Fender Jag-Stang Humbucker Noise in Phase Reverse

[Huddy]

Is anybody out there is familiar with the Jag Stang oem bridge humbucker? I picked one up on CL and switches were garbage and crusty so I just re-wired the whole thing.

My question is... Is the original humbucker a simple 2-conductor lead with just a "HOT" and a "GROUND"? If this is the case, when the phase is reversed on the bridge pickup the mounting screws create a bunch of noise when you touch them because the signals that your body picks up are now in the signal path.

So I'm not sure if this is a design flaw or if the original pickup was 3-conductor and has been replaced at some point in this one.

Thanks! First time poster. My name's Huddy and I like to solder. ;-)

[somebodyelseuk]

Not familiar with the guitar, but in my experience, humbuckers, ie, PAF style - built on a base plate, always have at least a hot, cold and screen.
In a 'normal' application, you can wire the screen and cold together, but where phase reversal is concerned, the screen should be soldered to a ground, while the hot and cold would go to the phase switch.
The screen is the braided 'wire' surrounding the hot and cold under the outer sleeve, the other end of which should be soldered to the pickup baseplate - it will be unless the pickup's been dismantled. If you need to check, just test for continuity with a meter connected to the screen and touch the baseplate with the other probe.

My guess is it's noisy because somewhere in time the pickup has been out and the screen has been snipped short instead of being resoldered. If you peel back the outer sleeve of the pickup wiring it should be there.

[Huddy]

Not familiar with the guitar, but in my experience, humbuckers, ie, PAF style - built on a base plate, always have at least a hot, cold and screen.
In a 'normal' application, you can wire the screen and cold together, but where phase reversal is concerned, the screen should be soldered to a ground, while the hot and cold would go to the phase switch.
The screen is the braided 'wire' surrounding the hot and cold under the outer sleeve, the other end of which should be soldered to the pickup baseplate - it will be unless the pickup's been dismantled. If you need to check, just test for continuity with a meter connected to the screen and touch the baseplate with the other probe.

My guess is it's noisy because somewhere in time the pickup has been out and the screen has been snipped short instead of being resoldered. If you peel back the outer sleeve of the pickup wiring it should be there.

So this is a MIJ guitar and the humbucker that appears to be original, but very well may not be, has just a 2 conductor lead - the inner "HOT" and the outer stranded is the ground covered by a PVC Sleeve. You peel the sleeve back and you've can see that's all there is.

Here's the variations of humbucker leads in my experience -

Braided Shielded typical of the PAF style guitars
2-Conductor - Which is what I consider this to be
3-Conductor - I've never had one of these by I'd assume they're Hot, Series Link (Coil Cut), and Signal Ground and Earth Ground
4-Conductor - Typical of Seymour Duncans with the Black, White, Red, Green, and Bare.

I could be wrong on the 2 and three conductors.

I would think that this guitar would need Hot, Signal Ground to facilitate the Phase Reverse, and an Earth Ground to keep the frame and screws out of the circuit like the strings and the bridge. It's not a big deal now that I think about it. In reality the humbucker just needs to be On or Off and let the neck have the phase reverse because there's no difference, to my ears, in both being reverse to both being normal.

[andy_tchp]

there's no difference, to my ears, in both being reverse to both being normal.

Because when both pickups have had their phase reversed, you have just put them back in phase with each other - 'Out of phase' for one pickup is only relative to the other pickup.

[Huddy]

there's no difference, to my ears, in both being reverse to both being normal.

Because when both pickups have had their phase reversed, you have just put them back in phase with each other - 'Out of phase' for one pickup is only relative to the other pickup.

Correct.