EKfkn4
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Post by EKfkn4 on May 1, 2013 2:30:52 GMT -5
Hey all I've been lurking here for awhile but just decided to register as I may have taken on a bigger project than i can handle. I've been doing minor mods to my guitars for a couple years now but i'm trying to combine a few mods into one guitar if possible.
My current set-up is a Washburn wg228 HSH with a Dimarzio d activator-x in the bridge and stock pickups in middle and neck, one vol, one tone and 5 way switch. What im looking to do, if possible, is wire a push/pull volume pot to switch between series and parallel for each humbucker and a push/pull tone pot to put each humbucker in and out of phase.
I apologize if this has been asked/answered before but it just seemed like an oddly specific project. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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Post by newey on May 1, 2013 5:32:22 GMT -5
EK-
Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!
Well, you said you had a single V and T set-up. So, that gives you room for 2 P/P pots.
One P/P pot would be needed for each pickup, in order to put the two coils of each HB into series or parallel configuration, which is what I took you to mean. If you meant to say that you wanted to put the neck HB in series/parallel with the bridge HB, that could be done with a single P/P.
Same issue of meaning here. If you want to put the neck HB OOP with the bridge HB, that's one P/P pot. If you meant (as I read it to mean) that you wanted the coils of each HB OOP (i.e., each HB is internally OOP), then that's another 2 P/Ps.
Putting the individual coils of each HB OOP will leave you with very little signal. It's a weak, tinny sound. There are some folks who like this sound, but they're in a minority. As compared with putting the two pickups OOP with each other, the sound of the 2 coils of a HB OOP is unlikely to be a useful sound for you.
So, for each question you ask, we need you to clarify whether you mean "inter-pickup" series/parallel (i.e.,, between the two HBs) or "intra-pickup" (within each HB itself), and the same question for the OOP. Depending on the answers, you'll need either 2, 3 or 4 P/P pots- and you only have space for two as it stands now.
You may have seen wiring where a single P/P pot is used to cut both HBs to single coil operation. This can be done, because each HB requires only a single switch pole to do coil cuts, so a P/P (which has 2 poles) is enough to cut 2 pickups simultaneously to SC operation. But series/parallel switching, and phase switching, both require using 2 poles, so you can't use one P/P to do those operations for a pair of pickups.
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EKfkn4
Rookie Solder Flinger
Posts: 7
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Post by EKfkn4 on May 1, 2013 6:54:34 GMT -5
Thank you for your response!
Sorry about the unclear explanation as to what im looking to do but you pretty much hit it on the head. Im looking for a way to switch the coils of each HB between S/P and in/out of phase. I think "intra-pickup"? I've also toyed around with the idea of using Seymour Duncan triple shots to handle the series/parallel job and dedicating the pots to just OOP for the HB's but im on a budget lol. I helped a friend do the same thing to his jackson a couple years ago but i cant, for the life of me, remember which forum we got the wiring diagram from.
As for the OOP tinny, weak sound, its something i could definitely use for a few applications but i dont want permanently which is why im looking for a way to swtch back and forth.
Thanks again for taking the time to read through my incomprehendible rambling lol.
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Post by JohnH on May 1, 2013 15:21:39 GMT -5
I see you are clear on what you want, but it would take twice as many switch poles as you have with two push/pull pots.
If you want to deal with both pickups with one switch, you could do single coil cuts instead of series/parallel. These only take one pole per pup. Single coil has the same basic volume as parallel, and a bit more edge to it. THey will hum as single coils do, but it can be arranged so that when you select both togther uisng your main toggle, they are hum cancelling.
And another plug for making the phase switch inter-pickup. Its a much more useful sound, in most peoples humble opinions, than doing it between coils of one pickup, and keeps a bit more weight. If you do that, with the single coil switch as above, its still pretty thin, but with a bit of body retained. Also, two single coils, out of phase, can also be wired to be humcancelling because flipping th e phase switch can be made to change which coil is cut. You also get the full humbuckers out of phase, another interesting sound, and, bonus easter egg, using the phase and the coil cut together, you can select which of the two bridge coils you cut to.
All of that with the two push/pull pots that you want, and simple wiring that has been done here many times.
John
John
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EKfkn4
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by EKfkn4 on May 1, 2013 17:30:54 GMT -5
Thank you John for your reply. I never thought about doing a setup like you mentioned. It sounds a lot less complicated than what i was looking to do, and would save me from having to drill into my guitar!
Just a thought, if i were to shell out the $50 for a pair of triple shot switches, would my original idea be more feasible or am i S.O.L. with that one? Or would i be able to combine the two ideas to make some awesome tone monster?
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Post by newey on May 1, 2013 18:53:53 GMT -5
The Triple Shots™ would allow you to have your series/parallel switching for each pickup, and would allow for single coil operation as JohnH suggested as well.
The phase switching for each HB presents a bit of an issue with the Triple Shots™. To put the 2 coils of a single HB OOP with each other would require a phase switch to be wired before the series/parallel switching. In other words, for one of the HB coils, the wires would come from the pickups, go out of the Triple Shot mounting rings to a P/P to swap the phase, and then go back into the Triple Shots for the series/parallel/SC switching.
I'm not sure that can be done with the Triple Shots. There isn't much room to be routing wires in and out of the pickup rings. The Triple Shot system is basically designed to just take the 4 conductors straight from the HB into the unit, and then a hot and a ground come out the other side, to be wired to the other controls. There's not much room for modders to intervene there. SD has basically made that item a sort-of "one trick pony".
Now, if you do decide to go with inter-pickup phasing (i.e., neck and bridge OOP with each other), that can be done with a single P/P, and can be done (without any wiring issues) in conjunction with the Triple Shots. So, that scheme would have the Triple Shots and a single P/P, potentially leaving room for another, as yet unspecified, P/P pot.
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Post by JohnH on May 1, 2013 22:19:03 GMT -5
I agree with newey. Actually, given you have HSH, theres a nice scheme if you do get the ttiple shots. Wire them as they are intended, and have a push pull to phase-reverse your middle pup. That will give you several thin phased options at positions 2 and 4 on the 5-way switch. Then use another pp switch as s neck-on, or a bridge on, to get you combos with both N and B, or all three, which i expect you dont currently have. Simple wiring too.
John
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