two pickups in parallel one through a cap (for a 5 way tele)

[thetragichero]

so my dad has started making (as in he's made one and is tweaking the model) tele bodies (with strat neck pockets) on his cnc, currently out of poplar (because we got a big log capable of four blanks for free from our friendly local wood guys). he's more interested in the process of cutting out the bodies successfully than turning into electric guitars, so i suppose that's my task. i've been acquiring some decent pickups and bridges and have a standard 5-way switch in the parts bin so i figured besides neck, bridge, parallel, and series having parallel with the bridge pickup through a cap (to minimize bass cancellation, or am i thinking wrong?) would be nice. haven't sketched out a diagram yet but i have it in my mind's eye (one pickup attached to volume pot and switch the ground, one pickup attached to ground and switch the output. should be able to prevent the one 'hanging from hot' pretty easily)
my question is how to size the bypass cap. did some googling and didn't find an answer but also only looked at a few pages of results
is series with the bridge through a cap more useful?

[newey]

"More useful" depends on what one wants. If one pickup is RWRP, putting both pickups in series gives you the "widely spaced humbucker" sound which I find is useful.

The bridge through a cap will depend on how the cap is wired, whether in parallel with the bridge pickup to ground or in series. Parallel cap to ground cuts the highs, and since the bridge pickup is going to be providing most of the high end, the sound could get muddy. But that, with some gain added, might get you sounding like Hammett or Hetfield if that's the goal.

Cap in series goes the other way, so then the neck pickup would be providing most of the low end with the bridge supplying the highs. That would be my preference, probably, but I'd want just the series combo, with the cap as an in/out option rather than a fixed option.

As far as cap values, there are so many variables that it would be best to do some testing first to find the "sweet spot" for your particular pickups.

[ashcatlt]

If the cap is parallel to the bridge and the bridge is parallel to the neck…. It’s just a master T turned all the way down.

If the cap is in series with the bridge, it’s a high pass on the bridge and kind of makes a weird mid scoop when combined with the neck. I have a couple of instruments which will do neck parallel to a strangled bridge. Can’t say I care for it very much. It gets kind of clacky and brittle without the midrange complexity that keeps me in the middle position most of the time.

I’m very much wondering how we’re gonna make all this happen on a standard 5 way, but I’m sure if anybody can do it, they hang out here.

[gckelloch]

This is a classic option that might fit the bill for you:
www.wildepickups.com/pages/tele-5-way-with-half-out-of-phase

[newey]

Going back to thetragichero first post, I thought he wanted the two pickups in series, not parallel- from his description of how he was thinking of wiring it. And then the series maybe with a cap on the bridge.

I’m very much wondering how we’re gonna make all this happen on a standard 5 way, but I’m sure if anybody can do it, they hang out here.

I think it can be done in series but you'd have redundant positions. Like this:

[Deleted]

I'm getting B, B, NxCxB, N, N
(Had to do this like six times because of the commons being opsite ends)


neck, bridge, parallel, and series having parallel with the bridge pickup through a cap

And from how I'm reading the first post, we are aiming for
N, B, N+B
Last line is hard to read
NxB , NxCxB or N+(CxB)

[ashcatlt]

If the cap is in series with the bridge and the bridge is in series with the neck…. Master highpass, which I could see being useful.

With the cap parallel to the bridge and that structure in series with the neck, it’s that broadbucker thing where you get all the treble from the neck, none from the bridge, and the bass from the series pair. I have several guitars which can do this, and I really don’t care for them either, especially when it’s the bridge that’s bypassed. Might be useful for certain specialty sounds, but it just always feels and sounds weird to me.

[thetragichero]

didn't realize my switches had only 3 lugs + common per pole. guess I'll have to get the "mini superswitch" type