Wiring in/out of phase - anyone tried?

[Happy Tree]

I'm not specifically interested in a Greeny sound or changing the physical orientation of magnets and/or bobbins. I'm more interested in how it might sound if I just changed the electrical phase with a switch. Has anyone experience of this?

I ask because my Brian May guitar has phase switches for all the pickups and it alters the tone a lot. Might be fun to try it with a Gibson middle position. I would prefer this option to a coil split any day.

 

[hankjmcc]

So I have had the Out of Phase PG-102 pickup set from Throbak, I've done the magnet flip because it was way easier than rewiring a 2 conductor Custombucker and I've also done the phase switch with a set of super distortions. Obviously there are differences between the pickup sets but the same general sound was there. I haven't tried both ways of phase reversal on the same exact set of pickups to compare but my understanding from reading/looking into is that it should sound pretty much the same. You still get the nasally Jimmy Page/Peter Green/Brian May sound. I think the option of having the 4th sound is more important than if the one method or the other slightly sounds better.

Side note: I've been trying to figure out where to source the Jimmy Page buttons to put the switch under the Pickguard since I liked the sound of the Magnet flipped so much but don't want to change the VIP pots and absolutely wont drill for a switch. Otherwise, if I cant find the Jimmy Page ones, I'd have to cut the guard for the Brian May style switches. Do you find it easy to adjust those sliding switches while playing?

 

[jb_abides]

Certain HJ-era USA models had phase with push-pull pots, notably the Classic and then-Standard [which essentially evolved into the current Modern with the addition of a heel carve]. So, you can get that 'factory'.

Plenty of rewire kits and diagrams -- as an example search 'Jimmy Page Wiring'.

Just FWIW: USAs are 'coil-tap' not 'coil split'.

 

[Happy Tree]

Do you find it easy to adjust those sliding switches while playing?

Yes it's no bother. You just have to keep track of what state the switches are in! Cos you know, phase is a relative thing so there is no "on" or "off" for that switch. If both phase switches are down, or both are up, the pickups are in phase with each other; they only have an effect if they're in different positions. So I tend I think of down as "in phase" and up as "out of phase" purely for convention to keep my mind straight!

 

[metropolis]

I recently installed the Jimmy Page setup on a Les Paul and really enjoy the out of phase sound - I like how it reacts differently with different tones so is quite interesting to play with. Easy to do without doing anything that's not reversible if you use a push-pull pot and are comfortable soldering.

 

[TBurst Std]

Owning a BMG, I have to differ, I do not like the sliding switches when performing on stage. Not at all convenient. Someday I'll craft a new guard and use mini toggles..

 

[Bob Womack]

I've got an LP with a factory pull out of phase switch. I can't find a thing to do with that sound. Make it reversible.

Bob