Pickup Configuration Question

[raystankewitz]

Okay, dumb question of the day;

Can I use two Firebird pickups together (bridge/neck) as long as the leads are pointing opposite one another? I.E. the lead is coming out of the pickup on one side for the neck, the other side for the bridge.

I'm asking because somebody gifted me two Firebird pickups with no markings on them, DC resistance is 7.6k for one and 7.75k for for the other. They might be GFS brand but the stickers on the bottom have been removed.

Any thoughts?

 

[Fat Pete]

Well 2 pickup Firebirds managed ok and I'm not sure why you think it might be a problem.

The lead-out direction/rotation of the pickup in that plane doesn't affect phase and is unlikely to make a detectable difference.

 

[JohnnyHardtail]

For humbuckers you can install the pickups back-to-front, and the the pickup still works.  The lead may come out the opposite side, but some people do it anyway.  If it was a PAF style humbucker, there could be a slight difference in tone due to the position of the adjustable screw poles.    A true Firebird pickup is made with Alnico magnets inside each coil, so it shouldn't make any difference at all. 

I hope I correctly understood your question.  You could always re-install back-to-front if you get bored, or if you decide to route the cable the other way.