Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

[PCollen]

Given that humbuckers are louder (about 2x greater signal output) than single coils, but like 500K vs. 250K control pots, I'm wrestling with the best way to adapt a bridge humbucker to one of the Strats I have. Using a seperate volume control for the h/b would be one way, but I don't really want two volume controls.
So, I'm thinking that adding a 82K (or 100 K) resistor in series with the h/b "hot wire" leading to the switch, and subsequently to the volume pot, would be one way of fakeing a 332K (or 350K )volume pot for the h/b when it is selected. Of course, that resistor would reduce the volume of the h/b, but perhaps simply down to the level of the single coils in the neck and bridge positions. The h/b would see a 82K (or 100K) + 250K resistance across itself, and when the volume pot was on 10, it would effectively be like it is rolled down 30% and maybe the signal levels between the s/c's and the h/b would be equalized.

What do you think ?

 

[gvis]

Re: Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

I can't answer the resistor questions, but have you considered just raising your singles and lowering your bucker? I'm running DM area 67/neck and 58/middle, both vintage output pups, with a Norton bucker, a medium to high outout pup, and have no problems getting them to balance. It helps that the design of the areas allow for getting closer to the strings without string pull or tone loss, but I didn't really have to get them that close to get a balance. Nor did I ahve to lower the Norton too much.

What pups are you considering?

 

[PCollen]

Re: Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

I guess my original post wasn't very clear, or perhaps was confusing. The primary issue I am dealing with is the single Strat 250K volume control not being optimum for a bridge humbucker which wants to see a 500K volume control. The pickup balance issue was a secondary matter to deal with after seeking a fix for the value of the volume control.

 

[gvis]

Re: Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

And I'm easily confused..lol. As I said, I can't help with the resistor idea. If you're talking about using a 500k pot of some kind for the hb, without ever running through a 250k later in the chain (assuming you keep a 250k for the singles), I'm not sure what other pot options you have beside the dual volume setup you mentioned.

If you're just concerned about opening up the hb, it may be enough to run it through it's own 500k tone pot and then through one shared 250k volume pot, which is what I did, using a push pull tone so I could split and a 47 cap. Worked great. Not choked and not too bright, in an overall bright strat. The singles run their own 250k tone pot, with a 22 cap, and then to the shared 250k volume.

If that's still too dark and choked, you could try a 500k shared volume.

I'm sure others here with more varied experience will have other options.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

I guess my original post wasn't very clear, or perhaps was confusing. The primary issue I am dealing with is the single Strat 250K volume control not being optimum for a bridge humbucker which wants to see a 500K volume control. The pickup balance issue was a secondary matter to deal with after seeking a fix for the value of the volume control.

Remember that pot and cap values for passives are recommendations, not set in stone rules. Drop it in and see how it sounds. If you think it needs a bit more high end and openness, then a 500k pot becomes a serious consideration.

If this is exactly the problem and this is a standard strat, there`s also the option of using 500k on the humbucker and turning one tone control into a 250k volume pot for the singles, using the remaining one as a master tone control (or also just for the singles). Which is what I would personally do because I`m not a fan of wiring in extra resistors unless it`s to lower a pot value, for example when I needed a 25k Push Pull for the EMG 89 in my soloist but could only acquire 250k PP pots.

It also has the advantage that you can turn down the volume of a hot humbucker to match better with vintage spec single coils, then turn it up as an "afterburner" for leads or extra chunka chunka

 

[jake_xms3_punk]

Re: Adding a bridge humbucker to a Strat....wiring question.

Here's what I do with hss strats:- replace the vol pot with a 500k pot for the humbucker and hook up 2 500k (or as close to usually 470k) from each hot wire on the single coils to ground, this will keep the 500k pot for the humbucker and emulate 250k pots for the single coils.

With tone pots, You can just have one 500k tone pot for the hum and one 250k tone for the singles.