Reversing Pickup Polarity Of Humbuckers

How to Reverse Pickup Polarity Part 2: Humbuckers

Note: this two-part article was originally one article, and I edited it into two parts for clarity and brevity. If you want to learn more about Polarity in general, read Part 1.

Reversing the polarity of a Humbucker is a relatively simple task when compared to a single-coil pickup like a Stratocaster or Telecaster pickup. When changing the phase of a single-coil pickup, you need to be mindful of two “attributes” of the pickup: the Magnetic Polarity and the Coil Direction

Both the Magnetic Polarity and the Coil Direction can be challenging to reverse, and most of the time, you need to send the pickup in to get rewound or re-magnetized. Luckily, Humbuckers are a bit easier. Their design allows us, as guitarists, to get under the hood and flip the phase relatively quickly!


HUMBUCKER DESIGN:

The design of the humbucker cancels all hum when playing. It’s a simple design that works beautifully. As mentioned in our previous article, to have hum cancelation, you need two coils, wound opposite and magnetized opposite from each other. We experience this in a Strat or Tele in the middle positions. In a Humbucker, everything is contained in one footprint. If you’d like to learn how humbuckers work, check out our article on the subject here

REVERSING HUMBUCKER PHASE:

In our last article, we learned that to change the phase of a pickup, we need to flip one of the following attributes: Coil Direction or Magnetic Polarity. Luckily, with Humbuckers, both magnetic polarities are already contained in the pickup, so all we need to contend with is the coil direction

Changing the humbucker’s coil direction is easy if you have a humbucker with multiple leads. To learn more about how to choose the correct lead when purchasing a new pickup, check out our article here. Here is a rundown of the different humbucker leads available:

2-Conductor, 3-Conductor, and 4-Conductor leads have a separate shield. This shield is separate from the coil and contains the chassis ground connection. When installing the pickup, we keep the shield grounded, while the remaining pickup wires are reversible. Let’s examine how to reverse the phase using a 2-Conductor Lead (the process is the same for all multi-conductor leads):

2-Conductor Lead is Reversible. Gibson Lead is not.

Here’s a basic step-by-step on how to reverse the phase of a humbucker by flipping the leads:

  1. Start with a Normal Installation. In a normal installation, White is Hot, Black is Ground, and Shield is Ground.
  2. See if both pickups are in Phase with each other. If your pickups are in phase, you’re good to go! If not, proceed to Step 3:
  3. Reverse Black And White. Keep the shield grounded while you reverse Black and White. The new wiring should have White is Ground, Black is Hot, and Shield is ground.

REVERSING THE HUMBUCKER MAGNET

If your humbucker came equipped with Gibson Braided Shield lead, you cannot reverse the phase of the humbucker by reversing the lead. Gibson Braided Shield lead has a ‘hard-soldered’ connection to the chassis ground. Your only option is to reverse the direction of the humbucker’s bar magnet.

Reversing the humbucker’s magnet is another relatively simple operation, but requires a bit of know-how and a few tools. Here’s an exploded view of a Humbucker:

Exploded View of Humbucker
Exploded view of humbucker.

FLIPPING THE HUMBUCKER MAGNET – STEP BY STEP:

Time needed: 1 hour

Reversing the polarity of a humbucker by flipping the humbucker’s magnet:

  1. Remove the humbucker out of the guitar, and place on a flat, clean surface.

    Work on a towel to protect the humbucker cover, if it has one.

  2. Remove the Humbucker Cover (if applicable)

    Check out our article on how to do this below.

  3. Loosen 4 Brass Screws located underneath

    You don’t need to remove them all the way, just back them out a bit. The coils should separate from the chassis. At this time, take a look and observe the magnet.

  4. Use a hair dryer or heat gun to loosen any wax, if necessary.

    The Bar Magnet should loosen up and come free of the pickup.

  5. Remove Bar Magnet, flip 180?.

    Flip the bar magnet either direction 180? and slide the magnet back into the humbucker housing.Flipping Bar Magnet 180 Degrees

  6. Tighten everything back up

    This is a delicate process! Once the bar magnet seats properly, slowly and evenly tighten the brass screws until both coils seat properly and flush. Over-tightening the screws will cause the humbucker to look uneven.

  7. Use Heat Gun to re-flow wax, if necessary

    If the pickup contains wax, re-flow the wax to prevent microphonics. Allow the humbucker to cool completely before installing in the guitar.

If your humbucker has a cover installed, follow our guide here to remove and re-install your cover!


I hope that helps you understand reversing the polarity of a humbucker! If you have any tips or questions, feel free to drop them below. Until next time.

Written By:

Tyler Delsack

👋 I'm Tyler Delsack, the Manager of Fralin Pickups. I've been a guitarist for 26 years, and along with managing the shop and working on this Website, I love tinkering with things!

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