Peter Green pickup wiring diagram

[Tam]

Hi Guys, Anyone out there post a diagram of how to wire up pickups the way Peter Green's Les Paul was wired up. I've searched through the Forum and there seems to be some debate on the way the pickups are wired up. So please someone post a diagram.

Tam

 

[lpnv59]

It was wired stock. The magnet in the neck pickup was flipped around, making the pickups out of phase with each other.

 

[Don]

There's no debate. lpvn59 speaks the truth on this matter.

 

[Mikester]

OK, I'm confused.

You say the magnet was flipped, but wasn't the pickup then flipped too?
(Does that nullify the change? Isn't just flipping the pickup, flipping the magnet?)

Would the combination of those changes, change the circuit with respect to the two pickups interacting with each other? Electrically? Magnetically?

Thanks for any clarification...

 

[fatnecks]

Flipping the whole pickup is more window dressing than anything else. Flipping the magnet inside the neck pup puts the two pups magnetically out of phase with each other. It doesn't matter electrically or magnetically how the pup sits in the guitar.

 

[bluesforstevie]

OK, I'm confused.

You say the magnet was flipped, but wasn't the pickup then flipped too?
(Does that nullify the change? Isn't just flipping the pickup, flipping the magnet?)

Would the combination of those changes, change the circuit with respect to the two pickups interacting with each other? Electrically? Magnetically?

Thanks for any clarification...

Flipping the pickup has no effect on phase. It is the magnets polarity within that pickup that has changed and results in out of phase tone. Not in its relationship to the other pickup.

Once the magnet's North South relationship within that pickup and its two coils has been changed, you can turn the pickup anywhich way and it wont have an effect.

 

[Tam]

I've just bought a set of Bare Knuckle Peter Green pickups with the neck pickup magnet flip, so does that mean I can install the neck pickup with the pole pieces facing the headstock or would I have to have the pole pieces facing the bridge to get the out of phase sound with the selector in the middle position.

 

[bluesforstevie]

I've just bought a set of Bare Knuckle Peter Green pickups with the neck pickup magnet flip, so does that mean I can install the neck pickup with the pole pieces facing the headstock or would I have to have the pole pieces facing the bridge to get the out of phase sound with the selector in the middle position.

It doesn't matter.

 

[Mikester]

Flipping the pickup has no effect on phase. It is the magnets polarity within that pickup that has changed and results in out of phase tone. Not in its relationship to the other pickup.

Once the magnet's North South relationship within that pickup and its two coils has been changed, you can turn the pickup anywhich way and it wont have an effect.

This doesn't help, and I'm dense. ;-)

I re-read it and now I think I get it. Thanks. The magnet flip OR reversing the wiring gets the out of phase.

 

[Don]

There needs to be a sticky Peter Green mod thread.
It's one of the most misunderstood things discussed on the forum!

The Fender Forum needs a similar sticky thread on the misunderstanding of the relationship between Strat pickups.

 

[Mikester]

When you flip mag OR change wiring polarity (+- -> -+), the sine wave starts down instead of up when you pluck a string. The normal, bridge PUP's sine wave starts up. Out of phase.

Make sense? So rather than undoing the wiring on the pickup, just lift the coils and flip the mag.

Or, that's why 4 conductor wired pup's can get either in or out or phase without messing with magnets.

+1 on the sticky!

 

[fatnecks]

You don't need 4 wires to reverse the phase. I recently got into it with another guy who told me that I couldn't do this with std Gibson pups. Presently I've got 3 guitars wired this way with a DPDT switch, either push/push or push/pull pots.

You can insulate the whole braid so it doesn't short, run a jumper off it, and that's your "standard" ground. Swap the hot and ground and you're good, but you've got to make sure it doesn't short, even on the base plate of the pup because now that's hot. As I said, I've done this to a LP Classic, a LP Classic DC, and an SG Standard.

Or, as stated above, you can loosen the bobbin screws, slide the magnet out, turn it around (not over) and put it back in. Reassemble and you're good. You choose to flip the pup around when you put it back in or not, but it's just for aesthetics.

 

[fatnecks]

Also, +1 on the sticky!

 

[bluesforstevie]

You choose to flip the pup around when you put it back in or not, but it's just for aesthetics.

I disagree a bit with this. I think that when the neck pole pieces are closer to the bridge you some nice different harmonics...since there is a node up where the fretboard ends, and I also think you get a little tighter and slightly brighter sound that is a little less muddy than in the normal position.

But it has NO effect on the phase thing at all.:salude

 

[MikeyG]

I just bought a great guitar that has the WCR Green pickups in it.

Were Peter's bridge humbuckers naturally 'thinner' sounding than normal? These pickups sound that way. I seem to recall, from recordings, that this may be true.

Man, you really notice it, going from the Bridge to Neck, the neck just punches you with enormous low end that the bridge lacks.

Just wondering if this is normal, or a misunderstanding of the proper installation of the pickup. (I'm not technical in the least)

 

[Cottage]

I just bought a great guitar that has the WCR Green pickups in it.

Were Peter's bridge humbuckers naturally 'thinner' sounding than normal? These pickups sound that way. I seem to recall, from recordings, that this may be true.

Man, you really notice it, going from the Bridge to Neck, the neck just punches you with enormous low end that the bridge lacks.

Just wondering if this is normal, or a misunderstanding of the proper installation of the pickup. (I'm not technical in the least)

No, sounds like you've got a weak bridge P/U. The PG thin hollow sound only occurs when both P?us are on and the volumes are the same.

 

[GreenManalishi]

Or, as stated above, you can loosen the bobbin screws, slide the magnet out, turn it around (not over) and put it back in. Reassemble and you're good. You choose to flip the pup around when you put it back in or not, but it's just for aesthetics.

This requires clarification. The magnet actually needs to be "flipped over." You pull the magnet out, flip it so what was the top before is now the bottom, and reinsert it. If you take the magnet out and turn it, so that the end that was on the inside is now outside, without flipping it over, you have done nothing to affect the phase.

 

[In The Light]

Evidently a guitar tech of Green's was working on his LP and accidentally switched the magnet polarity and then re-installed the neck pickup 180 degrees backwards on the guitar on top of it all! I recall reading this about 5 years ago. Talk about a happy (and incompetent) accident!

 

[bharat.k]

I've just bought a set of Bare Knuckle Peter Green pickups with the neck pickup magnet flip, so does that mean I can install the neck pickup with the pole pieces facing the headstock or would I have to have the pole pieces facing the bridge to get the out of phase sound with the selector in the middle position.

I was going to say give Tim Mills at Bareknuckle a ring. Gary Moore is using his pickups now! Just wire them in normally, all the work has been done in making the pickups. Which way round you screw in the neck pickup is up to you since that's mainly a cosmetic thing.

 

[GreenManalishi]

I was going to say give Tim Mills at Bareknuckle a ring. Gary Moore is using his pickups now! Just wire them in normally, all the work has been done in making the pickups. Which way round you screw in the neck pickup is up to you since that's mainly a cosmetic thing.

Correct, of course. Let's once and for all try to dispel the myth that the orientation of Green's neck pickup had anything to do with his tone. It categorically did not! The magnet flip is 100% responsible for his out of phase tone. Well, that and the wood on his guitar and, naturally, his touch.