monadyne
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Karma: 0 |  | Lipstick tube pu series/parallel wiring?
« Thread Started on Jan 6, 2007, 2:10am » | |
Hi, fellow guitarnuts. I hope somebody who's good with guitar wiring can help me with this.
I have this custom-built version of a 1964 Danelectro Pro 1:
![[image]](http://www.thebenzobook.com/new-Pro-1.jpg "[image]")
The pickups were wired with no tone controls, just two volume controls with push pull switches to change phase.. I prefer a more trad wiring: concentric stacked Volume/Tone controls and a three-way switch to have Neck / Both / Bridge choices. So, I got these components and I'm just about ready to wire them up.
To figure out how two pickup Danelectros were wired, I took apart my Silvertone 1449 guitar and copied the wiring into a design:
![[image]](http://www.thebenzobook.com/danelectro-wiring.jpg "[image]")
(Which I labeled incorrectly as 1443. ooops!)
Anyway, here's my question. These classic Danelectro-made guitars used series wiring. When the three-way switch is in the middle position and both pickups are on, the current flows through one and then the other, i.e., in series. This results in a rather strong, ballsy sound. By contrast, a Les Paul's two pickups are wired in parallel. The resultant sound is less strong, but has a harmonic richness. I could wire my custom Dano like a Les Paul, except that when wired like the original Les Pauls, the volume control of one pickup affects the volume of both it and the other pickup. More recent Les Pauls have a different method of wiring that eliminates that problem, but that wiring method has other drawbacks.
I could have used one volume and one tone control with a 4-way switch that's often used in Telecasters to alternate between series and parallel sounds, but with two pickups, I prefer to have independent volume and tone controls. I often try to get a kind of "woman tone" effect by rolling off the treble on one pickup then blending it with the other pickup. This allows an almost infinite amount of subtle variations in the "feel" of a sound.
I would like to be able to have the pickups together in parallel---I suspect it would have more of a "chime" type sound like that. So, my question is this: is there any way I can add a switch that would send the pickup's signals in parallel through the volume & tone pots?
Thanks!
p.s. Edited to add this: I should have mentioned that I don't know a damned thing about how all these components work. I know just enough to follow a diagram and solder connections.
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darkcyde
Apprentice Shielder
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Karma: 1 | | Re: Lipstick tube pu series/parallel wiring?
« Reply #1 on Jan 12, 2007, 4:59pm » | |
Here is a good starting point
http://static.zoovy.com/img/guitarelectr....u_ss4l11_01.jpg
That will give you
2 single coils, 4-way lever switch, 1 volume, 1 tone. Tele style guitar with the Fender 4-way mod switch. Settings: 1. Bridge, 2. Bridge+Neck (parallel) 3. Neck, 4. Bridge+Neck (series).
Hope this helps
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chrisk
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Karma: 1,000,005 | | Re: Lipstick tube pu series/parallel wiring?
« Reply #2 on Jan 12, 2007, 8:21pm » | |
This link to my series/parallel blend module
http://guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index....read=1145315219
might enable you to see how a volume pot can be used for parallel blending and series shunting for effective volume control.
If you replace the dual element blend pot with two volume pots, you're halfway there. If you place each tone pot/cap across the respective pickup, you're 3/4 of the way there. If you use the Tele 4-way (which is a 2P4T switch), you can realize bridge, neck, parallel, and series. You're there!
If you just want the LP 3-way design, many examples abound.
You may find this of help also;
http://guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index....read=1158705194
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monadyne
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Joined: Jan 2007
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Karma: 0 | | Re: Lipstick tube pu series/parallel wiring?
« Reply #3 on Jan 13, 2007, 3:24am » | |
Wow, guys----thanks!
I'm gonna have to go study this stuff....
It looks like that series/parallel switch might just be the way to go for me.
Thanks again!
--Jack
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