4 hum-cancelling positions for 3 single coils

Pickups, wiring schemes, switch techniques and onboard active electronics for guitars and basses
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earthtonesaudio
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Post by earthtonesaudio »

My goal was to get all 4 hum-cancelling combinations in a Strat copy, while remaining (importantly) very easy to use live. Here's what I came up with:

Image
The four combinations are (left-right switch positions):
neck/mid series
neck/mid parallel
mid/bridge parallel
mid/bridge series

I'll probably make this with a rotary switch, because Futurlec has both 2P5T and 3P4T for $1 apiece. If I had lots of extra cash I'd rather use a blade switch but I can't find cheap ones with the requisite number of poles and throws.

...interestingly, you can swap the position of the ground and output terminals and it still works, but left-right is reversed.
rocklander wrote:hairsplitting and semantics aren't exactly the same thing though.. we may need two contests for that.

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Post by Cub »

Looks very interesting, thank you for sharing ! I don't think I've ever heard the middle pickup in series with the bridge or the neck pickup on a Strat, does it still quack ?
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Post by earthtonesaudio »

Series connection does not really "quack" at least by my interpretation of the term.


I haven't done the mod yet so all I have to go by are the relatively few audio samples I could find online:

Best series/parallel audio sample, this one brought to my attention by someone on TGP:
http://www.harryj.net/strat_VV.htm (Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page under the heading "parallel, then series")


Best series/parallel demo I've found on Youtube:


Good description, mediocre audio:


Good presentation, but no direct comparison between series/parallel:
rocklander wrote:hairsplitting and semantics aren't exactly the same thing though.. we may need two contests for that.

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Post by coldcraft »

would the 4-way tele style switch give you the right poles/contacts?
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Post by earthtonesaudio »

Yes, as long as it's a true DP4T.

I just found this thread which points out that a coil connected at only one end is an antenna. I should have remembered that! To avoid antenna-induced noise, I will alter my diagram so that the GND and output leads are swapped. That way the antennas will be transmitting their noise to ground, where it's not such a big deal.
rocklander wrote:hairsplitting and semantics aren't exactly the same thing though.. we may need two contests for that.

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Post by GuitarlCarl »

earthtonesaudio wrote: I haven't done the mod yet...
[smilie=bump.gif] Is it in yer guitar yet? And How do ya like it?
I've done a similar mod to a tele, and I DO like the series connection.
I want it to sound like bees buzzing around in a 55 gallon drum...

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Post by earthtonesaudio »

GuitarlCarl wrote: Is it in yer guitar yet?
Haha, I'm nowhere near that stage yet. The guitar I have planned for this doesn't even have a neck yet... and I have been thinking of building that part myself, so the wiring is in the distant future.

Glad to hear you like the series connection on your Tele!
rocklander wrote:hairsplitting and semantics aren't exactly the same thing though.. we may need two contests for that.

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Post by timbo_93631 »

I ditched the 3 pickup setup in my trusty 1999 MIM strat, middle pickup was never too useful for me. I have a fat strat pickguard loaded with GFS Mean 90's and a tele 3 way switch wired for neck, neck bridge parallel, bridge, but I also have a DPDT toggle that puts the neck and bridge in series. Bet of both worlds IMO, I have a less muddy more growl neck, chimey quacky parallel setting, ballsy bridge with fatter bottom and strong midgrange, and in series it is awesome for leads especially with a rangemaster.
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Post by GuitarlCarl »

Nice. I'm building a HSS tele right now, the controls are already wired using two stacked pots and a three way. Uses a blender for the middle pup, allows all three on at once, or neck and bridge... here's the schemo.
Image

and the control plate wired...
Image
I want it to sound like bees buzzing around in a 55 gallon drum...

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Post by timbo_93631 »

That tele setup looks great! I forgot to mention that I have another DPDT for the tone cap with a sprague bumblebee 0.022uf on one side and a EROMAK 10nF on the other. switched to the 10nf I can get some cool gretschy tones with the bridge pu and tone control rolled back about 1/4 from max. I have found alot of veratility with the two tone caps. The switch is an on/on, in retrospect I wish I would have put in an on/off/on so I could have a "raw" setting that takes the tone cap out altogether, I can get the switch that is in there now to sit right in the middle sometimes and everything gets REALLY bright and punchy.
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