Elitist Casino polarity question.

[bobouz]

I happen to have an extra set of stock pickups for my Elitist Casino. I'm thinking about mounting the extra bridge pickup in the neck position because it's taller and will sit closer to the strings. The output of this guitar's neck & bridge pickups are supposed to be the same, but I'm wondering if polarity issues might surface. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[carverman]

I happen to have an extra set of stock pickups for my Elitist Casino. I'm thinking about mounting the extra bridge pickup in the neck position because it's taller and will sit closer to the strings. The output of this guitar's neck & bridge pickups are supposed to be the same' date=' but I'm wondering if polarity issues might surface. Any info would be greatly appreciated. [/quote']

 

Well the Casino uses P-90 type pickups which are single coil and these are normally setup so that the neck and

bridge ( winding polarities )are different , so that in the center position of the 3-way selector, you get

a "humbucking effect". Other than that polarity isn't going to be an issue.

I understand why you would want to use the taller bridge position p_up, but you may want to check on

the pole spacing, as usually, the bridge pole pieces are farther apart than the neck.

(This isn't always true, but sometimes there is a difference in certain brands of p_ups.)

 

So if you go ahead and do that, you will not get any hum cancellation in the mid position, but other than

that I don't see why you can't use that p_up configuration.

[sjtalon]

Well the Casino uses P-90 type pickups which are single coil and these are normally setup so that the neck and

bridge ( winding polarities )are different ' date=' so that in the center position of the 3-way selector, you get

a "humbucking effect". Other than that polarity isn't going to be an issue.

[/quote']

 

 

Acually, there are two things.

 

 

1) reverse wound to the existing bridge (either by design of that pup you're installing or just bad luck)

 

 

2) reverse polarity

 

 

If # 1; no big deal, it's just a phase deal, if it is thin and weak in position 2 of the switch, just reverse the leads.

 

if # 2; GOOD NEWS you have hum cancel.

 

If you have a compass, stand the guitar upright and hold it up to the pup, it the North end of the needle points to the pup, it is SOUTH polarization and vis versa.

[RSDx]

If you have a compass' date=' stand the guitar upright and hold it up to the the pup, it the North end of the needle points to the pup, it is SOUTH polarization and vis versa.[/quote'] Interesting ..... Hmmmm, I believe my son has a compass around from his Boy Scout days....

[AlanH]

You need to consult some experts on reversing the polarity...........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Vic Flick]

I happen to have an extra set of stock pickups for my Elitist Casino. I'm thinking about mounting the extra bridge pickup in the neck position because it's taller and will sit closer to the strings. The output of this guitar's neck & bridge pickups are supposed to be the same' date=' but I'm wondering if polarity issues might surface. Any info would be greatly appreciated. [/quote']

 

I wouldn't recommend it for several reasons. First it will probably be too close to the strings. If you look at the neck pickup from the side, the top of the cover should be approximately even with the end of the fretboard, just a slight bit lower. The bridge pickup will almost certainly extend above the fretboard, which means the strings will hit pickups especially as you play the higher frets.

 

Even if you get lucky a just clear the pickups, the neck pickup will overpower the bridge pickup due to the proximity of the strings. If your neck & bridge pickups are the same impedance, the neck pickup will be louder if all else is equal. One of the ways to balance them is to mount the bridge pickup closer to the strings.

 

As I recall, the Elitist has RWRP pickups which reduces the hum in the middle position. If you mount two bridge pickups on it, they will not be RWRP, they will be identical. No more humbucking effect.

 

How's the action on your guitar??? If your strings are that high above the neck pickup, they must be pretty high off the fretboard as well. Maybe a good setup will allow you to lower the strings and get you closer to the pickup. If you do have a problem with string height, replacing the proper part with the wrong part will not address the actual problem. It would be like replacing a blown fuse with a penny. Might get you lights back on, but you haven't fixed the real problem.

[bobouz]

Thanks for the feedback! At some point I'll experiment with this, as it appears no damage would result from a polarity mismatch, and it could always be put back to stock. As for the relationship between the strings & pickup, the action is not high. The Elitist Casino's top has a low arch, so the pickups sit fairly low. I had three Elitists to choose from when purchasing this one, and they all shared the exact same profile. It caught my eye immediately because I also have a Peerless Casino, and the arch is more pronounced, placing the pickups higher and closer to the strings. I tend to primarily use the neck pickup in a fingerpicking style, so having it overpower the bridge pickup will not be a problem.

[sjtalon]

As long as the Casino pickup subject came up.

 

My 2006 MIK's (non Elitist) pups are BOTH, NORTH top mags