Another HFH wiring guidance required

[seeyoudownthere]

Hi there...long time lurker here and I have a query for my "super strat" bought a few years back in another country (so can't ask the original builder and happy to modify myself).
This is on alder body with maple top & neck with Gotoh 510TS trem.

I've traced the current wiring as shown in the diagram/photo *i think it's 100% correct*

Pickups:
SD Jazz in Neck
SD Classic Stack + in Middle
SD JB in Bridge

Controls:
- 1 Vol & 1 Tone (both CTS A 500k) & 1 OTAX VLX91 5-way super switch: Neck, Mid & Neck, Bri & Neck, Bri & Mid, Bridge
- Series/Split/Parallel via 3-way mini switch (one for each h/b)

When neck is split the screw poles active
When Bridge is split the slug poles active

So help needed on these questions.
1) Selector switch position 2 & 4 - does not sound stratty-Knopfler at all. So how do I get that sound? I assume the mid pick up needs to be wired differently on the OTAX switch even if it introduces hum? Am guessing i need to include the red wire but not sure where. Am benchmarking the sound against an Ibanez Jem i used to have which was way more stratty sounding than this current one so i'd like to get as close as possible. I regret never opening the Jem to see its wiring before i sold it.

2) If I wanted to make the screw poles active on the Bridge when split, do I just rewire that mini-switch exactly the same as how it's looks on the neck mini-switch? I was thinking this could be causing the issue for position 2 & 4 however seems concensus on the forums do not recommend making the screw pole active when splitting (weak & thin sounding?).

I've been trying to work things out with multiple drawings found online but obviously I haven't got there. Nor is my lack of understanding how my circuit helping!
Thanks in advance.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

If you are searching to change the split coil on the bridge to make the 2 position more Stratty, I wouldn't. I would start by simply flipping the pickup upside down and seeing if that helps anything, that way it can be easily changed if you find you don't like the effect and it remains noiseless.

If you don't have propper quack with your current, there is very little you can do other than switching out the pickups, even then, you wood might not really facilitate quack. But if you want me to, I can show you how to add quack with pausing and an RC network, but it has to be fine tuned for the specific instrument, so a lot of time it isn't exactly worth it unless you absolutely love the tone in all the other positions.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

If you want a Strat sound, replace the Superswitch with a stock 5 way switch so you can have the middle pickup by itself...instead of the sound of the bridge and neck combined.

At least then, you’ll have the sound of a middle pickup on a Strat.

Not my favorite pickup on my Strat but at least it’ll sound like a real Strat.

It is impossible to get the authentic sound of a vintage Strat by splitting a Jazz or JB humbucker.

Impossible. For over 40 years people have been trying and no one has been able to do it.

You can split or wire either in parallel but you will never get either to sound exactly like a Strat...especially if your benchmark Strat tone is One of the most classic and sought after Strat tones of all time: Mark Knopfler’s.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

An option is put a stock 5 way switch in there and reverse the positions of the neck and middle pickup.

When the switch is in the middle position you’d get the neck pickup.

So:

1. Middle
2. Middle and neck
3. Neck
4. Neck and Bridge
5. Bridge

Worth a try if you like the sound of the Neck and Bridge combined. I do. It’s one of my favorite sounds for rhythm.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

To the OP, Lew recently blocked me over a petty matter, so he couldn't see my post, but I would like to add that when he was saying it's impossible to get a quack out of two humbuckers, he wasn't considering using resistors, caps, and phase reversal.

Me and Vinny are the only ones on this forum to the best of my knowledge that have any reasonable amounts of experience with it. Combining this with other wiring trickery, I've managed to get really convincing 2nd and 4th position tones from an HH Strat.

It can be done.

 

[justFred]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

What Knopfler sound you looking for, he's got a boat load. The gear is maybe at most 40% of his sound 75% of the time. His playing technique, as with Beck is a major contributor to his sound.

 

[seeyoudownthere]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

Thanks - it'll be the sensible option as a test first just mounting the bridge h/b upside down. Will give it a go.
To your second point of the pausing-RC network - completely new to me and sounds a good idea to at least explore/read about. I'm not precious about any of the pickups which are "stock" and wasn't sure what others are worth looking at.
Cheers

 

[seeyoudownthere]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

An option is put a stock 5 way switch in there and reverse the positions of the neck and middle pickup.

When the switch is in the middle position you’d get the neck pickup.

So:

1. Middle
2. Middle and neck
3. Neck
4. Neck and Bridge
5. Bridge

Worth a try if you like the sound of the Neck and Bridge combined. I do. It’s one of my favorite sounds for rhythm.

Thanks - i've never liked the middle on its own in other guitars. Understood your remarks above also - there was one ibanez Jem i had a few years back which did a really good 'in-between' tone on position 2 & 4 - way more convincing than my current so that's the benchmark i'm going against. Yep definitely not a strat but closer to it than now! Cheers anyway

 

[seeyoudownthere]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

If you are searching to change the split coil on the bridge to make the 2 position more Stratty, I wouldn't. I would start by simply flipping the pickup upside down and seeing if that helps anything, that way it can be easily changed if you find you don't like the effect and it remains noiseless.

If you don't have propper quack with your current, there is very little you can do other than switching out the pickups, even then, you wood might not really facilitate quack. But if you want me to, I can show you how to add quack with pausing and an RC network, but it has to be fine tuned for the specific instrument, so a lot of time it isn't exactly worth it unless you absolutely love the tone in all the other positions.

Hi - I just turned the bridge JB around 180 and actually that's got a lot more character i'm looking for than the original way it was installed. Seems to have a tone in position 2 now (or on its own as split - albeit a bit weak as expected) - closer to "stratty" than previous for sure. If i wire up the bridge SSP mini-switch in the same way so the screw poles are the active when split, would that be the answer for this particular pickup. Or are there better sounding split h/b's as an alternative to the JB?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

To the OP, Lew recently blocked me over a petty matter, so he couldn't see my post, but I would like to add that when he was saying it's impossible to get a quack out of two humbuckers, he wasn't considering using resistors, caps, and phase reversal.

Me and Vinny are the only ones on this forum to the best of my knowledge that have any reasonable amounts of experience with it. Combining this with other wiring trickery, I've managed to get really convincing 2nd and 4th position tones from an HH Strat.

It can be done.

Please point me to a/the thread with more info....

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

If I remember correctly it was the one about A2s.

 

[gregory]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

Same topic where it was said I should get a BJ so that the forum could impeach me?

I just looked for it again but it was removed.

For posterity sake before it gets removed as well...

[...]
I'll give you extra brownie points if you can explain why you keep trying to insist my opinion is wrong. We've had two tangent arguments in the same thread. Do you really think me saying I think humbuckers are more versatile pickup than a single coil is an affront against you personally?

The “why” is obvious to anyone who’s followed your argumentive, nit picking posts.

Might be best to just add you to my ignore list.

There...done.

 

[gregory]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

Or are there better sounding split h/b's as an alternative to the JB?

In terms of cutting a full coil, the sound of a JB slug coil closest to the neck is the best I've heard from Seymour Duncan, the Stag Mag not withstanding.

If you prefer the sound of position 2 with the slug coil closest to the bridge and are still happy with the way the JB sounds in series, I would begin experimenting with using the entire screw coil and partially shunting the slug coil when using the JB on its own in order to thin it out some. Some guys will recommend dedicating a pot to do the shunting, some of whom have come to realize that a lower value pot like a 50k that is also no-load is the best way to go. I on the other hand prefer not to sacrifice a pot which tends to have a single sweet spot anyway, so instead I use a fixed value at that sweet spot (using a pot to find it at first, or I might use an internal trim pot). Other guys will continue to parrot a 4.7k fixed resistor regardless of the pickup or guitar, but I reject the one-size-fits-all approach.

Feel free to message me if you would like any assistance. I will be happy to create diagrams to help with switching. I can also help if you're having an issue with hum in position 2. I can also help you with the wiring of your STK-S4 and Jazz if you like. I'll be happy to share the diagram after it is complete, but in the meantime I'd like to avoid some of the impulsive and petulant personal attacks that I've been getting as of late.

 

[seeyoudownthere]

Re: Another HFH wiring guidance required

Thanks Gregory your advice is appreciated.

As a general observation with the JB, is this a 'boomy' sounding pickup (no split, just as a h/b)? Even before the swap around it's something on my clean channel (Egnator Rebel) so assume it's to do with the alder body (with routed pockets). Could be i'm finding the character of the JB as 'unsatisfactory' as well or an excuse to try other pu's. Don't get me wrong i prefer the current turned-around postion of the JB that's getting to where i want to be but perhaps i'm missing something in the sound i'm trying to get which would be "tighter overall" if that makes sense.