Checking Polarity (single coils)

[ready2go]

Hi,

What's a good way to make sure that two single coils have opposite polarities? I figured that if the magnets (bottoms) stick together, they must be opposite. Is this correct?

Thanks in advance.

[ranchtooth]

Do you mean opposite polarity as in: winding direction (to get the humbucking effect) or in magnetic field, to get an out of phase sound?

Stewart Macdonald has a pickup polarity tester, but I'd prefer to save 10 bucks and just wire it up and use my ears as the test equipment.

www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Tools:_Polarity_tester/Magnet_Polarity_Tester.html?gclid=CKaf-NC9lpACFQUsPAod7gO57w

Someone more qualified than I probably has a better answer though

[ChrisK]

What's a good way to make sure that two single coils have opposite polarities? I figured that if the magnets (bottoms) stick together, they must be opposite. Is this correct?

Yep, for MAGNET polarities. Almost always.

Conversly, if the magnets (tops) stick together, they must also be opposite.

On two wire single coils, the ELECTRICAL polarity (phase, with respect to another pickup) is simply reversed by switching where the two wires go from one pickup.