I'm new to the forum, which I found through the GuitarNuts website. It's great to see all of this interesting stuff here, and perhaps I can add something new to look at.
There is a discussion below about Mike Richardson's 10-tone Strat wiring. I have just finishing rewiring my guitar in a way which was inspired by his design, but adapted for twin humbuckers and simplified a bit.
Mike gets ten tones from three single-coil pickups, and four of them are humbucking. My version get eight tones from two humbuckers, and all are 100% hum-canceling.
The selector is a Stewart-MacDonald "Super Switch". The one which I call the "mode switch" is any DPDT on-on type. I'm currently using a mini-toggle, but would like to find something which looks better and is more sturdy.
The combinations are laid out in what I think is a logical way. When the selector is in the first three positions, the mode switch changes the coils between series and parallel. When the selector is in position 4 or 5, the mode switch has no effect, because the signal doesn't go through it.
I just finished the job last night, and I'm happy to report that everything works exactly as it is supposed to. There are a lot of sounds over a wide range, and complete silence when the strings are still.
Here is the schematic, if I can figure out how to link it in. Enjoy.
Have you thought about using a push/pull switch instead of the mini switch. Just change out one of your 250k or 500k vol or tone controls with one with push/pull. Would have no visible change except for a raised knob sometimes.
very nice mod: elegant, efficient and useful. Worth sticking it on the schematics page, I reckon.
I'd be tempted to change the ordering to:
Bridge HB (series or parallel) All coils parallel Both HBs (paralell) Bridge and Neck singles (series or parallel) Neck HB (series or parallel)
which might be a bit more conventional.
Incidentally what's the "All coils in Parallel" setting like? Lots of folk (under the inspiration of Mr Atchley!) are very keen on Bridge and Neck singles in series and out of phase. It might be possible to swap that for the All in parallel setting....
..... Incidentally what's the "All coils in Parallel" setting like? Lots of folk (under the inspiration of Mr Atchley!) are very keen on Bridge and Neck singles in series and out of phase. It might be possible to swap that for the All in parallel setting....
My current Strat mod (of the day! ) has for its alternate positions:
B+/N B+N B+M+N B*N B*/N
+ is parallel * is series / is reverse phase
(Too bad there isn't an 'overline' character like there is an underline. To us math or engineer types, a line over a character like that means 'not' - you read it as 'not N'. In this case, it would mean 'N reversed'. But lacking that, I'll settle for using a slash instead. Anything to simplify the notation, eh?
I'm kind of liking what I hear. The '2' position is the usual bridge and neck that you hear when a guitar has no middle pickup, except that both pups are wound normally, instead of one being RWRP. In fact, I'm toying with the idea of asking Kinman (the only pickup maker on the planet - after you hear/play a set of these, you'll throw rocks at everything else) to make me a special neck pup that is RWRP, just for this application. (Or he could do the bridge, I don't care.)
The All 3 combination is much like the B+M and M+N combos, sort of quacky sounding. I find that the overall sound is very sensitive to the distance between the pickups and the strings - balancing them is crucial to finding the tone you like. I use this setting for Robert Cray blues material, and for some old instrumentals like Apache. (Aw, come on, a guy's gotta re-live his roots once in awhile, OK? ;D)
The two out-of-phase combos are very limited in their frequency response, they sound like a mid-'60's Japanese guitar running through an old Magnatone amp - way cool for playing parts that were originally done on a saxaphone.
Have you thought about using a push/pull switch instead of the mini switch?
Yes, and I even bought a couple. Then I thought that it would be awkward to push or pull on the volume knob at the same time as moving the selector, if both were needed to get to the desired tone. I haven't actually tried it, it just seemed that it would be.
Incidentally what's the "All coils in Parallel" setting like?
This project suffers a bit from being on a low budget. The guitar is a Beringer Strat copy, and the new pickups are rail types which fit into a single-coil opening. The blades on each pickup are very close together, so they are picking up the signal from almost the same place on the string.
The result is that all four in parallel sounds almost the same as one coil in each in parallel. It isn't exactly the same, it's a bit brighter, no doubt because of the lower overall impedance, but very similar. If they were regular wide humbuckers with the coils further apart, the difference would probably be greater.
The next time I have it apart (there's always a next time) I could sacrifice that one for something more distinctive, such as the bridge x neck out of phase.
(Too bad there isn't an 'overline' character like there is an underline. To us math or engineer types, a line over a character like that means 'not' - you read it as 'not N'. In this case, it would mean 'N reversed'. But lacking that, I'll settle for using a slash instead. Anything to simplify the notation, eh?
How about Nr, as in "N sub-R" ? So you'd have B+Nr B+N B+M+N B*N B*Nr
Just a thought...
sumgai said:
I use this setting for Robert Cray blues material, and for some old instrumentals like Apache. (Aw, come on, a guy's gotta re-live his roots once in awhile, OK? ;D)
In case you're wondering why you now have minus 25,000 Karma points...... ;D
Saw that some time ago. Maybe I should send you over to www.surfguitar101.com, and let them beat up on you for a few days. They'll make you watch scads of these things, there's a ton of 'em.
The only thing I can't figure out is how someone actually gets to upload a file to the eonstreams site. They do appear to have the most glitch-free servers I can recall ever seeing for streaming media.
Oh, and about your use of an 'r' instead of the slash.... well, as an old engineer, I tend to think in terms of using what's already known, and not mis-appropriate an already well-known character for yet another duty. That was why I lamented the lack of an 'overline' key. But your suggest has merit, it may find favor with others here, in which case I'd switch.
Hi fobits That is a great wiring scheme you have there and I like the idea that all the settings are humbucking. As for the sound of all 4 coils in parallel? When using 2 humbuckers I always like to wire in that switching option. I like the sound of it (for certain songs) so I wouldn't be so quick to give that up for another sound option. sumgai There might be some options for using an overline 'N'. Hold down the "ALT" key and then on the number keypad type 165 which produces Ñ (the capital N with a tilde). ALT key and 164 yields the lower case version ñ. OR if you look at the icons for posting a message, you'll see bold, italic, etc and eventually you'll see "sub". So if you want a real N sub r you could get Nr. Then again maybe it's better just to subscript the entire N.
Post by UnklMickey on Mar 20, 2006 12:37:14 GMT -5
Frank,
i’ve dissected and evaluated your wiring diagram.
first, the bad news:
you’re not going to get the “unklmickey seal of excellence” (that and $3 will get you a coffee at Starbuck’s) with the north coils permanently connected to hot like that. In positions 1, 2, and 3 you always have one unused coil connected.
Also, there’s no easy way to add out of phase, and maintain hum-canceling.
now for the good news:
1 -- you have the 3 basic sound Neck (series) HB, Bridge (series) HB, and both (series) HBs in parallel.
2 -- you also include each (parallel) HB, all 4 coils in parallel, and one coil from each (in both series and parallel flavors).
3 -- ALL SELECTIONS ARE HUM-CANCELING (there’s a reason why this is in capitals, it’s that important.)
4 -- no coils are ever shunted.
5 -- it’s a fairly simple, uncluttered wiring job, a reasonable project for a novice to attempt to build.
the bottom line: it may not be “excellent”, but it IS pretty darned good!
BTW: you can easily add a 9th sound in position 4 (series mode): (BN+NN) x (BS+NS)
this will sound slightly different from position 5.
unk
EDIT:
i almost forgot -- +1
Last Edit: Mar 20, 2006 17:50:40 GMT -5 by UnklMickey
"Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. " -- Steve Hopton
"some people say happiness is just a State of mind...................... i think it should be a whole freakin' Country!" -- unklmickey
In positions 1, 2, and 3 you always have one unused coil connected.
That's true, a consequence of the two black leads permanantly connected to the output. The Super Switch is Super, but it isn't Super-Dooper. There are eight leads from the pickups, but only four poles, so you can't have everything you might want.
After reading your post I checked the guitar again, listening for a difference in noise between the first three positions and the last two. I couldn't hear any. With the amp turned 3/4 of the way up, each produces a faint hum, or a hum mixed with a hiss.
The guitar originally had single-coil pickups, and in that same spot even 1/4 volume produced a nasty BUZZZZ, so there is a good deal of magnetic noise there.
In short, I'm not convinced that "hanging from hot" is a real practical problem, as opposed to a theoretical niceity.
Also, there’s no easy way to add out of phase, and maintain hum-canceling.
That's also true. With the two blacks permanently to hot and the two greens permanently to ground, it can't be done.
the bottom line: it may not be “excellent”, but it IS pretty darned good!
They are covered... with black fabric tape. They are rail-types which are intended to fit into a single-coil slot, but they put on so much wire that it's hard to wiggle them into the opening as it is, much less with a cover.
If you haven't noticed, BTW, I modified my last post. Thinking about it later, it occurred to me that the last sentence might sound brusque and conceited, rather than humorous as was intended.
Post by UnklMickey on Mar 21, 2006 16:33:48 GMT -5
fobits said:
(are your open or covered?)
They are covered... with black fabric tape. They are rail-types which are intended to fit into a single-coil slot, but they put on so much wire that it's hard to wiggle them into the opening as it is, much less with a cover.
If you haven't noticed, BTW, I modified my last post. Thinking about it later, it occurred to me that the last sentence might sound brusque and conceited, rather than humorous as was intended.
okay,
that's even more specific on the data point.
not metal covered, small form factor HB.
i personally took the original version of your closing statement to mean the same as the edited version. this way is less ambiguous though.
considering you've been reviewed by "the Simon Cowell of wiring analysis", "pretty darned good", sounds pretty darned good eh?
next question:
whats your opinion of coil shunting?
final question:
simes has been looking for a diagram that might fit his needs hoping that one of the ones posted on GN2 might be adapted.
the way i like to design, works easily with series combinations, but less readily with parallel, or singles.
your design adapts well to parallel combos, but not as readily to series.
any thoughts on how we might get him something at least close to what he's looking for?
"Silence is golden, but duct tape is silver. " -- Steve Hopton
"some people say happiness is just a State of mind...................... i think it should be a whole freakin' Country!" -- unklmickey