Humbucker Polarity

[wired]

I'm attempting my first multi switch rewiring on an old electric guitar. It has 4 wire humbuckers. Does anyone know how I can determine the polarity of the leads and also which leads go to which side of the humbucker?

I'd prefer not to open them up if possible.

Thanks

[cynical1]

There's the technical way...which has been discussed here previously. You can try a search for postings over the past year or two to find it ...then there's the easy way.

The easy way requires knowing what brand of guitar or pickup you have. Then see if they're in this posting Pickup Wire Colors and Polarity, or this link. If not here, many times an Internet search will lead to the proper polarity color codes.

Or, try this link Determine the Color Codes for your Pickup

This should get you close...

Happy Trails

Cynical One

[JohnH]

Yes, if you know the brand, its all easily looked up. If not, you can use a multimeter to see what is connected to what. You also need to figure out the relative phase of the coils.

If it is not clear what brand the pickups are, is it at laest probable that they are both the same brand? and what colour are the leads?

Even without a multimeter, you can work out what you need just by connecting the leads to an amp using aligator clips and listening for hum and tapping poles with a screwdriver. Ill write more if needed.

John