humbuckers out of phase?

[jsj]

i'm curently using an old tokai LP copy. one of the pick ups has been changed and i think that the guitar is probably out of phase

if i set the switch to both pick ups with both on full volume, there is much less volume than there is on either pick up individually (about 25% at a guess) . if i then reduce the volume on one of either of the pick ups to about 7 (still in both p/u setting) the overall volume increases

i showed a fella more technically minded than me and he's pretty sure the p/us are out of phase. does this sound right and are there any other tell tale signs to check for to get confirmation

never having had an out of phase setting before (assuming that's what it really is) what's the advantage and has anyone any tips or settings to suggest to maximise this feature? i know jimmy has one of his LPs set up this way

thanx

[andrew]

i'm curently using an old tokai LP copy. one of the pick ups has been changed and i think that the guitar is probably out of phase

if i set the switch to both pick ups with both on full volume, there is much less volume than there is on either pick up individually (about 25% at a guess) . if i then reduce the volume on one of either of the pick ups to about 7 (still in both p/u setting) the overall volume increases

i showed a fella more technically minded than me and he's pretty sure the p/us are out of phase. does this sound right and are there any other tell tale signs to check for to get confirmation

never having had an out of phase setting before (assuming that's what it really is) what's the advantage and has anyone any tips or settings to suggest to maximise this feature? i know jimmy has one of his LPs set up this way

thanx

Yes, this does sound like the pickups are out of phase. The most obvious indicator is that the tone is going to be thin and nasal.

I think the OOP thing is cool for playing around with, I'd pick up some Peter Green tunes, he used the OOP sound a lot. Page's les paul was not OOP, at least not during Zeppelin, he has a phase toggle in his les paul now though, but it allows him to go back and forth. Truth be told, it's not really THAT useful a sound. It's hard to match volumes and most of the time it just sounds thin, nasal, and obnoxious.

If you want them back in phase again, then you can just flip the magnet in one of the pickups. It's really easy, takes 5 minutes.

[huw]

What you describe definitely fits one of the pickups being wired out of phase.

The best tip for using it musically is simple - don't have both volume controls set the same! By balancing the two you can find a whole variety of colours ranging from almost normal to the fully phase cancelled "thin" sound and all points inbetween.

IMHO it tends to be a "love or hate" thing - you either get on with the idea or you don't. Personally I think that it's also far more usefull to have it as a switchable option than permanently out of phase.

Although Gibson released the JP signature Les Paul wired permanently out of phase (why? why?) Page's own Les Pauls have had it installed as a switchable option, as Andrew said. That way you get the best of both worlds - in phase or out, whenever you want.

[BonzoLikeDrumer]

What you describe definitely fits one of the pickups being wired out of phase.

The best tip for using it musically is simple - don't have both volume controls set the same! By balancing the two you can find a whole variety of colours ranging from almost normal to the fully phase cancelled "thin" sound and all points inbetween.

IMHO it tends to be a "love or hate" thing - you either get on with the idea or you don't. Personally I think that it's also far more usefull to have it as a switchable option than permanently out of phase.

Although Gibson released the JP signature Les Paul wired permanently out of phase (why? why?) Page's own Les Pauls have had it installed as a switchable option, as Andrew said. That way you get the best of both worlds - in phase or out, whenever you want.

IMHO it's easier to switch out of phase with an external switch (console, amp ect.)

This is easier in a recording setting, I do admit.