How To Identify Wiring On Mystery Humbuckers

A KZbin Friend of mine was looking for some help with this so I thought I'd share it with everyone. I too remember the first time I had to try and work this out..frustrating when you don't know how:-)

[@TheVINMAN531]

HOW DO YOU CHECK FOR THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE WHEN THE COLORS ARE OTHER THAN WHITE AND BLACK?

[@ScreaminNighthog]

Great job! Thanks for keeping it simple and straight to the point without any nonsense.

[@paulthayer4915]

This did not help my particular case and I've been trying to research for days. I have a humbucker with a red, white, black, and unshielded wire. All combinations of the red, black and white give me value when testing resistance although they vary. I get no value with any one of the colored wires and the unshielded. When I test the red and black I get 16 ohms of resistance. When I test the white and black I get 8 ohms. When I test red and white I get 16 ohms. How do I know which one of these combos to use for humbucking mode? And which ends up being ground/ negative?

[@thomastrout1075]

YOU NEED TO SHOW VIEWERS HOW TO DETERMINE CW AND CCW LEADS AND NORTH - SOUTH LEADS RW RP......

[@laurentiufratila6847]

So, why did you joined black wire from first coil, with yellow wire from the second coil ? where did you find wich one are start and wich one are finish for each coils, to put it togheter ? Does not matter wich wire you put togheter ?

[@12south31]

It connects each single coil in series. If you were doing coil tap they would run to the dpdt pot. Since he did not do coil tap they just get connected. Then take the hot and run it to the left tab of volume pot and ground to the back of volume pot to ground.

[@richmackowsky3405]

@@12south31 The point is, how did he know which wires were positive and negative from each coil before combining them? Seems like he just assumed that black was negative.

[@12south31]

@@richmackowsky3405 Once you have determined which wires go with each coil, you can touch a screwdriver on the pole pieces while touching the leads from a multimeter to each wire. If the reading jumps up, it's positive. jumps down, negative.

[@richmackowsky3405]

@@12south31 Right, which he didn't do in the video.

[@12south31]

@@richmackowsky3405 I guess you should give it a thumbs down then. I don't even remember this video, I watched it a year ago.

[@darkconom2567]

Thenk you. Very simple to understand. Been searching in you tube. And your video made me understand.

[@byronofcalgary6985]

lot's is wrong here - this omits testing for polarity - otherwise you just strung 2 single coil in series... not as reverse polarity humbucker - and single coils read twice the ohms of a humbucker - TRICK - plug gtr cable into any guitar [ pref a SSS layout strat ] - turn vol + tone on full - use multi tester in 20K ohm range - pos'n 2 + 4 are humbucker modes yet they read 1/2 of single coils in pos'n 1 + 3 + 5 - - just checked this with a HSS strat with push pull coil tap - interesting to leave it in pos'n 2 and push/pull the coil tap knob - it's actually how i figured out what Pull did - here's the full readings since internet ink is free... Westone Spectrum SX Japan 1985-86 #5 = neck Single = 5.57 ohms #4 = neck+middle = 2.78 [ humbucker combo ] #3 = middle Single - 5.48 #2 = middle single + Bridge Single = 2.95 [ humbucker combo ] #1 - bridge Single = 6.31 #1 - Bridge humbucker = 3.16 #2 = middle Single + bridge humbucker = 2.01 #3 - middle single = 5.46 - note the humbucker seems to be about 1/2 of the AVG of the 2 pickups combined .... a little more obvious with a H+S combo FYI - these Single coil pickups are not very "trebly" - almost twice the ohms of a Squier SSS - prob why a 3.00 ohm Single sounds very Fender at first... until you notice the lows and mids are gone

[@josesstuffcosasdejose2748]

The best explanation so far, in fact I don´t need any more info to get it done, thanks man.

[@stephenc3060]

Uhhh... Yeah you do. There's no such thing as a positive and negative to a coil (hello, it's generating an alternating current). One's the beginning of the wind, the other is the end. When this guy says, "it's pretty obvious which one is supposed to be the negative," he's really saying, "I think a pickup is a DC device, and black wires are always DC negative." Both false. He gave you a 50-50 chance of wiring the humbucker in phase with itself, and 50-50 in phase with any other pickup on the guitar, and never even brought up the polarity of the magnets!

[@algreen266]

Hi i was wondering if you can help me , i purchase a new harness assembled harness kit for my les paul.I also purchased 1 490 and 498 pick ups, unfortunately the 498 has 5 wires and the 490 has 1 wire wrapped with a neutral and i dont know where they should be soldered.can you help me.Thanks

[@97warlock]

hmm Im a little stumped tho. Im TRYING to hookup an old Dimarzio dp100 and theres no Bare wire!! I stripped the sleeve way back & theres no Bare. It has Red,Green, Blk & white Only. Anybody encounter this before? what did you do? 2nd question ........ Can I run my negative pickup wires to the negative on the SWITCH?? Or does it HAVE to go to the pot?? i already have the ground off the input jack to the 3rd lug & back of the pot. Just thinking taking all those tiny wires from the pickup that normally would go to the pot casing, would be easier to get to on the ground at the swicth.

[@montys8th]

So helpful Nelson. Thank you so much. Explains a lot.

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

+Awesome2ThePowerOfSick Cool man:-)

[@dalepal]

Thanks for sharing this very useful information. I hope this helps Eric.

[@theAxehound]

Thanks, trying to figure out a twenty year old Korean Ibanez pickup. It has three wires and I have each coil going to its own volume pot, but its in parallel, I want to switch it to series (or maybe add a series parallel switch).

[@robertbyrdsguitars]

Thank you! Excellent explanation.

[@grahamduncam7375]

brilliant video mate it simple great job

[@MWTravesty]

When I check which wires are paired together, each wire is connected to two others and the ground. What is going on?

[@Yome110182]

Thanks a bunch for sharing, great job and great explanation :)

[@Cousin_Gregg]

Nelson, thank you thank you thank you! Lots of great insight into bucker pups... I've got a set of Lace Sensor gold single pups (freebies)... that have leads that are too short (a white, black, green)... Is the green a second ground? I'm thinking so because the Lace Sensors are noiseless, so it's kind of like a stacked dummy coil right? Therefore white = hot, black = ground 1.0 and green = ground 2.0. Also, should I try to solder extensions on the short leads or replace them at the coil plate... thoughts?

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

+Chase Rogers Yeah man.. go ahead and definitely extend the leads for sure. Solder them together and use shrink wrap or electrical tape. They'll be plenty fine:-) And yes... on the Lace Sensors.

[@deandee8082]

easy enough, but what wire is "in" and what wire is "out"? or which is + and or - ??? thats the real question, on a sealed humbucker like an Evans or a Lace, or an old USA Jackson or Charvel? JT-80 or JT100, JT200?

[@MediaBelajarKita]

So helpful... Thank you so much for this video.

[@GuitarMan3YT]

Nice video, very informative👍🎶🎸

[@pumpkinwarrior]

best explanation!!!!

[@PaulLue]

Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing!

[@alamosabill201]

Excellent, you know your electrics Nelson👍

[@landonbailey]

great lesson, thanks!

[@ahyeaman]

Yous a legend

[@EdDanaGuitar]

very informative video! Thanks for this!

[@mdallen5]

Thank you! Very logical!

[@HGXAF]

tnx you man

[@guitarstorms]

great info brother

[@Xianpaul0523]

Wow. Exactly what I need.

[@harrylindeloodejong1229]

Thanks!

[@WickedFesterBand]

Yep, that's how it works. :)

[@DetroitWrecker666]

Yeah, but you're assuming the polarity, and color does not always dictate polarity.

[@exrad2153]

OMGTHANKYOU

[@PhilORourke]

cheers bro

[@vincebellisano1347]

Perfect,

[@bryantrockwell2075]

Nelson, you are awesome! Good times, Good video

[@WoodesosGuitarMods]

+bryant rockwell NO... You're awesome:-)!!

[@joemamma4324]

GREAT!!..NOW GRAB THE 3 WIRE AND SHOW US WHTS UP WITH THAT..

[@robertlandry8919]

Hook up to v to find mystery -,,+ poles. Not all ground are obvious

[@thomastrout1075]

Robert Landry -right on

[@vasilischristopoulos1501]

Hi, that was a good video maybe you could show me (or explain)how I can connect 2 humbuckers 2 volume 2 tone pots to a 3 way ym-30 switch I can't find anything about how to connect it. guitarpartscenter.eu/en_US/p/HOSCO-YM-30-3-way-lever-switch/5728

[@DougHinVA]

'and all you're doing' ... let's just say... makes no sense. You are cutting off a statement and going right into another one. Viewers want a usable explanation. Plan it out and stop bouncing from one to another idea