I recently played a Fender Jazz Bass with the S-1 switching oiption. This switch changes the pickups from parallel to series, giving the bass a much darker sound. I thought it was pretty cool, and wondered if this type of thing(pickups in series) could be used on any of my guitars.
On my Les Paul, I could count the times when i've used both pickups simultaneously on one hand. Therefore this would be a prime candidate for this mod. What exactly I want to do is to wire the guitar so that when the switch is in the middle position, each pickup is turned on, and the neck and bridge pickups are wired in series with each other. Hopefully, this will give a dark tone with large output. In the other two positions of the switch, I wan the guitar to function just as it had before.
The problem is that I cannot find a wiring diagram. Every diagram i've come across talks about putting the individual coils of the humbuckers in parallel or series, but none of them cover what I want to do. I've tried to figure it out myself, but can't think of how to do it.
Does anyone know how to do this modification, or is the reason why nobody does this mod because it sounds bad?
Does anyone know how to do this modification, or is the reason why nobody does this mod because it sounds bad?I don't think it's because it sounds "bad," but probably because not everybody wants to get inside their guitar and rewire it. Sometimes the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" thing is good advice. Other times, we may feel that even though "it ain't broke," it can still be improved. 8)
I'd suggest the GuitarNutsâ„¢ site ("my other favorite GN" besides GuitarNoise), http://www.guitarnuts.com/index.php , and (Wolf's) Guitar Wiring Site http://www.1728.com/guitar.htm as two that will get you off to a good start.
Let me know if you have any more questions. I may not have the answers, but I know who does have the right answers. :wink:
Does anyone know how to do this modification, or is the reason why nobody does this mod because it sounds bad?I don't think it's because it sounds "bad," but probably because not everybody wants to get inside their guitar and rewire it. Sometimes the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" thing is good advice. Other times, we may feel that even though "it ain't broke," it can still be improved. 8) quote]
My thoughts exactly about improving it. I've found a lot of stuff about switching the coils of a humbucker between series and paralell, but not the entire pickup. I even looked for how to do it to a single coil telecaster, figuring that it'd be relatively the same, but everyone does it with a push-pull switch, or a 4 position pickup selector.
Okay, I take it you'd like to just have the pups in series when the selector is in the "Both" position, and still be able to use neck or bridge by itself. No other changes?
If it's a "real" Gibson LP with Gibby pickups, I'll see if I can find a diagram with wiring color codes specific for that.
"Film at eleven." :lol:
Why not add a mini switch to toggle between series and parallel? Seems a more flexible solution to me. Check out the small diagram at the lower right of this chart:
http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/wiringresources.1wiringdiagrams.humbuckerwiringmods/
If you don't want to drill, then a push-pull pot is one solution. Or set the mini switch to series and just leave it in the control cavity. :D
"Everybody got to elevate from the norm."
Why not add a mini switch to toggle between series and parallel? Seems a more flexible solution to me. Check out the small diagram at the lower right of this chart:
http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/wiringresources.1wiringdiagrams.humbuckerwiringmods/
If you don't want to drill, then a push-pull pot is one solution. Or set the mini switch to series and just leave it in the control cavity. :D
Well, i'd kinda like to do it without any additional buttons(just leave it in series mode), but if there is no other way, i'd probably do it with a push-pull pot. One question, though: these diagrams show humbuckers with 5 wires coming out of them. I understand the difference between 2 and 4 wire humbuckers(mine have 2), but what about 5 wire humbuckers?
Okay, I take it you'd like to just have the pups in series when the selector is in the "Both" position, and still be able to use neck or bridge by itself. No other changes?
If it's a "real" Gibson LP with Gibby pickups, I'll see if I can find a diagram with wiring color codes specific for that.
Yeah, this is exactly what i'd like to do. The guitar isn't a real gibson, but when I opened up the back, I could see where the hot and ground wires from the pickups were(2 wires), so interpreting a diagram shouldn't be a problem.
One question, though: these diagrams show humbuckers with 5 wires coming out of them. I understand the difference between 2 and 4 wire humbuckers(mine have 2), but what about 5 wire humbuckers?I think most "4-wires" actually have five. "Bare" is usually ground, and the colored wires will be beginnings and ends for the two coils. Which colors form a pair for which pole may vary according to the brand of pup.
Yeah, this is exactly what i'd like to do. The guitar isn't a real gibson, but when I opened up the back, I could see where the hot and ground wires from the pickups were(2 wires), so interpreting a diagram shouldn't be a problem.Okay. I do kinda agree with the concept of keeping the option of Both/parallel, but like all of this geetar stuff, it's a matter of taste.
The "traditional" method of wiring a humbucker is to have both coils in series, so yours may already be set up for that. It'd look something like (Neck) North => South ==> (Bridge) South => North. I gotta check on polarity, etc., although everything should be humbucking if the pups are never cut. (And the colors I used are "purely notional" and just for effect. :wink: )
I'll see what I can find for two, 2-wire humbuckers in series. "Break out the earplugs, Martha, he just got done rewiring his guitar." 
Okay, here's a new twist. I was advised by somebody (whose knowledge and opinions I really respect) that putting a pair of (coils-in-series) two-wire humbuckers in series might not be such a great idea. It's likely to be noisy (hum), just because of the wiring layout. You can end up with your shield connected to the midpoint of the series circuit, rather than to ground. If those pups have metal frames or covers, it can get even noisier if you touch the frame or cover.
With that in mind, you could try (a) putting in some four-wire pickups; (b) add wires to the existing pups (not easy, but can be done with some care); or (c) be able to switch the array back into Both/parallel if Both/series turns out to be not what you wanted.
I ordered a mini DPDT toggle switch. I think what i'll do is leave it in the control cavity (as stated above), that way if I don't like how it sounds, I can switch it back. I still need a diagram, though...
Hmm, I think the server "ate" a reply I made. (I never did the "The dog et my homework" routine, though.)
I ordered a mini DPDT toggle switch. I think what i'll do is leave it in the control cavity (as stated above), that way if I don't like how it sounds, I can switch it back.That should work.
I still need a diagram, though...I'll see what I can scare up. But my chief guru, UnklMickey, is away for the weekend.
OK, no rush. The switch won't be here for a week, anyway.
Oh, and the served ate a reply I made to this topic a few days ago, too.
Re-capped from one of my recently "disappeared" posts on this topic:
Use four wire 'buckers, but instead of wiring two whole 'buckers in series, connect only the outside or inside coils(that is, only one coil from each pup) in series. I believe PRS uses this on their 5-way switched guitars to good effect.
-=tension & release=-
Re-capped from one of my recently "disappeared" posts on this topic:
Use four wire 'buckers, but instead of wiring two whole 'buckers in series, connect only the outside or inside coils(that is, only one coil from each pup) in series. I believe PRS uses this on their 5-way switched guitars to good effect.Yeah, that could work. Position three on a PRS rotary switch is both outer coils in series, as here: http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/product/WDUHH5R1101 . They are four-wire, though, as are all the ones shown here: http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/category/wiringresources.1wiringdiagrams.humbuckerwiringmods .
XG5A, would you rather replace/rewire the existing 'buckers, or just see if it's possible to do with two-wire pups?
Well, I think that if possible, i'd rather use only 2 wires, because the whole idea behind this is to have all 4 coils in series. I'm not against experimenting with other ideas, though.
How would only using the outside coils sound?
Well, I think that if possible, i'd rather use only 2 wires, because the whole idea behind this is to have all 4 coils in series. I'm not against experimenting with other ideas, though.
How would only using the outside coils sound?
You will get more highs than if you used all four coils, but with various harmonics similarly cancelled or reinforced. The latter is caused by having two sampling points along the strings.
The problem with using all four in series is the large series inductance and the parasitics (capacitance to ground) will roll off the highs pretty severely. In any case, if you do the four coils in series, you may want to experiment with with bypassing the volume and tone controls completely to eliminate their loading effects, which will exacerbate HF roll-off. Feed those suckers directly to the amp!
-=tension & release=-
