1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

[realbigdipper]

Hello everyone

I have a stratocaster with a les paul style 3 way switch (switches from bridge pickup to both pickups, to just neck pickup), The guitar has a seymour duncan TB59 Trembucker humbucker in the bridge, and a strat single coil at the neck (no middle pickup) and they just go to a 500k volume pot and no tones.

I really the way the humbucker sounds, but the neck pickup is just too brittle and metallic sounding with the 500k pot. I know that single coils are supposed to be put with 250k pots, so how do I wire my guitar have a 250k single coil sound, while keeping the bridge pickup sounding the same as it does now. (500k) Maybe a tone per pickup? I have no idea.

Thanks a lot

 

[austin]

Re: 1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

Keep the wiring as is, but wire a 470K reistor in with the single coil (connect one end to the spot on the switch where the single coil hot wire is going and the other end to ground). This will make the single coil "see" a 250K volume pot. If the affect isn't great enough (in most systems, single coils are hooked up to 2, 250K pots), try different value resistors. For a darker sound, use resistors with a lower value (for example you could use a 250K resistor). Resistors are a couple bucks for a pack of them at Radio Shack, so it's cheap and easy to experiment until you get the sound you want.
-
Austin

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: 1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

I'd use the 500K pot and turn down the neck tone control. You can always take treble away with your tone controls, but you can't add it.

Yet another example of why I really dislike master tone guitars (unless, of course, they only have one pickup). A Strat is a completely different animal with master controls. Nowhere near as versatile.

 

[realbigdipper]

Re: 1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

Thanks for your replies. Itsabass, Im going to try your idea, because I think I have everything in my house to do it right now . Better go dig out my tone knobs. I have two 500ks somewhere. What caps would you recommend for the tone knobs?

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_1v_2t_3w

That diagram is identical to my setup except I have a single coil at the neck instead. They've used two .47 caps. Would that be the way to go?

Thanks!

 

[Aceman]

Re: 1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

A number of great answers.

An alternate approach: replace Strat pup with Duncan Cool Rails (or hot rails, or Hails Rails, or whatever...)

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: 1 Humbucker/1 Single coil wiring, which pot combination?

I'd use .022mF at the minimum...probably .01mF or .0047mF in the end (yes, those are two zeroes).