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Pickup installation question

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12/30/2003 7:24 AM

Pickup installation question

OK, here's a dumb question.

I just bought some NOS Bill Lawrence Humbuckers. All 12 ploepieces are adjustable screw types.

How do I mount these so that I have the right coil in the right position?

With the conventional 'bucker, I'd mount the screws toward the neck for the neck pup, and screws toward the bridge for the bridge pup.

So - with these pups, how the f**k dow I know which way to orient the pickups when I mount them, since I don't know visually which coil is the "dummy" coil?

Thanks,

Fred G.

12/30/2003 4:58 PM
Dave Rice	Are the wires coming out of one side of the pickup? Generally the ide with the wires coming out of it is oriented towards the controls, or away from you as you hold the guitar in playing position. Dave

12/31/2003 12:31 AM

Hmm...well, with Duncans or Gibsons, the neck pickup generally has the cables coming out of the side of the pickup furthest AWAY from the controls, while the bridge has them on the closer side...it's simple to tell how to mount these brands, since you only have one set of adjustable poles. Screws toward the neck with the neck pickup, screws toward the bridge with the bridge pickup.

I guess this leads to another question. I'm confused now as to which coil is the hot coil and which is the dummy coil with a pickup having all poles as adjustable screws. With a standard humbucker, it's pretty easy to tell. With one such as this, with ALL poles being adjustable screw types, I must confess to being extremely confused as to which coil is which!

Can anybody straighten me out?

Thanks in advance,

Fred G.

12/31/2003 5:31 AM

Fred:

I'm confused now as to which coil is the hot coil and which is the dummy coil with a pickup having all poles as adjustable screws.

    So do these pickups actually use dummy coils? To be a dummy coil there would have to be no magnetic field and/or no slugs (correct me if I'm wrong!)

    Unless you are planning to split the coils I don't think it matters which coil is closer to the neck or bridge.

    As for the traditional arrangement, it seems to me that you would have a wider range of adjustment on the bridge pickup if the coil with the screws was closer to the neck!

--Good luck!

Steve Ahola

12/30/2003 8:58 PM
Nic Neufeld	Call Bill Lawrence himself...if he made them he can certainly tell you I'd think.

12/31/2003 8:00 PM

The pickups you have don't have dummy coils,both are regular coils but with the added advantage of both coils being fully adjustable,so it really makes no difference which way you mount them on your guitar.
Since both coils are symmetric too there's no change in tone with orientation as would happen with asymmetrical-coiled pickups,but i guess the best recomendation would be to go ahead an experiment,you may find some interesting sounds...or not...
Hope this helps,
Happy New Year,

Luijo

1/1/2004 8:07 AM

Well, dang, I guess I'm just a little confused. I always thought that the orientation of a humbucker had everything to do with which way you mounted the pickup with respect to the adjustable poles.

I always thought that if you mounted it with the screws towards the bridge, it would accentuate highs, while if you mounted it with screws towards the neck, it would ATTENUATE highs.

So the idea of having adjustable poles on both coils confuses me.

Please pardon my faux pas regarding the dummy coil terminology.

Further commentary would be appreciated!

Hey, by the way, Happy New Year!

Fred G.

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