Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

[Ktulu]

Hi guys,
Just recently I aquired one of those DIY LPs, the one with the mini-body, where there's only 2 pot holes & no switch hole (and I'm not gonna make any, cause I'd like to have it the simplest way possible and not work my a$$ that much :laugh. Which is fine, as long as it still has the 24.75" scale, right? :32:
So, instead of the typical volume and tone, I'd like to have the following:
* 1 volume blend pot (I already aquired a 500k)
* 1 push-pull tone pot (the pull acting for series on both pickups, when the blend is in the middle)
FYI, both Chinese pickups have 2 conductors.
Can one of you help with a diagram, please?
I'm really curious if it can be done, especially if that tone pot (acting indeed as a tone) can pull the series mode for both pickups.
Thank you so much in advance for helping out!

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

When you say both pups in series, do you mean that when the two pups are combined, they are in series with each other with the p/p in the "up" position and in parallel when the P/P is in the "down" position?

 

[Ktulu]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

I was meaning to say that initially, yes.
But now I'm thinking it would be more convenient the other way.
I don't know... Are either of those variants doable? If so, then yes, let's do what I said the first time.
Thanks a million Doc!

Edit: If it helps in any way, I've found something yesterday (attached), but won't try to decipher/combine them, since I'm not really into these things (not an electronics guy anyway), I only know how to follow it and solder.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

the problem I see is that concentric pots don't come in push pull

they would be too long to fit in a cavity

 

[Ktulu]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

Doc, thank you in advance :8:

 

[Mincer]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

I actually have never wired 2 humbuckers in series. I have a Strat that has some series combos...but I am thinking humbuckers would cut out even more high end.

 

[Ktulu]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

Well... Seymour Duncan has it. At least in the Jimmy Page style

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

I wired that on my RG2 with a superswitch

and triple shot rings

it helps with out of phase because of the volume drop
but the in phase just sounds a bit muddy
like a really big overwound pickup

 

[Artie]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

I actually have never wired 2 humbuckers in series.

I have. It really doesn't sound that good. Now, one coil of each, in series, is cool. But you can't do that with 2-conductor pups.

. . . but the in phase just sounds a bit muddy like a really big overwound pickup

Ditto.

To the OP, you may want to temporarily just hardwire the two in series and see if you like the sound, before doing any fancy switch installs.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

Agree.

Two humbuckers in series generally sounds too muddy, too middy, no clarity. Powerful...yes, but there is more to making music with guitars than just power.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

It does help the out of phase sou ds stand out though

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

It does help the out of phase sou ds stand out though

It "helps" them if you want a more robust sound when oop. But I think the best oop tone is when it is more light/thin sounding. You lose that unique oop tone when you try to beef it up. Now, if you were talking about Strat single coil pups (or even P-90s), then series oop isn't bad sounding at all.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

With an out of phase and my JB split
I can get a teleish sound from my RG2

 

[Ktulu]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

Two humbuckers in series generally sounds too muddy, too middy, no clarity.

Does this mean you already forgot about me, lol?
Or that you might wanna propose something else? Be that as it may, I'd like one of those 2 to be the blend.

 

[Artie]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

One other thing, and forgive me if someone already said this, but two 2-conductor pups in series, causes the "ground" of one pickup to be on the "hot" side of the circuit. You could get some nasty hum/buzz as you touch the pup while playing.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

One other thing, and forgive me if someone already said this, but two 2-conductor pups in series, causes the "ground" of one pickup to be on the "hot" side of the circuit. You could get some nasty hum/buzz as you touch the pup while playing.

Yep that is true
You'll need to separate the ground in a two wire pickup

 

[Ktulu]

Re: Can I ask you guys for a diagram? - DIY kit with push-pull & blend

In that case:
* 1 volume blend pot
* 1 push-pull tone pot (the PUSH activating as a KILLSWITCH)
Now, is that doable?