Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
- Jazzyboi
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Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
Are there any differences between the bridge and neck pickups in 59-64 jazzmaster pickups? I have a vintage bridge but need a neck pickup, and can only find a bridge one. Thanks!
- Embenny
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
You can do that, but won't get hum cancelation in the middle position.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
- Jazzyboi
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
Ah ok, why is that?
- Embenny
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
The neck pickup is wound in the reverse direction and has the magnets oriented the opposite way. When you flip both, you get a signal that is in phase but hum that is out of phase and cancels out, i.e. a humbucker. There is no way to nondestructively flip the magnets on a JM and repolarizing them in the opposite orientation takes extremely specific expertise and equipment.
So, if you just wire two identical pickups together, it'll sound just fine, but not cancel hum in the middle position.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
- jimboyogi
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
If you just install the pickup upside down (eyelets facing towards strings) inside the cover, then the pickup is reversed both wind direction and magnetically. Only problems are whether the wires fit into the cover, and whether the eyelets/wires cause the pickup to not sit properly within the cover.mbene085 wrote: ↑Mon May 27, 2019 3:53 pmThe neck pickup is wound in the reverse direction and has the magnets oriented the opposite way. When you flip both, you get a signal that is in phase but hum that is out of phase and cancels out, i.e. a humbucker. There is no way to nondestructively flip the magnets on a JM and repolarizing them in the opposite orientation takes extremely specific expertise and equipment.
So, if you just wire two identical pickups together, it'll sound just fine, but not cancel hum in the middle position.
- Embenny
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
Yeah, and the amount that polepieces protrude isn't symmetrical on JM pickups. It's possible to do but not ideal.
The artist formerly known as mbene085.
- Jazzyboi
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Re: Is it ok to use a bridge pickup as a neck pickup?
Very interesting, thank you