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Reverse Zebra


deepblue

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Do any of you guys have experience with "Reverse Zebra" pups?

My Charvel is sweet, but theres too much black. So Im going to buy the same pups (Duncan JB/bridge & Duncan 59'/neck in Zebra colours.

 

To get it symetrical in colour the neck pup will have to be reversed. So the pups screws will be in a different position

( see picture )

 

How will this affect the sound?

 

 

zebra.jpg

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You will have to be very careful.

 

The bobbin colour will affect the tone just as much as the colour of your pickguard would.

 

If you want a 'darker' tone then i reccommend black for the adjustable pole-piece bobbin. Conversely, a cream bobbin will give you a 'creamier' sound.

 

Avoid 'white' bobbins at all costs.

 

Hope this is a help.

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I dont think the sound would change a lot (if at all). Didnt the man ad those little screw things just for looks after he was asked to do something that looked cooler?

 

Humbuckers have 2 coils... and as oposed to what most people think, both coils are fully functional and recieve sound, not only the one with the adjustable poles (if not, they would sound like a single coil without the hum: no tonal difference).

 

So turning one around shouldnt be a problem, don't worry, just do it and see if you like it that way (I wouldnt be able to stand them not looking symmetrical due to the poles being in the oposite position).

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You will have to be very careful.

 

The bobbin colour will affect the tone just as much as the colour of your pickguard would.

 

If you want a 'darker' tone then i reccommend black for the adjustable pole-piece bobbin. Conversely, a cream bobbin will give you a 'creamier' sound.

 

Avoid 'white' bobbins at all costs.

 

Hope this is a help.

 

Amusing....

 

Maybe I didnt make myself clear. The screws on the neck pickup will not be flush with the neck. Itll be the slugs that are up against the neck. The pickup will be turned around 180 degrees. Turning the neck pup 180 degrees....will it affect the sound of the pickup at all?

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So turning one around shouldnt be a problem, don't worry, just do it and see if you like it that way (I wouldnt be able to stand them not looking symmetrical due to the poles being in the oposite position).

 

Thanks Thunder...You answered my question.

 

I agree. It would drive me nutso if the pups werent symetrical.

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I remember reading something from Seth Lover who said that it makes no difference which way the pickup is installed and the screws were put in as an after thought, a cosmetic change only. Side effect being the ability to balance the output level for each string a bit. Now if they are split coil pickups, that would make a difference as to which way they get installed.

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you might notice a difference... it depends on how you have the adjustable screws set up. if you have them screwed down really far so they are flush with the bobbin (like the slugs are) then it won't matter. you can flip it around and get the same result. however, usually the screws are up a bit above the bobbin... this would put them closer to the strings and you will hear a difference if you flip it around. this is b/c they will be picking up a spot further down the string, closer to the bridge. so, just make sure they are flush.

technically there would be a difference, and it could be measured, but it's so small you'll never hear it. the screws give off a slightly different shape of magnetic field than the slugs do.

all of that being said, i think you can buy both of those pups in zebra or reverse zebra. i'm not understanding what sort of look you are going for though. are you wanting both white bobbins to face the neck?

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without getting into it too much, a true zebra pickup from the late 50s, has the white bobbin on the slug side, while the screw bobbin is black

 

i would say check out this guy for some pretty bad *** pickups, i thought to myself, "there is no way that these pickups could sound as good as my tim shaws,"

but IMO, these really sound good for a fair price

 

http://www.sheptone.com/hum.htm

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