Phase Problem?

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 5:28 am

The neck and the bridge pickup sound fine on their own, but in the middle I get a really quacky sound, not unlike my Duo Sonic when it's in 'out-of-phase' position.

The guitar in question is a 650D. The neck humbucker is soldered main wire plus blue to the pot, red wire to the switch. I installed a hi-gain (with a cap) in the bridge, which is soldered main wire to pot, black wire soldered to the cap and the cap soldered to the switch.

Sounds kind of cool, but I don't really use that sound much, so I'd rather have it the 'right' way.

Will reversing the wires on one of the pickups cancel the phase problem (ie on the hi-gain, black wire to pot, main wire to cap then to switch?)

Any advice, anyone? Thanks in advance!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 6:15 am

Ethan, I think this was covered in the bass section a couple of weeks ago, and the consensus was that the magnets needed to be reversed, not the leads.

Your Duo-Sonic has an "out of phase" position? What year is it and how is it wired? This had to be added to my '59, back in '78 or so...

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 9:59 am

Thanks Paul. I'm kind of new to this sort of thing - so I just need to unscrew one of the pickups, rotate it 180 degrees and then reattach?

My Duo Sonic was made in July of '65, so it's like a Mustang without the vibrato. The pickups, frets, switches and wood are all original, but somebody stripped the finish to natural and installed a badass bridge. And at some point it had a couple of mini-switches (??) on it as evidenced by the two holes in the metal plate and the extra routing under the pickguard. What the mini switches DID is a mystery, though, since the stock toggles already allow you to choose each pickup individually, or together as a 'humbucker', or together out of phase. Onboard distortion, maybe? Anyway, it's a neat little guitar and it was super cheap.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:54 am

Stock toggles? Plural? Mine has one and could not be set out of phase until the second switch was installed by Lloyd Baggs in '79 or so.

So many of these poor buggers were hacked up in the '70s and '80s. But they are terrific guitars if you can get used to the scale. Mine is 22 1/2". Is yours a 24?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 10:55 am

Forgot to mention: no, turning the pup through 180 degrees will accomplish nothing. The magnets will have to be removed and flipped.

beefandbones · Post by **beefandbones** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:36 pm

OK, thanks!

Each pickup has it's own three-position toggle. Center means 'off' when both toggles are flipped in the same direction (both flipped to the left or right) then a 'humbucker' is created. When they're toggled in opposite directions (one left, one right) then the pickups are out of phase. I thought it was stock anyway! But who knows with THAT guitar!

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 1:25 pm

I'd love to see a picture of this thing. I've owned my Duo since 1981 or so...My first NEW guitar was a '65 Mustang. I've always liked these li'l guys...