2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

[gcon22]

Hello, I'm new to the forums. Currently a student at Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery. I have two 4-conductor humbucking pickups that I want to wire up with a 5-way super switch along with a master volume master tone.

I'm going to consider position 1 as the switch being all the way towards to neck.

1. Neck HB
2. Neck single coil (outer coil)
3. Neck and Bridge HB
4. Neck and Bridge single coils (outer coils)
5. Bridge HB

Here is a link of a wiring diagram I found online and is essentially the layout that I want, but it doesn't look like a complete diagram (the top row of tabs on the switch doesn't show anything wired to them. And it's hard to tell which pickup is which.
http://www.guitartechcraig.com/techwire/tech25.jpg

Can someone show me a detailed wiring diagram showing how I can wire this up with as much details, labels, and annotations as possible? Sorry if this has been asked before, and my lack of knowledge in electronic wiring, I am very new to this.

Thank you!

 

[Guitaraxz]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

Sorry if this has been asked before, and my lack of knowledge in electronic wiring, I am very new to this.

If you are going to build electric guitars you need to get basic knowledge on wiring. Guitars are actually very simple.

I don't like the guitartechcraig diagram for two reasons;
FIRST- He described it incomplete, it SHOULD say
1. Neck HB
2. Neck single coil (outer coil)
3. Neck and Bridge HB ¡PARALLEL!
4. Neck and Bridge single coils (outer coils) ¡PARALLEL!
5. Bridge HB

SECOND; On position 4 it is not humbucking. It would be if you used both inner and outer coils. Unless you want to open up a bucker and flip the magnet.

The diagram does work, just wire both switch outputs to a single master volume. BUT MAKE SURE THAT YOUR SUPERSWITCH HAS THE SAME C-54321 54321-C LAYOUT!!!! Different Superswitches have different layouts.

Since you don't know your wiring yet I suggest you use the following switch http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electro...s:_Switches_and_knobs/Megaswitch_P-Model.html Beutifful switch made bt Schaller. Comes with wiring diagrams. It does:

1 Bridge pickup
2 Inner pickup coils, parallel
3 Outer coils, series
4 Outer coils, parallel
5 Neck pickup

Please note that they mentioned "series & parallel"!

EDIT; If your're going to be a luthier you need to learn how to read these http://www.geocities.jp/dgb_studio/2hvari_e.htm Nobody tought me. I learned by using google.

 

[Artie]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

I agree, partially, with Guitaraxz. I don't like that diagram either. Along with what Guitaraxz said, in the split positions, one coil is left hanging on the "hot" side of the circuit, acting as a noise antenna. I see people make this mistake all the time. And its unnecessary. Its simple to wire a Superswitch to get exactly what you're asking. But again, as Guitaraxz pointed out, I'd do neck-screw/bridge-stud, when split, to maintain humbucking.

I don't have time right now, but if you can wait 'til later today, I'll post the correct diagram. And you wanted just master vol/tone, correct?

 

[DarkMatter]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

in the split positions, one coil is left hanging on the "hot" side of the circuit, acting as a noise antenna. I see people make this mistake all the time.

Could you explain this please? I thought I had a wiring scheme ready to try but now I'm curious as to whether or not it'll be ideal. Is the problem that a coil has an active hot connection but no ground connection?

 

[gcon22]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

Thank you guys for the info. It is really helpful. And Artie, that would be great if you can write up a wiring diagram for me and your method of wiring it also. That is correct, I just want master vol/tone.

 

[Guitaraxz]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

Could you explain this please? I thought I had a wiring scheme ready to try but now I'm curious as to whether or not it'll be ideal. Is the problem that a coil has an active hot connection but no ground connection?

For two coils to be humcancelling they have to be wound in opposite directions and have opposite magnet polarity. That's why Artie says "I'd do neck-screw/bridge-stud, when split, to maintain humbucking." The screw side is opposite to the stud side. Remember why a Strat middle single say RWRP (reverse wound reverse pole).

I will quote Wlikipedia here:
"In any magnetic pickup, a vibrating guitar string, magnetized by a fixed magnet within the pickup induces an alternating voltage across its coil(s). However, wire coils also make excellent antennae and are therefore sensitive to electromagnetic interference caused by alternating magnetic fields from mains wiring (mains hum) and electrical appliances like transformers, motors, and computer screens. Guitar pickups reproduce this noise, which can be quite audible, sounding like a constant hum or buzz.

The direction of a voltage induced across a coil by the moving string depends on both the coil winding direction and the direction of the fixed magnets. A humbucker has two coils wound in opposite directions, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise. The magnets in the two coils are arranged in opposite directions so that the string motion induces voltages across both coils in the same direction. Electromagnetic interference, on the other hand, induces voltages in opposing directions across the coils because it is only sensitive to the winding direction. When the signals from both coils are summed together, usually by connecting the coils in series, the two noise voltages cancel, while the signal voltages add thus dramatically improving the signal-to-noise ratio. The technique has something in common with what electrical engineers call common-mode rejection and is also found in balanced lines in audio recording."
from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humbucker

 

[Artie]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

For two coils to be humcancelling they have to be wound in opposite directions . . .

This a common misconception. Even Wiki gets it wrong.

I will quote Wikipedia here:
The direction of a voltage induced across a coil by the moving string depends on both the coil winding direction and the direction of the fixed magnets. A humbucker has two coils wound in opposite directions, one clockwise and the other counterclockwise.

First, lets separate induced noise from the actual signal we want. The magnets have nothing to do with the induced noise. There are two different ways to make two coils noise-canceling. Wind them opposite directions, OR connect them out-of-phase. This is what Seymour Duncan does. Both coils of a Duncan, (and most humbuckers, for that matter), are wound the same direction. They achieve their humbucking status by being connected start-to-start or finish-to-finish. In other words, out-of-phase. Thus, the noise picked up out of the air is canceled.

For some reason, (tradition, I assume), they take the opposite tack with single coils. The middle pickup is wound reverse direction.

Its the magnet polarity that brings the signal that we want, back into phase. Whether its the two coils wound the same, connected OOP, or wound reverse, connected in-phase, we get the same result. But the important point is, most humbuckers have both coils wound the same direction.

Make sense?

Artie

 

[Brian Griffin]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

I'll just leave this here for additional info purpose

 

[Artie]

Re: 2 Humbucker 5-way super switch wiring

Mod the original diagram to this: