EVH pickups reverse

[Arek]

I have recently purchased used 1992 EBMM EVH.
Once home, I have meassured the pickups impedance.
Bridge: 15.12
Neck: 11.30

I remembered reading that the neck pickup on those guitars was hotter than bridge as per Eddie’s liking.

After taking it apart (OCD) ;-)….I found that the pickup in
1. bridge has N1 embossed on bottom plate and round sticker „”PATENT APPLIED FOR”

2. neck position has B1 embosed
Both have DIMARZIO etc.

Have they been reversed?
Should I reinstall them as per markings: B1 in bridge and N1 in neck positions?

 

[GoKart Mozart]

Yes sir, it appears that they have been reversed. The N1 is the neck pickup and B1 is the bridge.
As you stated, the DC resistance on the N1 is higher that the B1, which is sort of opposite of what you would normally expect when comparing a neck/bridge pickup. EDIT: mixed this up with the Peavey Wolfgang.
Could've been a factory mix-up, could've been someone experiementing, who knows.

 

[Sweat]

22 year old guitar no telling what the owner(s) did to it set it up as you enjoy, been buying a few older EBBM no telling what has been done , not a factory issue for sure

 

[racerx]

22 year old guitar no telling what the owner(s) did to it set it up as you enjoy, been buying a few older EBBM no telling what has been done , not a factory issue for sure

It would be semi poetic if someone during its life thought “hey that’s backwards someone mixed these up” and Arek had the same thought but for opposite reasons, hah.

 

[GWDavis28]

Looks like it's in pretty tough shape? How about some more pics?

Glenn |B)

 

[Iperfungus]

Highly valuable guitar, indeed!

 

[Astrofreq]

Maybe the stickers were reversed.

 

[dibart77]

Maybe the stickers were reversed.

No stickers. The B and N are stamped into the back of the pickup.

 

[NickNihil]

Wait does this mean the pickups in the Axis/AL HH are not the EVH's or are modified versions? Bridge and neck specs I measured and are quoted by others have the bridge as the hotter (or at least higher DCR).

 

[tbonesullivan]

Wait does this mean the pickups in the Axis/AL HH are not the EVH's or are modified versions? Bridge and neck specs I measured and are quoted by others have the bridge as the hotter (or at least higher DCR).

I am going to wager that for some reason the pickups were switched in that guitar. The only way to really know would be to look in the electronics cavity to check out what the lead length on the pickups looks like. The pickups in the Axis, Axis SS, Al HH, Anniversary, etc are the same proprietary pickups used in the EVH. The Bridge pickup should be similar in DC resistance to a Tone Zone, which is 17.3Kohm. The neck pickup is supposed to be similar to an Air Norton, which has 12.58K ohm.

Per the Dimarzio Article, the EVH bridge pickup should be about 17K ohms.

 

[DrKev]

A mystery!

The EBMM data I have access to says bridge 17 kΩ and neck 15 kΩ. I have seen a set of Axis pickups for sale with the neck pickup listed at 15.6 kΩ, which supports that. But the OP measures 11.3 kΩ

In circuit they'll measure a little lower so if your plugging in to the guitar and measuring across the cable, expect a 3 % lower in the Axis (due to the volume pot) and 7% lower in the ASS (because of the volume and tone pots). And of course expect ± 5% variation (or possibly more) from pickup to pickup around those nominal values. But that can't explain the 11.3k the OP has.

Re: DiMarzio, the say the "closest sounding pickups" are the Air Norton (for neck) and Tone Zone or AT-1 (bridge). The nominal value of the Air Norton is a lot lower than what EBMM say, BUT a pickup's tone is more than just the DC resistance so the resistance of the Axis neck pickup may not necessarily match the Air Norton. But the OP's neck pickup does.

What does this all mean?

 

[Iperfungus]

I measured pickups on my Axis Super Sport and I'll put down values here.

1) bridge, full humbucker, 16.5K
2) neck, full humbucker, 15K
I measured at pickups switch's pins, to avoid loss due to pots and wires.

 

[GoKart Mozart]

Apologies to all, I think I'm responsible for the confusion earlier in this thread. Took a few measurements as well on my '96 Axis, and yes the bridge DCR is indeed higher.

'96 Axis:

Neck/N1: 14.8k at switch, 14.3k at jack
Bridge/B1: 16.8k at switch, 16.6k at jack

When I posted earlier that the Axis neck pickup had a higher DCR than the bridge, I was confusing it with the Peavey Wolfgang (sorry, it happens). I've got 3 of those guitars and the neck pickup is indeed about ~15k at the neck and ~13.3k at the bridge when measuring at the jack.

Just for giggles, I checked my AL HH as well since these are supposed to be the same or similar pickups as the Axis.

AL HH:
Neck/BHNN2CL 615494: 14.4k at switch, 13.9k at jack
Bridge/BHWB1CL 615493: 17.0k at switch and jack

 

[banjoplayer]

My reflex has:
Neck: 14.31k
Bridge: 16.10k

Edit: my other set has
Neck: 14.25k
Bridge: 16.83k

 

[Mick]

Sorry late to the party, long time not here. The washers under the bridge pickup clearly show somebody trying out stuff. I want to see the guitar, please , looks like a faded transblack one.

 

[Arek]

 

[Arek]

So, after talking to EBMM support and determining that the pickup is broken - I have decided to get a replacement.
To get one, I have to send my pickup in, pay $150 plus shipping $15.
Their turnaround is 48 hrs.

 

[Johnny Alien]

You will likely pay less to have it repaired by a good pickup person.

 

[tbonesullivan]

You will likely pay less to have it repaired by a good pickup person.

YEP! Not to mention, it could just be a problem with the wiring going to and from the pickup, and nothing with the pickup itself.

 

[GoKart Mozart]

So, after talking to EBMM support and determining that the pickup is broken - I have decided to get a replacement.
To get one, I have to send my pickup in, pay $150 plus shipping $15.
Their turnaround is 48 hrs.

What's the issue with it, exactly?