Tone Zone S-MIM-notch position wiring???

[akozols]

HI,

I just got a Dimarzio Tone Zone S and I'm in the process of installing it. I'm wiring it up so that postition two will cut one coil of the TZ so it can work with the middle pickup to give the typical quack sound. The question is,,,how do I find the right combination of wiring so that I have the same phasing relationship as the original pickups? I could play around with the wiring of the TZ until I find the right wiring that compliments the existing middle pickup. Or, I could find the right combination of either the middle or neck pickup(and it's wiring) to complement the standard Dimarzio coil-cut wiring. Is there a quick way to find the phasing of pickups without all the trial and error?

thanks,
Al

[ArtieToo]

Hey AL; First off, if you're going to do any of your own wiring, it just doesn't make sense to not own a meter. If you consider how much money you have in your rig, another $10 - $20 is nothing. Harbor Freight has the same meter I own on sale for $3 again.

Anyway, once you have a meter, here's a simple technique I use for any make or model of pickup. This works easiest if you get a couple of clip-on leads like the kind available from Pomona. Just clip the leads on the pickups wires. Then bring a screwdriver up against the pole pieces and then yank it away. (With the meter on its lowest DC volts range.) If the voltage goes positive when you approach and negative when you yank away, you have Duncan phasing. That is, the red meter lead is your "hot" lead and the black is ground. If its backwards, just reverse the leads and try again to make sure.

Now you can use Duncan diagrams, (and my drawings), for all your wiring needs. This technique precludes worrying about magnet polarity or wind direction. It simply shows you absolute phase.

[akozols]

Artie, thanks for the come-back. I'm familar with the trick with the screw driver. I just have to do that trick to the stock pickups and the single coil of the TZ to find out what will be my notch position that will be noiseless.

al