar value is concerned. Most SD pickups are currently running about $120-$130+ tax each. While the Squier CV tele I own is a nice guitar, it's not a $2500 American Standard. I view my decision to originally go with an SD in the bridge with some remorse because it cost fully 1/3 of what the guitar cost me and am very reluctant to go down that rabbit hole again. I would sooner pull the SD JD out of the bridge, craigslist it and put the money into a matched set of GFS, Tonerider - something more fitting of the value of the guitar I own.
     
  7. Oct 20, 2020 #7
    sjtalon

    sjtalon Doctor of Teleocity Ad Free Member

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    > but if they repel wouldn't that mean they are both RW/RP in the same way? < YUP

    First, with that, drop the RW- what is being done with that deal is seeing if TWO pickups are either the same, or opposite top polarity. You can use a compass too.

    OPPOSITES ATTRACT.

    My thread on the link explained the deal.
    ▼
    Short version.

    If a person wants the noise reduction, one of the two pickups, needs to be opposite in polarity.

    If they are opposite, then one of the two needs to be CONNECTED in reverse of the other (so then as the little electric Gommers run around the coil, direction positive to negative is opposite of the other pup).

    If both pickups are the same POLARITY, then you just have to get them connected to the switch in the same fashion, that being which hot (positive) lead is the same on each one based on the wind.

    Out of phase is a weak, thin, tinny tone. Basically sounds like your amp might as well be a metal garbage can :confused:
     
  8. Oct 20, 2020 #8
    sjtalon

    sjtalon Doctor of Teleocity Ad Free Member

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    No problemo

    As they say, the only dumb question is the one not asked.

    Now answers, they can be dumb, I know, I've thrown out a few in may days ;)
     
  9. Oct 21, 2020 #9
    AJBaker

    AJBaker Friend of Leo's

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    There is no standard polarity or winding direction, so when a manufacturer talks about rw/rp is only ever in relationship to another pickup being sold in that set.



    If you're mixing sets, don't worry, there's a 50% chance it'll be in phase. If it's out of phase (thin nasal sound), you just swap the leads (while making sure any metal cover or plate is grounded separately), and you'll be fine.
     
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