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Does the middle position on a les paul VM split the pickups?


tom brown

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Without getting too much into the physics of sound...

 

In the waveform below, picture the red is the bridge pickup and the blue is your neck pickup. When the red is at the top and the blue is at the bottom they would effectively cancel each other out and you would hear nothing.

 

Waveforms.jpg

 

When you combine the output of two different sound sources, certain (opposing) frequencies will cancel each other out. This is why you get that thin, nasal sound at the in-between position on a Strat and this is what is happening with your Les Paul. Normally you'll still get the bass from the neck pickup and the brights from the bridge pickup, but you lose some of the mids.

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Hi Tom... what LP do you have? (or which one are you talking about in case you have more than one). Some pickups have only 2 conductors so you cannot split them (not without modding them which can lead to damage and so it's better to replace them with 4 or 5 conductor pickups).

 

If you have BB pros then they have 2 conductors and can't be split.

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The pickups are Alnico V BurstBucker Pro pickups and they still have power but yes i looose the midrange and they seem to be more naselly' date=' almost strat like...

 

thanks guys[/quote']

 

 

If you have a "stock" vintage mahogany then they are bb pros and there is no way to split them (without mods to the pickups themselves).

 

Did you buy your guitar used or new? The sound/tone you describe sounds familiar, but I moded mine to get it...

 

You might want to check for mods in the wiring, maybe that guitar was wired to get the pickups out of phase, either accidentaly in the factory (if new) or on purpose by the previous owner (if used).

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it sounds like your two pickups are out of phase with each other (the only real way to achieve that sound). it shouldn't be this way. they should sound full in the middle position. one of your pups probably had the magnet accidently flipped when it was made.

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Yes i bought the Vm new..

 

they both are on in middle position because both volumes will reduce each one, but yes if the switch is in the middle and i cut the volume on One pickup, the other sounds as if its single coil...

 

Yes they do sound out of phase, i hope the damn magnet isn't flipped....is there a wiring diagram for the switch i can look at see if thats correct or what do i do??

 

I do want both on in the middle at full power if that is possible, or how could i possibly rock and roll correctly?

 

lol,,,,but serious

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Do this first:

 

Set the switch to the middle position, then lower the volume for one of the pickups... if the general volume coming out of the amp rises, then you probably have the magnet flipped, if not, then it might have something to do with the wiring or (sorry if it sounds disrespectful) your ears.

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Thunder i just cleaned my ears......lol

 

 

OK i did that Thunder and heres the deal...

 

when the toggle is in the middle position and i reduce the volume on the Bridge pickup the sound get quieter and darker but when the volume is off i get no sound from either pickup....

 

with the toggle in the middle position and i reduce the volume on the Neck pickup it also gets less volume and again when the volume is off i lose all power to pickups....

 

its sounds like a schecter i had where it take a single coil from each pickup<middle position> and makes one large loop, ( ) <like that

 

the reason i say this is it has More power then just one single coil would, but one pickup<either neck or bridge> does have more power then middle position....

 

Didn't jimmy page have a wiring system that made that out of phase sound and split the pickups??

 

I don't mind it i just would like the option of both Pickups full power to rock and roll better !

 

Yesterday i also try to jump bridge and neck with a jumper wire, ( with switch in neck or bridge position) and it just stayed on the position the switch was in, no effect on the other pickup..

 

thanks again guys foe any input...

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when the toggle is in the middle position and i reduce the volume on the Bridge pickup the sound get quieter and darker but when the volume is off i get no sound from either pickup....

 

with the toggle in the middle position and i reduce the volume on the Neck pickup it also gets less volume and again when the volume is off i lose all power to pickups....

 

That's completely normal.

 

 

 

Yesterday i also try to jump bridge and neck with a jumper wire' date=' ( with switch in neck or bridge position) and it just stayed on the position the switch was in, no effect on the other pickup..

[/quote']

 

Do both pickups have the same volume when using just one of them? (is there a noticeable change in overall level when going from bridge to neck?).

 

 

This is weird, from what you say, they apear to be wired correctly and to be made the right way. HAve you lookied at peter green moded les pauls on youtube? is this the tone you are getting?

 

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here' date=' a simple solution: pop the back cover off and give us a shot of the wiring. that will solve the issue.[/quote']

 

It might work... I remember a while ago my strat was making strange noises... then I opened it, took a pic and the problem was gone (no strange noises... actually no sound at all :-k )

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Thanks everyone, it seems like the reason i was getting the nasal treble overwhelm in the middle position was the rear pickup was adjusted to high.

 

After my luthier had set this up he said he balanced the pickups, this being my first gibson, i cranked the rear pickup to maximaum power, and it was loud and had lots of treble. gave myself a nosebleed once,,,,lol

 

One post was correct that the soundwaves were canceling each other out i believe, also, the rear pickup was overwhelming the neck p/u causing a nasal out of phase sound..Not a bad sound almost like the jimmy page wiring sound he did in the day..

 

I lowered the rear pickup two full turns and now i have more power in the middle..

 

Seems less is more in this case......These burstbuckers are so powerful, ajustment them is tricky...

 

Now my switch is making a static noises, what do you guys spray these with?

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