Black Winters: best wiring scheme for max versatility?

[weepingminotaur]

Hey folks. Within a few weeks, I will have a set of Black Winters from one guitar I own to throw into another guitar (which I haven't yet purchased). Until this point, I've had the Winters wired for coil-splitting via push-pull pots, which I have really enjoyed. My question, for you Winter aficionados out there, is this: what wiring schemes have given you the best Winter tones, and for what genres of music or bands?

Which of these would you choose, and why?

1. Coil-splitting: HH (bridge) / H (bridge split) / HH-HH or H-H (bridge and neck, full or split depending on the push-pull pot status) / H (neck) / HH (neck)
2. Five-way switch: HH (bridge) / HH (bridge and neck split) / HH-HH (bridge and neck full) / HH (neck in parallel) / HH (neck)
3. Something else.

I'm just curious to get your thoughts. Obviously the BW bridge is great for all forms of metal, but given the overall versatility of Black Winter pickups, I want to get as much value out of them in other positions and for other genres of music. My impulse is to go coil-splitting. I just want to make sure I'm not overlooking anything that could be useful to me.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Anybody, anybody?

 

[Securb]

I have a BW but I can't really help you. Mine is wired straight to the VOL, no tone, no split, no frills.

 

[weepingminotaur]

I have a BW but I can't really help you. Mine is wired straight to the VOL, no tone, no split, no frills.

Gotcha. Is that one of the "Blackened" winters in an LTD Black Metal or similar axe with only one pickup and no tone control?

 

[Mincer]

If it is a 3 way switch, I'd probably use a master coil split switch. If it is a 5 way, I might do my 'Do It All' wiring which gives 5 good sounds. Thing is, it isn't enough to get a bunch of combinations...it is really important to have easy access to combos you would actually use.

 

[Securb]

Gotcha. Is that one of the "Blackened" winters in an LTD Black Metal or similar axe with only one pickup and no tone control?

It is a homebrew MIM Strat with one VOL, a stutter switch, an LSR nut, a Babicz bridge, and Sperzel Locking Tuners.A stripped-down machine for maximum damage.

 

[beaubrummels]

The most versatile I've had was the volume and tone setup with push-pulls as a triple-shot for the Black Winter bridge in my Jackson. So I could have series coils, parallel coils or either coil. The only thing more to add would be phase, or if you had another humbucker, something similar for the other pickup when combining.

ArtieToo has posted a number of flexible wiring diagrams, like he had one that makes the infamous 'Slut Bucker' by combining HH coils in interesting ways and keeps it humbucking in all positions. He also posted one I can't find now where a 5-way, I think it had the hot on one common and ground on the other common, and the various wires were connected across the other lugs to get parallel, split and everything you could want out of a pickup.

 

[weepingminotaur]

Thing is, it isn't enough to get a bunch of combinations...it is really important to have easy access to combos you would actually use.

Absolutely. No use having a tone if you don't want to use it. I'm mostly leaning toward coil-splitting, because I really love the Winters split (bridge, neck, or both) and splitting works well for the music I like to play. But I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking anything good.

 

[weepingminotaur]

It is a homebrew MIM Strat with one VOL, a stutter switch, an LSR nut, a Babicz bridge, and Sperzel Locking Tuners.A stripped-down machine for maximum damage.

NONE MORE BLACK.