NWNP lace and ?WRP rail

[toddw]

Is there any way to know if the rail on my P-rail is RWRP or NWRP, and will it matter? I'm wondering if the two will be "humbucking"

Thanks,
Todd

[ChrisK]

P-Rails (or not)

[toddw]

Thanks for the link, Chris, and I did read that.

I guess I want to know if there's some convention. Does being NWNP and RWRP to each other mean they are wound to some pickup winding standard. Or can you wind up with a NWNP Duncan pickup which is NWRP to a Lace pickup? Is NW always clockwise and NP always North up? Or can NWNP for some pickups be clockwise and North up, while NWNP for others is clockwise and South up?

Edit: Nevermind, I'm being an idiot (I think). If the magnets are reversed, then the winding direction depends on which lead I call hot. Right. So if I get that wrong, I'm NWNP and NWRP, which is out of phase, right? And if I get it right, I'm NWNP and RWRP.

So basically, if the stick together, I get hum cancelling when they're in phase, and if they don't stick, I don't get hum canceling when they're in phase.

If that's correct, I finally get it.

[ashcatlt]

Yup, you're right.

One way to find out which wire to call hot is to wire the thing up and listen. Another uses a meter and a screwdriver.

[ChrisK]

My approach is to wire it up and listen, with a sequence of screwdrivers liberally applied. Unfortunately, I always seem to completely forget why I'm doing what I'm doing (and then, what I'm doing).


As Albert Einstein said "It's all relative, man."

and if they don't stick, I don't get hum canceling when they're in phase.

But, you would get hum canceling when they're electrically out of phase, if OOP is the desired effect.

Remember, the coil phasing determines the hum canceling (they must be out of phase with each other). The coil phasing and magnet polarity determine the sensed string signal output phasing (one must be RWRP with respect to the other).

There are actually three things that determine the sensed string signal output (the right hand rule);

1. Magnet polarity
2. Effective coil winding direction (phase)
3. The instantaneous string movement direction

If you change any one or all three of these, the signal output phase reverses. If you change any two of these, the signal output phase stays the same (wow, just like a three-phase electric motor).

#1. Is difficult to change (but not impossible - magnet reversal or remagnetization)
#2. Is the easiest to change
#3. Is quite difficult to change (in this universe)


So, for in-phase hum cancelation

A. Ensure that the magnets attract (at the string end please).
B. Wire your coil phasing for best signal strength.
C. Forget about changing #3, thinking aboot it will cause an aneurysm.