A simple blended HSS Strat - series and parallel

[JohnH]

I like an HSS Strat, so this scheme condenses my favourite HSS options into a simple design with no added controls.

HSS provides four coils, two each of each magnetic polarity, so unlike SSS it is possible to have all two-coil combos as hum cancelling including neck-bridge combos.

A range of series options are possible with HSS, but I find the best is neck single, in series with the opposite polarity bridge coil, with that coil placed on the neck-side of the humbucker. It’s a very clear but also powerful tone and compared to the neck alone, it is like adding a mid boost. So this scheme offers N x B(single), blendable from N.


The design uses a blend pot combined with a Super-switch to transition between single and parallel, and single neck and series, with the full bridge humbucker always available in position 1. The best simple blender is a no-load pot, to fade in a second pickup in parallel, or shunt one off in series. It has no detrimental resistance or loading effects on tones at either end of the range and gives a nice smooth transition.

A total of 8 different sounds (including 5 hum cancelling) is available plus blended variations.

Not built yet, but based on other tested designs.

thetragichero edit 06/06/2020: image was not displaying so i uploaded elsewhere

[pj]

Great idea!

Especially I like that you always have that go to safe spot of the bridge humbucker to turn to. A lot of people would dig that. My issue with the old Armstrong series blend was the potential to go for the sweet two on and find you were out of phase and had displaced a local bat colony.

The best thing is that this would likely work really well with a vintage wind humbucker where that weaker split coil can actually be a real bonus when blended in series with a more traditional single.

[JohnH]

Thanks for your comments. Im all about wiring designs where there are pairs of good tones to change between quickly using just one control. In this case, Bridge humbucker and Neck single are go-to settings and are available at both ends of the blender.

[abraxasstrat]

John,

I've just discovered you and all your great designs. I really like this one, with a few influences from some of the more complicated ones also perhaps, but i'm stuck wondering what to do about my noiseless single coils.
I have the American deluxe HSS with original fender noiseless pups and fender HB. i think i'm fine with them, for now, and look forward to fine tuning the wiring for my own taste.
but will these designs be just as useful on stacked SC, or is another approach more appropriate?
EE here myself, and i love you analytical approach to design, thanks.
i wouldn't mind two push-pulls, have one now, and am going to try converting a $6 push-pull to no-taper soon out of curiosity, partly.

[JohnH]

Hi abraxastrat thanks fof your comments and welcome to GN2
The basic circuit should work fine with noiseless too