Pickup Manufacturer's Color Codes
Pickup Manufacturer
Adjustable Pole
Slug Pole
Winding Direction
Notes and Special Instructions
Start "A"
Finish " B"
M.P.
Start "C"
Finish "D"
M.P.
Tom Anderson
HumbuckerBlack-
White
South
Green
Red+
North
B/W coil is CW
G/R coil is CWGreen/White is series link. Anderson winds one coil opposite the other; therefore they tie a finish with a start. Both coils are slugs—no adjustable polepieces. Inspect bottom of pickup and trace colored wires to their coils.
Tom Anderson Single-coil
NA
NA
NA
Black
White, Red, Purple or Yellow
North
CW
Reverse-wound reverse-polarity pickups are opposite these specs. Tapped single-coils are black, white, and red, RW/RP black, yellowand purple.
WD/Kent Armstrong
HumbuckerRed
(Pink)
Blue
(Black)South
Green
White
North
CW
WD/Kent Armstrong
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South
CW
RW/RP has north top polarity.
Joe Barden
HumbuckerGreen
Red
South
Black
White
North
CW
Output wire always exits under south polarity coil. All pickups are humbucking with stainless steel blade polepieces. Ceramic magnet applies magnetic field.
Bartolini Black+ Red South Green- White North Red/White is series link. Benedetto
HumbuckerGreen-
White
South
Red+
Black
North
CCW
Black/White is series link. Coil above "Benedetto" in the cover has a south Humbucker polarity.
DiMarzio
HumbuckerGreen-
White
South
Red+
Black
North
CCW
Black/White is series link. Output wire always exits pickup’s baseplate under the south polarity coil.
DiMarzio
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South
CW
Seymour Duncan
HumbuckerGreen-
Red
South
Black
White
North
CW
Red/White is series link.
Seymour Duncan
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South
CW
Antiquity pickups are wound CCW. RW/RP single-coil pickups are opposite the given specs.
Seymour Duncan tapped White Green/ Black Red red is tapped output Fender
StratocasterNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South
CW
First few production years have north polarity.
Fender Telecaster Lead
NA
NA
NA
Black
(or blue)
White
(or yellow)
South
CCW
Magnetic polarities varied during early production years.
Fender
Telecaster RhythmNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South
CCW
Magnetic polarities varied during early production years.
Fender 70's
HumbuckerGround
Series- link
South
Hot
Series-link
North
CCW
The "south" polarity coil is the top coil or above the "Fender" in the cover. Polepieces (adjustable & non-adjustable) are all made from the magnetic alloy CuNiFe (Copper-Nickel-Ferrite). At the time of this pickups production, CuNiFe was the only magnetic alloy that could be threaded. Fender used the finishes for the series-link.
Fender Humbucker Red- Black South Green+ White North Lindy Fralin
HumbuckerBlack
Red
South
White
Red
North
CCW
Lindy ties the finishes together into a single tapped output (red). Some models may have opposite magnetic poles.
Lindy Fralin
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Black
White
North or South
CW or CCW
50’s model pickups are wound CW and have "N" top polarity. 60’s model pickups are wound CCW and have "S" polarity.
Gibson
HumbuckerBlack-
Green
South
Red+
White
North
CCW
Green/White is series link. For 2-conductor humbuckers the outer-braid is ground, inner is hot.
Gibson
P-90Black
White
North
NA
NA
NA
CCW
Gibson
P-100Black
White
North
Black
White
North
CCW
Coils are wired in parallel, in-phase. This allows the pickup to be hum-canceling, but retain single-coil type tones. The lower coil is inverted (rotated 180 degrees) to achieve the reverse wind direction and electron flow.
Gotoh
Green-
Red
South
Black+
White
North
CCW
Red/White is series link.
Ibanez tapped Bare White Red red is tapped output Jackson Black- Red South Green+ White North Red/White is series link. Lawrence
HumbuckerGreen
Black-
North
White
Red+
South
Green/White is series link. Output wire exits pickup under the south coil.
Lawrence
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Grey
White
North
CW
Hum-canceling single-coil designs; red, black &
barePeavey Black- White North Red+ Green South Green/White is series link. Peavey tapped White Green/Black Red red is tapped output Schaller
HumbuckerWhite
Green-
South
Brown
Yellow+
North
CW
Brown/White is series link. Schaller
Single-coilNA
NA
NA
Black
White
South or North
CW
South polarity for S6 and T6, North on S6 Vintage. The output wire is coaxial, so black (outer-braid) is ground and the white (inner-wire) is hot.
Shadow
Yellow-
Brown
North
White
Green+
South
Brown/White is series link.