Wire colours for 1978 DiMarzio Dual Sound

[blademaster2]

I finally disconnected the soldering that I did in high school to find out what was really going on with the pickups in my first guitar I built.

These were purchased in 1978 and were called "Dual Sound", which was essentially a splittable Super Distortion Humbucker. They had three wires (white, red, black) plus a bare ground wire. DiMarzio still makes "Dual Sound" pickups, which appears to be the same thing but now they have 4 wires (green, red, white, black) plus a bare ground wire.

I was unable to find anything on the meaning of the wire colours on these models on the web, and I was not getting the sounds I expected with the wiring I had constructed (which was done exactly as the instructions said since I knew nothing back then about this topic).

So here is the answer (found using an ohmmeter):

Coil A: White is signal, and the other 'negative' end of this coil is permanently connected to shield/ground
Coil B: Red is 'positive' and Back is 'negative' relative to the white wire on coil A

The original wiring I used, which I understood to be a series/parallel switch, was actually only giving me parallel/single coil. I liked the sound, but I thought I was getting something else. Now I have the neck pickup configured for Series ("Super Distortion", highest output) or single coil (the inner coil, so someday I might rotate the pickup so I get the single one to be the one closer to the neck). TBH, I am not terribly pleased with the duller series tone on its own but I left the bridge pickup with my original parallel/single coil so I could preserve that clarity as I mix the two and it gives me the most variety.

It is like a whole different guitar now, with more variety of tone than ever before. 

[ziggystardust723]

Hello Blademaster2,
Sorry for answering late,
but I'm new on this Forum..
But not in life:
- I'm 66yo & winding since 8y..
I saw on a Board what are the DiMarzio HB wires colours,
= Bobbin 'inside':
- Start of winding = Red > to +
- End '' '' '' ''= Black
> Bobbin '0utside':
- Start of winding = Green > to -
- End '' '' '' '' = White
> For 'Serie': Blk & Wte together
- With only 3 Wires like in 1st:
= I think there is 1 who comes from the link of the 2 Ext: Blk & Wte,
= it's as simple..
> Try it..
- I don't know what you've really done, but what I say it's the truth.
- If you tell me how to put a picture
> I'll do it, if you need..
- Bye bye Butterfly,
- Ziggy (Paris, France).

[ziggystardust723]

Hello Blademaster2,
Sorry for answering late,
but I'm new on this Forum..
But not in life:
- I'm 66yo & winding since 8y..
I saw on a Board what are the DiMarzio HB wires colours,
= Bobbin 'inside':
- Start of winding = Red > to +
- End '' '' '' ''= Black
> Bobbin '0utside':
- Start of winding = Green > to -
- End '' '' '' '' = White
> For 'Serie': Blk & Wte together
- With only 3 Wires like in 1st:
= I think there is 1 who comes from the link of the 2 Ext: Blk & Wte,
= it's as simple..
> Try it..
- I don't know what you've really done, but what I say it's the truth.
- If you tell me how to put a picture
> I'll do it, if you need..
- Bye bye Butterfly,
- Ziggy (Paris, France.. 20h16)

[blademaster2]

Many thanks!

I think we had it the same way, so that is good news.

The old DiMarzio wiring was a little restricting, but workable. I like their sound, especially on split coil.

[ziggystardust723]

Hi Blademaster2!
DiMarzio is really R&R.!
- Remenber the 1st time I Customised a Guitar, in 1982 or '83:
- I'd bought a really nice copy of Gibson L-6S all New, with Wood looking: set mapple Neck with 24 frets on an mapple Body, with 2 HB like B.Lawrence made (& all the Guitar), & rotative selector for pickups, & Pots: Vol general, Tone Bass general, & Treeble general..
> Was given so much Big Sounds, but to 'Harsh' for me..
- I'd the opportunity to get an very bad guitar:
= an SG copy peinted in Red 'with hands', & a part of the body Cut 0ut', but with 2 pu's than I smelled were 2 DiMarzio 'DP-100 Super Disto':
> I exchanged this guitar with a New 'Attache Case' (than my little sister gave to me, Real.!)
> At home: Immediately I took the screwdriver to kick off the 2 pus;
> 'DiMarzio USA' was graved at their back (= got these for nothing):
- I put them on the L-6S,
= very better Sounds, but more consistant Sounds, with more Volume & Bass..
> not the matter:
- on this guitar, with the 6 positions rotative selector pickups:
= you find immediately the kind of Sound you need,
> & after: you have to adjust the good Vol, the good Bass & Treebles you need:
= I was able to Play Apache (from The Shadows) with just the good Sound!
> with 2 DiMarzio DP-100 !..
- but on an L-6S guitar:
= the 0nly Guitar with a Pot for Bass
> with wich you can Lower the Bass.!
- All the Bass of 1pickup as you want
- I did't get this guitar: somebody stoled it, after broken my door..
- But I Remember this guitar, & got the measures to make the same 'Bass Pot':
= really particular: with 2 little Bobbins..
> I understand more why other Guitars don't get the same: Too Expensive..
- Look at a std Strato: 3 pus, & only 1 little Capacity for the 2 Tone Pots
& really Cheap..
- many 'mistakes' or 'forgets' on this Guitar, but the Most Sold in the World.. & with the more Copies..
- But you have to spend time to Try & Try.. to get a day wich you like..
- my last guitar, bought on the 01/01/2021: an 'Washburn Hawk'(a 'Wing Serie' made in Japan by Matsumoku from '78 to '82.. this one from '80: With a real 'Thruneck' & Swamp Body.. for less price: 'cause no pus.. but I'll wind 2 HB 'special Home maid'..)
- See you latter Alligator,
- Ziggy (France, 9h10..)

[Yogi B]

Jan 28, 2021 3:10:28 GMT -5 ziggystardust723 said:

but on an L-6S guitar: the only Guitar with a Pot for Bass with which you can Lower the Bass!

Ah but, much like the VariTone from which the design may well have taken inspiration and the Q-filter into which the design evolved, it's actually a mid-frequency control.


You only need an inductor (the "2 little bobbins") if you're making a band-stop filter. Otherwise, as per the G&L guitars that include their PTB (passive treble & bass) control system, you can quite easily get a bass control by using a potentiometer as a variable resistance that bypasses a capacitor that is in series with the pickup(s).

[ziggystardust723]

Yogi B,
I'm not shure you obtain the same.
With this kind of Bass Pot (& his 2 little bobbins):
- you can really Roll off all the Bass from a pickup, if you need..
- & I'll try to do one next time..
- but I'll have to see what you tell, if it really works too..
- Bye, Ziggy (France, 12h45)