RWRP question

Gearhead · 2009-12-23T09:42:13+00:00

tonerider wrote For those of you want to know - RWRP simply means reverse-wound-reverse-polarity. To simplify even further, when a single coil pickup is wound during manufacturing the wire can either be turned around the bobbin in a clockwise or anti-clockwise fashion. In a twin-single-coil guitar like a Tele either one of the pickups must be RWRP to effect noiseless operation in the middle position of the 3-way toggle switch (the 2 pickups [electro-magnetic devices] are then placed in parallel) . When used on their own it becomes irrelevant whether clockwise or ant-clockwise and either way the sound will be the same. The same applies for the middle pickup on a Strat. If reverse wound you will have noiseless operation in positions 2 and 4 of a 5-way toggle, yet the middle pickup on its own will sound the same whether clockwise or anti-clockwise wound. (Tele: +- -+) (Strat: +- -+ +-) tonerider wrote Gearhead wrote ...and the RP stands for flipping the magnet 180 degrees so the magnetic field is also reverse. A positive swing of the string now has the same electrical effect on the output of both pups. Hi Gearhead, just remember that the term RWRP is usually referred to when dealing with single coil pickups. The RP means that polarity is turned 180degrees through the actual winding of the coil and has nothing to do with the magnets (pole pieces/slugs) that are permanently pressed through the flatwork. You're actually referring to flipping the magnet though its width under the bobbins of a humbucker. Although this does change the overall polarity of the humbucker (often an easier job to accomplish for someone not familiar with a soldering iron and wiring) the coil windings remain as originally wound. This is normally done when a humbucker is out-of-phase with another one, such as on a Les Paul style guitar. That's interesting. So what you are saying is that an RWRP single coil pup is firstly wound ccw as opposed to cw (or vice versa) and subsequently the leads are swapped? To me that sounds like you wind up with the same thing (no pun intended).

nicovlogg

Makes perfect sense, thanks!

AlanRatcliffe

Gearhead wrote It does, you are getting the point indeed. The cancelling effect is only achieved completely if the electromagnetic interference hits both pickups at the exact same phase and intensity. Otherwie, it will only cancel out partially - so 'buckers are better at 'bucking. As they should.

...and you'll also notice that narrower format humbuckers (like the single-coil sized "rails") are quieter than full size humbuckers - and "stacks" are the quietest of all.

<guitar_nerd_alert> Another interesting thing with coil spacing is how certain frequencies will still be cancelled because the two coils sense different sections along the strings. That is one of the reasons humbuckers are warmer than single coils (alongside the series connection of the coils and the overall hotter winding) - some higher frequencies still end up at a different phase phase from each other and cancel (also part of the reason the narrow format humbuckers are brighter - the narrower "string sensing window"). With Strats and Teles, the pickups are wide enough apart that the frequencies cancelled when using two pickups are spread further apart and this gives them the "quack" tones these settings are known for. </guitar_nerd_alert>

nicovlogg

Alan Ratcliffe wrote With Strats and Teles, the pickups are wide enough apart that the frequencies cancelled when using two pickups are spread further apart and this gives them the "quack" tones these settings are known for. </guitar_nerd_alert>

This guitar nerd info is one of the best bits of the forum!

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