HSS design with only one DPDT added

[Carlos Sanz]

When dealing with an HSS, the typical modification can be the split of the Humbucker Bridge Coil and the addition of the Neck along with the Bridge.

The easiest way to achieve it is by adding two switches (or Push-pulls), one for each function. But this approach can be improved by adding one only DPDT (either as a switch or as Push-Pull). This new solution is cost-effective and lets the other parts of the electronic circuit ready for further mods (for example, neck phase shift, neck and middle in series). In my case, this was born from the necessity (more on this later).

Well, here is my design. Any thoughts?











And if you feel curious about my necessity, this circuit will be implemented in a Steinberger Spirit that a friend of mine has just bought. The guitar is very handy and comfy, but the pickups are not very good. My friend has changed them from the original HSH configuration to an HSS with brand-new pickups. The electronics cavity is so tight that the jack is just over the tone pot. Only the Volume pot can be changed for another one with a push-pull mechanism. And we don’t want to drill the body.

[Yogi B]

Apr 21, 2019 6:27:21 GMT -5 Carlos Sanz said:

Well, here is my design. Any thoughts?

To achieve a greater number of different positions and hum-cancelling positions, I'd utilise the DPDT to swap the middle pickup with the bridge coil of the same polarity (rather than the neck, as in your schematic). So, something like the following, here assuming the middle is a north coil and the neck is a south coil.

[Carlos Sanz]

WOW!

Your solution is much better. The new Humbucker has all its contacts accesible, so it's easy to be achieved.

THANK YOU!

[JohnH]

HSS is a perfect balanced setup for doing wiring schemes, since you tend to get two each of north and south coils, to combine into hum-cancelling pairs. Yogi's version gives out two particularly nice extra bonus sounds, being humbucker in parallel and a hum-cancelling Tele tone of Bridge north and neck.

HSS on a Strat is my favourite guitar, and I too did a scheme with just one extra DPDT added to stock parts, also used to swap middle and bridge coils:

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/6873/strat-ssm2-hss-sounds-dpdt

It offers different options to Yogi's, with series sounds added. Each hum-cancelling pair is available in series or parallel), but without bridge parallel and only one bridge single.

[Carlos Sanz]

Thank you for your post, John.


Needless to say that I had looked up in the forum for a solution before trying to design one. And I did find your circuit, but it wasn’t suitable for the Steinberger, due to the lack of room (I may take a snapshot if you feel curiousity). Only the volume pot can be changed and no other pot or switch can be added.


On the other side, I think we’ll try both Yogi’s solution and mine because the distance between the neck pickup and the bridge humbucker is not the standard. With 24 frets, the neck pickup was slightly displaced and, furthermore, we’ve changed the original humbucker and have found that there is no internal routing space to place our single-coil as near as possible to the fretboard, even if we make new holes in the pickup plastic frame.

So it’s possible that we combine the south coil of the humbucker with the neck coil at the expense of giving up the hum-cancellation. We have to make test here.






By the way, John… you didn’t tell me anything about my great design of the best mod for a Strat ever (http://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/8447/parallel-series-stratocaster-easy-sounds). I am depressed .

[JohnH]

Good luck with this one. I hadn't picked up on how compact a guitar this is! And Ill go check out the Strat design too.