Neck hb & bridge single - 3 or 5 way switch mods

[Ron C]

Wiring experts - I could use your advice.

I have a tele-ish partscaster (ash body, hardtail) using a Bill Lawrence L298 strat bridge pickup and Duncan Jazz neck humbucker. They're both wonderful pickups, but aren't what I'm after when used together.

So I'm looking for mods using either a standard 3 or 5 way pickup selector switch so that when both are on, the neck pickup is either split or its coils are in parallel. I'm not a fan of, say, the middle position of a Les Paul but love the middle on a tele.

So something like this would be ideal

Position 1: Neck HB (series)
Position 2: Neck (split) + Bridge
Position 3: Bridge

or
Position 1: Neck HB (series)
Position 2: Neck (parallel) + Bridge
Position 3: Bridge

or the whole enchilada using a 5 way:
Position 1: Neck HB (series)
Position 2: Neck (parallel)
Position 3: Neck (split)
Position 2: Neck (split) + Bridge
Position 3: Bridge

I'm open to other possibilities. I just want to avoid using push pulls or mini-switches. I've done that in the past and may do it again but the fewer knobs, switches and pedals I use, the better I play.

Many thanks in advance!
Ron

[Chris Leger]

Ron,

This sort of thing has been done countless times.

If you can decide just how you'd like to wire it, then if it's possible, I or someone else can tell you how.

[eryque]

I'm pretty sure there isn't a way to switch the neckbucker from series to parallel without another dpdt switch in there somewhere.

I should mention that very, very, very few humbuckers sound like a good single coil when split, so I'm not sure you'll get that normal Tele mid position sound you're after. The only humbucker I've heard that sounded good when split was the stock pickup in a CA Fat Tele, but it was muddy as hell as a full bucker.

[Ron C]

Thanks guys.

Chris, you're right -deciding what I want is definitely the hardest part -

eryque, I agree about split HBs. The only one I liked split was a JB. But in this application it might be just good enough.

I guess my preferred setup would be

Position 1: Neck HB (series)
Position 2: Neck (parallel) + Bridge
Position 3: Bridge

Second choice, if the first isn't possible, would be
Position 1: Neck HB (series)
Position 2: Neck (split) + Bridge
Position 3: Bridge

Ron

[Chris Leger]

Guys,

I have my guitar wired as follows with a 5-way (so you can get series/parallel HB)

1. Neck HB
2. Neck split in series w/bridge
3. Neck HB parallel w/bridge
4. Neck split parallel w/bridge
5. Bridge

...so don't give up on the notion of series/parallel option, whether full or split. A humbucker run by itself with coils in parallel is not so interesting to me, nor are out-of-phase options, but anyhow, there's a lot we can do.

Re: running half a humbucker by itself, no, it no substitute for a regular single coil, but it does have its uses - funk rhythms spring to mind.

Your first set of options above can be done with a 2-wire humbucker and a regular 3-way switch (???) That's standard Tele wiring.

Second one is easily done with a 4-wire humbucker.

Think about it some more and get back to me.

[Ron C]

Chris - your setup sounds great - and better than what I was looking for initially. I'd love to try that out. Could you post a diagram or description, or if you prefer, PM me?

BTW, when I mentioned "Position 2: Neck (parallel) + Bridge" I meant that the two coils of the HB were parallel with each other, AND the HB was parallel with the bridge. Sorry for the confusion. But again, your 5 way set up sounds like a better, more versatile option.

Ron

[Chris Leger]

Here it is. It's a total secret though, so make sure no one else sees it.

If you took a minute, you could probably figure out how to lift a leg and get a single coil out of the HB. Add an MXR Phase 90, and you're Tito Jackson!

[Chris Leger]

I should also mention, when I was planning this out, I set up position 4 as "neck split parallel w/bridge" because I figured that way I'd have something akin to the OEM Tele 3-way middle position. But it's the only one I never use. Who'd have thunk it?

I may just switch that one to just half a humbucker for my Heat Wave gig! One of my guilty pleasures. I didn't want to admit to all my Philly soul records the other night when GetBent mentioned the Three Degrees' "When Will I See You Again..."

Brilliant stuff.

[jefrs]

Parallel HB was not very interesting, and nor was split coil (it's just half a pickup) and phase is wimped-out. Whether this is because a HB in a tele cannot be a monster or it will over-power the bridge sc, or not, I don't know. I went with 4-way tele switch: series, neck, parallel, bridge. It's simple, very versatile and it works. Get over-complicated with the switches and you have to program the guitar (been there). Being a tele, you can hot wire all those selections to try them out before you decide.

[Ron C]

Thanks Chris.

[Chris Leger]

For the record, I'm running a Gibson 490R and a Fralin Blues. They match about as well as one could ask, which is pretty well.

Jeff's right about getting complicated with switches... won't work on stage. I need to keep it simple - to the point that I don't even bother with a tone pot - just one dual-pot volume control.

[idoru]

Something to consider instead of a coil tap is running a capacitor off one of the coils in series - early G&L L2000 basses have that instead of a standard series mode. Think "single coil + bass boost" in terms of application. I've tried this with a relic Suzuki LP humbucker and quite like it, it's just a shame that the pickup itself is trashed.

c-

[Skrik]

I found this last night, and thought it quite useful:

http://www.geocities.jp/dgb_studio/tlmod_e.htm