Changing a passive pickup's top magnetic polarity

[@glynallen2027]

Great video, thanks I wondered are you using an N54 or N42 Neodymium magnet? What is the best strength magnet for this task?

[@rfdsrd]

Doesn't matter - neodymiums have waaaaaay higher Gauss rates than any AlNiCx (Co or Cu) magnets - N42 or N52 will both work quite well and fast.

[@niltoneduardoalayochavez4395]

Excellent video. Some questions. I see that it only charged on one side and not on the other. In a previous video of his, he did the charging with 2 magnets, north and south. Can you explain this to me?. What magnetic strength must the magnet used to charge the alnico have?. Thank you very much for answering.

[@rfdsrd]

Magnetic saturation *may* be somewhat faster if there are a pair of charging magnets, but not required. The key is that the charging magnets must have a much stronger magnetic field in order to flip the target magnet polarity. The AlNiCx family of magnets are quite weak when compared to neodymium rare earth magnets that have ten times or more magnetic Gauss rates. For the most part, all passive magnetic guitar/bass/etc pickups are using AlNiCx rod magnets (i.e. - Fender) or AlNiCx or the somewhat stronger ceramic bar magnets (i.e. - Gibson). Typically, if they can be accessed, most bar magnets can be physically turned in order to reverse their polarity, but some - such as those embedded within a pickup bobbin - can't be accessed (i.e. - Gibson Firebird pickups). So, in the case of single coil pickups that employ rod magnets, the bottom line is to use one strong N52 neodymium rare earth magnet to flip passive pickup magnet polarities, with the pickup in the guitar ... and for almost all bar magnet passive pickups, physically turn the bar magnet in order to flip its polarity. Hope this helps.

[@niltoneduardoalayochavez4395]

​​@@rfdsrdThank you very much for your reply. One last question. According to this video, you charged only on one side, does that mean that on the other side, which is the opposite polarity, it will charge automatically?. This is correct?. Thank you. Other detail. This is correct?: kzbin.infomy7NHURgtuI?si=VMgXtClAVMzzZrn3

[@muzaffermahoni6828]

Hi, I replaced the neck pickup of my telecaster with a p90 bridge pickup. what should I do to get the hum to stop in the middle position?

[@rfdsrd]

In a 2 pickup guitar, one pickup must be RWRP (Reverse Wind & Reverse Polarity) to the other pickup if a noiseless parallel humbucking mode is required when both pickups are selected. Right now with your guitar, when both pickups are selected, if the tone is distinctly "nasal" (out-of-phase) the leads of one pickup need to be reversed in the control cavity. This will be a problem to accomplish with most pickups that also have a frame (P90) or base plate (most Tele bridge pickups) because manufacturers solder strap those kinds of necessary grounds to one of the coil leads. In doing so, the leads can't be flipped until those ground straps are physically cut and replaced with a separate ground lead or are re-strapped to the other coil lead. Once the above is accomplished the tone when both pickups are selected will vastly improve and lose that nasal wonky twangy edge. If there is still humbuzz noise, then one of the pickups needs to have their top magnetic polarity reversed and in your case it will be easiest to flip the polarity of the Tele bridge pickup because it has exposed rod magnets, accomplished as shown in this video. P90 pickups typically employ bar magnets that energize screw poles. They can't have their polarity flipped as in this video and depending on the P90 build would probably require some measure of disassembly to get to the bar magnet(s) and physically turn the bar(s) 180*.

[@muzaffermahoni6828]

@@rfdsrd Thank you very much for the answer, it's hard for me to understand and to do. Anyway I managed to reverse the bar magnets of the p90 but the noise didn't shut. (I didn't do anything else) In the middle position the sounds seems normal but I can hear the hum of both pickups, maybe I made a mistake in the schematic, I don't know.

[@muzaffermahoni6828]

@@rfdsrd I reverse soldered the cables and it worked, thank you very much sir!

[@joeltunnah]

Wow, this deserves more views and likes, thank you. So Peter Green had a flipped magnet in his neck humbucker, which gave his in-between position a nasal quack. I'm guessing doing your trick on a Strat neck pickup wouldn't have the same effect?

[@rfdsrd]

Yes, if it's a rod magnet passive pickup (Tele, Strat, Jaguar, Jazzmaster, Mustang, etc) flipping the top magnetic polarity is too easy and fast, and done right on the guitar.

[@rodolfoamaralguitar]

Hello. I tried to change the polarity in an old ceramic single coil, which the poles are south, and the magnet bar is north. I couldn´t change the polarity.

[@rfdsrd]

typically the poles are not magnetic, they're iron and get fed from an under slung ceramic bar magnet. you need to charge the magnet itself.

[@rodolfoamaralguitar]

@@rfdsrd ok, I will try, thanks

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

This will noise cancel like humbuck in middle position?

[@rfdsrd]

YES .... as long as ONE of the two pickups is RWRP = reverse wound & reverse polarity. If both pickups have the same top magnetic polarity, flip the polarity of ONE of the pickups, which is the how-to essence of this video.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

@rfdsrd What if none are reverse would, and I just change the polarity. Will it cause a noise?

[@rfdsrd]

@@ushnicyuvnikof2748 Yes. One passive single coil pickup must be RWRP to the other passive single coil pickup in order to buck the hum ................. REVERSE POLARITY - If the pickups in question utilize rod magnets, this video shows how easy it is to flip their magnetic polarity, right in the guitar, nothing to take apart. REVERSE COIL WIRE WIND DIRECTION - This can be a bit sticky IF the pickup maker has strapped one of the coil wires to ground, such as Tele neck pickup cover or a Tele bridge pickup base plate. If so, those straps need to be cut and a third wire used to separate the coil from any grounding issues.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

@rfdsrd But I've seen people do it without a reverse wind. On single coils they use a magnet and on P90s they flip the magnet and bobbin.

[@ushnicyuvnikof2748]

They reverse the wire. And it appears to work...

[@Manishahd]

how is it even possible? Pickup is South side up and you are putting south side of magnet on top of it and it attracts and sticks !! some new kind of physics going on here? they are supposed to repel

[@rfdsrd]

Gauss Rate POWER. Neodymium rare earth magnets are Many times stronger than AlNiCo rod magnets, which are about the weakest magnets for their physical size. The Neo magnet is flipping the polarity of the AlNiCo magnet.

[@Manishahd]

@@rfdsrd yes. I tried that myself this weekend. Momentary mild repulsion immediately paved way to polarity switch and attraction .Thanks for your video on the subject

[@rfdsrd]

@@Manishahd Happy to help, Sir.

[@biggstile]

I was told you need a magnet on the top and bottom when doing this, each of different polarity.

[@rfdsrd]

NO, you do not - just look at the video and see the results.