Wiring Diagram suggestions.

[FireBall]

I have a Warmoth guitar that I put together several years ago. I want to update the guitar to take full potential of sounds I can get. All I know is straight forward wiring, so you guys can give me some cool ideas for different configurations with what I have...

My current setup on the warmoth:

Dimarzio - Fast Track 1 (neck) (dual single coil)
Dimarzio - Tone Zone (bridge) (humbucker)
2 volume
Three was switch (S / SH / H) is how its wired... kinda boring

I would like to try splitting the humbucker with a push/pull pot, and maybe some in phase and out of phase wiring. I have ordered two DPDT push pull pots, and was thinking on ordering a 5 way selector. I was also wondering about different configurations for the Fast Track since it is a dual coil pickup. I know there's several possibilities with this even though I only use a HS setup. Anyone care to shoot me some ideas and some diagrams??

Thank you very much,
fireball

[Runewalker]

Peruse the Schematics sub folder in this Folder.

You have an HH or an HSS equivalent, so look for those configs.
Not sure though if you have a back routed or pickguard pup mounted guitar. The 3 way suggests back routed.

Here are three that work with HH or HSS:

JH's Dual Sound, plenty of tones, easy Live setups
guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=display&thread=1169252165

the HBD - Lots of options
guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=display&thread=1181507361

Uncle Micky's Big Ugly, not a lot of testimonials but electronically sound
guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=display&thread=1139268111

1 and 2 above are 5 way lever switch oriented. 2 is a three-way plus design.

The various Jimmy Page mods will also work, and use a 3 way, with Push pulls.

A limiting factor is having only 2 Vols, since a couple of these rely on Push Pulls, but the switch there is just a DPDT so you could sub toggles, if you have room.

One other thing to consider. It is also not clear how your bod is pup routed. If you are stuck with a single coil sized Neck rout then the Fast track will stay. If you have a larger full sized humbucker rout consider swapping out for that. Why? The Fast track has such a small distance between coils, and both are bladed --- meaning the difference in sound is probably indistinguishable on the north or south coil. A full size humbucker has enough distance between the 2 pole sets that the tone is different, though mostly detectible on clean settings. If I have a humbucker with a slug pole set and adjustable pole set I raised the adjustables to make them "hotter". This gives almost a vintage versus modern single coil sound at the north or south options.

If you keep the Fast track your main advantage in switching schemes will be to get hum cancelling combos when switching the neck and bridge cut coils together, and of course OoP will be available, which is whacky enough to give you significantly different voices.

The range of sounds available waiting to be unlocked in a ubiquitous HH array is astounding.

There are other good designs there, so shop around. These will get you started.

[FireBall]

Hey thanks for the information.. unfortunately I am stuck with the single coil in the neck position (top routed pickup - no pickguard).. when I ordered the body, back in about '95, I didn't care for humbuckers in the neck. I thought it was muddy compared to singles, so I ordered a single neck rout, I never thought about being able to split the coils at the time. Now I wish I had ordered a front humbucker rout, especially reading about all the variations that can be done, back then I didn't know about such things... I wasn't really sure about splitting the fast track, just curious if there where variations I could take advantage of with what I have to work with.

Thanks a bunch for the help, I will probably need help in the final decision!!

fireball

[sumgai]

fireball,

Hi, and welcome to the NutzHouse! ;D

unfortunately I am stuck with the single coil in the neck position..

No you're not...... that's why they both make, and sell, routers to the public! Find yourself a router that makes you happy, cost-versus-features-wise, and go for the gusto! After all, that's what the manufacturer did in the first place. ;D

HTH


sumgai

[ashcatlt]

but but but but but...

Unless I'm missing something (wouldn't be the first time) the fast track 1 is, in fact, a blade style mini-humbucker!

According to their website it's got 4 conductors. It's possible you've got it wired in internal parallel, which I'm thinking is probably the way they suggested you do it, given that they claim it sounds more like a single with a somewhat hotter output. There's no reason, however, that you can't use it like any other humbucker. For all practical purposes you've got an HH guitar. I would suggest considering at such from now on when looking at wiring diagrams.

[Runewalker]

ashcatlt said:

but but but but but...

Unless I'm missing something (wouldn't be the first time) the fast track 1 is, in fact, a blade style mini-humbucker!

Right the fast track will of course work with the HH designs on the Schematics page, depending on the switch configs. I was more pointing notice to the fact that when you cut coil the north or the south side of the humbucker, there won't be a significant difference in the sound, because they are so close together, unlike a regualar sized humbucker. Even in a conventional humbucker the differernces are subtle, which was why I mentioned raising the adjustable pole higher than normal, and lowering the entir pup, giving a more vintage sounding slug coil single, and a hotter sounding adjustable coil.

So yes the fast track still gives a number of options. It will still yield a very different sound when put in OoP with the bridge, and there are 8 options there: N OoP, S OoP, Local series OoP, and local Parallel Oop, all in system Series or parallel. Even more depending on whether you cut coil the bridge or put on local S or P. Some combinations will be hum cancelling, some not.

you can really open up your guitar's hidden tones, but it is hard to go back to conventional wiring once you unleash the beast.

[FireBall]

Thanks for the help... here is a couple of pictures of the patient in question..



the guitar changes color in different light, you can sort of see it in the full image.

I use two volume's and no tone control. So now you can see what I have to work with! ;D

I really appreciate the information!!

[Runewalker]

yes the pix helps. Sort of an Ibanez style bod. Potentially the back control cavity is huge. Can you open up the back cover and take a pix of the cavity in relationship to the bod, and maybe a closer pix of the innards?

When you said 3 way switch I was thinking Gibby switchcraft style, not Tele style. So that gives you more of the Big Ugly and Dual Sound options as well. But the HBD would work as well.

I am trying to see if you have room for another Pot and at least one 4PDT toggle, which I suspect you do. I am curious about the football jack, whether it protrudes into the back cavity or is simply top routed like a Strat. I suspect the latter.

Meanwhile would you read through the 3 links I suggested and any others in the Schematics section to help you settle on your design objectives?

[FireBall]

Here is the picture of the cavity... NO makin fun of my wiring... this was a long, long time ago! ;D

I have checking out the links of the diagrams, only issue I have is that I am not familiar about all the variations and the sounds they achieve.. I'm a big newbie on the in and out of phase and such, but I am really curious! I was just a metal head when put together this guitar, now I want nice different variations and sounds... I grew up I guess...

[Runewalker]

fireball said:

Here is the picture of the cavity... NO makin fun of my wiring... this was a long, long time ago! ;D

I have checking out the links of the diagrams, only issue I have is that I am not familiar about all the variations and the sounds they achieve.. I'm a big newbie on the in and out of phase and such, but I am really curious! I was just a metal head when put together this guitar, now I want nice different variations and sounds... I grew up I guess...

The HBD write up has fairly thorough description of the sound types when in singles, or single combined, or OoP, etc. If you are into metal, you actually can increase the thick and piercing base of your guitar with System Series combos and or OoP in Series.

guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=display&thread=1181507361

I'll paste those descriptions for your convience:

Sonic Evaluation

This is the most versatile range of settings in an HH guitar I have ever had. This turned an SG style guitar from a 2 or 3 trick pony in Gibby configuration, into a vast surfeit of sonic options covering Teles, Strats, Ibanez/ESP/Jackson Shredders, traditional Gibsons (solid bodies and jazz boxes), and other nether world instruments not invented and unexplored by humans.

It has, of course, the traditional Gibby settings of Local Series pups alone or combined in System Parallel (yawn) so no convention is ignored.

Key tones beyond the limited Gibson choices include:

• Local Parallel settings: Completely quite, near single coil shimmer, especially with a buffer.
  
  
• Neck Local Parallel with Bridge Local Series Fills out the restrained string amplitude heard with just a bridge Local Series humbucker. Like adding a PAF (in this guitar) at the neck.
  
  
• Neck single options with Bridge Local Series. Similar to the N-Local Para, but a slight bit more power from the single coil neck. In clean setting, subtle difference between the N and S neck coils. Can’t hear the differences in overdriven modes.
  
  
• Inner/Inner, System Series or Parallel. This gets more in the direction of the Neck/Mid 4th position Strat sound in System Parallel. Mild to no hollow quack in this particular guitar but nice shimmer. It is like the 4th position has been smoothed. I think in a 24 fret chassis you could even get quacky, which might get you arrested if you did so in public
  
  In System Series it is like having a 3 humbucker Les Paul and shoving the mid humbucker in the circuit. Humcancelling of course. Very cool.
  
  
• Outer/Outer, System Series or Parallel. More Tele-mid-position like - treble definition but still nice and full. Kind of a beefy-meets-piercing in System Series. Very usable. Humcancelling to boot.
  
  
• Bridge Local Series, in System Series with Neck Single-coil Outer (reverse phase) and in amp at medium overdrive. OMG, Houses of the Holy. Keep Jimmy P away from the dealer.
  
  
• System Series. Neck Single Mode, Neck Tone PP up for Local Parallel, both volumes way down around 2-4. Setting is reverse phased. Quack Master. With the Bridge in low output local parallel, the outer Neck cut coil position OoP, and the volumes way down, the hollowness kicks in. Must be shielded well as this is partially hum-canceling.
  
  
• Home base. System Series. Volume on both at home around 3-4 or 4-5. Neck and Bridge in Local Series to start. Here is where you can stay all night. More treble, then adjust the volume mix, or kick in the Neck single or local parallel, adjust the mix. Or kick in System Parallel for more clarity. More beef for a searing lead, hit the overdrive foot switch, roll up the Local Series Bridge and burn, adding base with more volume on the Local Series Neck, or more treble with cut-coil neck or Local Parallel neck. Get quacky with the OoP version. Most key go-to tones are one movement or a mix adjustment at the volumes.
  
  Here you control tone by the mix and the add-ins or take-aways. Of course there are always the tone controls, what ever the heck those are
  

Referring back to John’s previous tech description:

Picking one inner and one outer coil delivers a combo that sounds out-of phase and is also hum canceling.

These are useful, musical tones that emulate many Fender tones, yet are smoother than OoP settings I have heard in other installations. This is where quack can start happening.

Having the outer coils reverse phased and the inner coils normal phase also provides lots of options when both coils of one pup and two of the other pup are selected. This last feature produces sounds more in the Jimmy Page OoP tonal spectrum. The OoP is the more ragged type I typically associate with OoP, and pushed with your amp can peel the potatoes should you care to.

[Runewalker]

I played with the graphic placement of components in your cavity and you have room for the HBD which is the most switch intensive, and it would add at least another PP pot. Same for the Dual sound except it would have two less toggles. Unks is the least intrusive and would not require any drilling, but it would change your 2 vols to a Master vol and Master tone. It is probably adaptable to a 2 vol unit, with no tone, but some of the real experts here would have to help you with that.

[FireBall]

Thanks a bunch Runewalker! Looking at the diagram and what I have, looks like "Uncle Micky's Big Ugly" could be the way to go without any major mods... but I am still studying... I read where jimplaysguitar did the mod, but didn't find anything about the result... I may have just not found the comments yet. How about a youtube video to demonstrate the different sounds? Now I just need to order more stuff! I can handle going to one volume and a tone.