D-Activator direction affects sound

[leechmasterargentina]

Mmm...just happened to find this at DiMarzio's website:

Some humbuckers have just a slightly different sound if you flip them to the opposite direction. There is no right or wrong orientation, but it’s a matter of preference for such a subtle difference, if you can hear the difference at all. Models that sound slightly brighter with the cable exit toward the bridge include:
Blaze™ Neck
D Activator™ Bridge
D Activator™ Neck
Evo 2™
Evolution® 7
Evolution® Bridge
Evolution® Neck
FRED®
Mo' Joe™
Virtual P-90™

 

[Seanthesheep]

Dont they wind one coil more than the other on those pickups so that when you tap themthey have more output?

 

[leechmasterargentina]

Dont they wind one coil more than the other on those pickups so that when you tap themthey have more output?

No idea...just happened to find out this. Maybe the position of the cable affects the sound...

 

[Moltar]

I am actually going to switch my EVO 7 to the backwards position, that is with the wire facing the neck(or the non standard way) because it sounds really awesome and the character is just amazing but is a bit too bright. So hopefully this takes care of it.

 

[Seanthesheep]

No idea...just happened to find out this. Maybe the position of the cable affects the sound...

dont quote me 100% on that but Im pretty sure thats it

 

[Rook]

The cable as in the one that connects the pickup to your pots? Moving that won't affect sound.

DiMarzio wind the coils slightly differently to one another on some pickups to get different cancelling effects because they will pick up subtly different versions of the already different signals. If rotating it makes the pickup brighter this indicates that the coil originally closer to the bridge were the darker coil, which will be higher inductance and thus probably have more winds on it. This can also increase noise but it depends where the noise is. This is why the D Sonic is known for being a bit more buzzy, there's a greater difference in impedance between the two, so the hum doesn't cancel out exactly, there's some left.

Get a multimeter out, assuming the same gauge of wire used for the windings and the same winding technique (for SD and DiMarzio these are usualy safe assumptions for a given pickup) a difference in impedance between the two coils by measuring DC resistance of one and comparing to DC resistance of the other and assuming inductance increases with resistance (because more winds) you can work out which the darker coil is and how much more noise there will bne then a matched pickup.

More difference in DC resistance between the two will normally mean more noise and more difference if you rotate the pickup.

 

[leechmasterargentina]

I am actually going to switch my EVO 7 to the backwards position, that is with the wire facing the neck(or the non standard way) because it sounds really awesome and the character is just amazing but is a bit too bright. So hopefully this takes care of it.

I thought that the wire towards the neck was the standard way...

Damn, I hate DiMarzio is no clear about this, since it DOES make a difference.

 

[Rook]

^Doesn't matter what standard is, does it. Plug it in, if you like it leave it, if not try flipping it, if you like it leave if you don't change it

 

[VinnyShredz]

I thought the CL was included in these as well, hmm.

 

[leechmasterargentina]

I thought the CL was included in these as well, hmm.

The Crunchlab and D-Sonic do change its sound when the direction is changed, and that is explained as a difference in the model itself. That list includes models in witch both poles are visually the same. For what I read in that F.A.Q., the difference is subtle, but it's still a difference in tone. I sent them an e-mail but they haven't answered yet.