Duncan Distortion 7 string split vs. parallel opinions

[Inflames626]

Hi all,
I have a Jackson Soloist 7 string with Duncan Distortions, one volume one tone.

The volume will get a Shadow killpot. I'd like to keep the tone control to brighten or fatten up the neck humbucker as needed.

Since, to my knowledge, a Triple Shot isn't available in a 7 string version and these are direct mount pickups, my wiring options here are limited. I don't want to drill more holes in the body.

I'm considering wiring a push/pull knob on the tone control.

Which do you guys think sounds better for this pickup: split humbucker on the neck and bridge coils or parallel?

I'm leaning toward parallel since the Distortion can be thick and fuzzy and I think this will clean it up. I tried a 6 string Distortion in the bridge of a Jackson DK2S Sustainiac guitar in split mode and wasn't too impressed. It was okay but it didn't clean things up nearly as much as I expected.

Noise doesn't bother me as I think that's part of the single coil charm. What I'm looking for is a way to clean up the pickup when needed.

Tbh I'm not a huge fan of passive pickups for 7 strings and would much prefer Blackouts for this application. But it came stock with Distortion 7s so I figure why not keep them.

Thanks.

[GuitarDoc]

"Sounds better" is very subjective. I personally prefer parallel. Split always sounds like something is missing from the tone...definitely doesn't sound like a single coil like so many claim. In parallel all the tone is there but it's light and airy and clean.

[Inflames626]

Agreed GuitarDoc . Some pickups I think sound better split and others I think so better parallel. Using parallel purely for noise control isn't very important to me.

I think when I first built that DK2S several years ago and it didn't sound like an SSL-1 I was disappointed (it was my first split wiring job). You were the first to tell me that by design Distortions don't sound like that even when you split them.

Then again when I tried splitting a JB in the neck I absolutely loved it, and I usually hate a JB for any purpose.

Sounds like it will be a trial and error thing, but I was hoping folks with experience could chime in and whichever had the most support I would try first.

[ArtieToo]

A Distortion is one of the pickups that does split well. Maybe not "true" single-coil sound, but still very good.

[Mincer]

Yeah, I prefer it split rather than parallel. It depends on if you need hum cancelling or not.

[Inflames626]

If I do decide to try parallel, I wasn't able to find exactly what I was looking for in the wiring diagrams. I could find two pickups with series/parallel but they were usually for each pickup or included a phase switch or had the series/parallel switch on a volume pot instead of a tone pot.

To be clear, for me the volume will be the killpot, and the tone will be a master series/parallel and tone knob all in one.

I prefer it that way because I don't want to move my tone knob by accident when using the killswitch and the tone knob tends to be the second one back further from the strings.

The closest I found was the included diagram. I have only one humbucker shown for simplicity's sake.

If I wanted to make the tone a master series/parallel switch for both pickups, would I just double up the wires from each pickup on each DPDT lug?

For example, two whites on the right center DPDT, 2 reds on the left center, etc? The switch and jack would be wired in the regular way for a single master volume (black from each pickup goes to its own 3 way toggle lug, center from 3 way toggle goes back to left lug on volume).

I thought doubling up on the lugs might be the answer, but I thought it might also create some kind of undesirable cross talk between the coils of both pickups.

Hope that all made sense.

[Inflames626]

Edit: on second thought, I thought black might come back from the center lug of the 3 way switch to the top left lug on the DPDT, then out to the volume knob.

[Mincer]

Are you talking about the 2 pickups in series vs parallel or each individual? For each pickup to be put in series or parallel, you need 2 switches.

[freefrog]

I thought doubling up on the lugs might be the answer, but I thought it might also create some kind of undesirable cross talk between the coils of both pickups.

Yes it would. Add a parallel/series switch for the second pickup - or try to find a Fender S1 push-push pot, since its bottom hosts the equivalent of two mini switches. :-)

EDIT - I was trying to say that it would effectively cause some "cross talk" between coils.

[Inflames626]

Mincer and freefrog, I mean one switch to turn both pickups to parallel at once. I know because I only have two knobs and one is a killswitch I'll lose the ability to change the pickups to parallel independently.

[freefrog]

Yes, I had understood. And once again, you'd need two switches or a Fender S1 push-push pot to do what you want. :-)

[Inflames626]

Well I guess that means I'll have to do split by default.

[GuitarDoc]

You could still have just the bridge pup wired for series/parallel with that p/p switch. I can't imagine that you'd gain anything by either split or parallel for the neck pup anyway. But, If you don't end up liking the parallel in the bridge you could still rewire the p/p switch for splitting both pups. Worth a try to see if you like parallel or not.

[Mincer]

Parallel is something everyone should try, at least. I figured out that I don’t like it, but many do.

[Inflames626]

You could still have just the bridge pup wired for series/parallel with that p/p switch. I can't imagine that you'd gain anything by either split or parallel for the neck pup anyway. But, If you don't end up liking the parallel in the bridge you could still rewire the p/p switch for splitting both pups. Worth a try to see if you like parallel or not.

Usually if I have to choose bridge pickups get the killswitch, as all my whammy bar equipped lead guitars do these days. If a pickup needs thinning out for me it's usually the neck, but with a Duncan Distortion the bridge might be an equal candidate.

Of course this is a volume/tone so it would be a little different. Maybe I could lose the tone and make them both parallel instead.

I remember DiMarzio saying Paul Gilbert used 2 Super Distortions in parallel for the first Racer X album--I can't imagine why this would be done save to give some clarity to his fast alternate picking lines. Why not just go with a less aggressive set of pickups?

Using that logic, as well as the observation that 7 string stuff tends to be a little bit more expensive and harder to find off the shelf than 6 string stuff, I thought it might be a better idea to try to tame those Distortions with parallel than to go with a new set of lower output passive pickups when I really prefer actives for 7s anyway.

But I was under the mistaken assumption that I could wire a series/parallel master switch for both pickups to a single DPDT until I was corrected on this thread.