Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

jdelva

jdelva

New member
Hello to all of you,

After doing some research I have decided to buy a SD Custom Custom humbucker and a Lil' 59 single sized humbucker. My guitar is a 90's jackson with HSS configuration but I don't want to keep the HSS configuration so I am moving to HH configuration, having the CC at the bridge and the little 59 at the neck and just a dummy single coil cover in the middle. I want to keep the same 5 way switch and the two pots (1 volume, 1 tone).

I have thought about wiring this just as any other default HH configuration where some positions will split the humbuckers but I've read that splitting a single sized humbucker could sound too thin.

I would like to get a lot of versatility from these two pickups and all the possible and good combinations for a 5 way switch.

Could you guys suggest me a wiring approach for these two pups ?

Thanks a lot.
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

Standard 3-way, but I would try each pickup in parallel just to see if you like either.

I'd go with a Satch Track in the neck, wired for series/parallel operation, personally.

This is the Satch Track in parallel, in case it is of any interest:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwQ70FMv9o4
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

You might want to get some magnets in case you want to alter the character of the TB-11.
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

I would get a superswitch or that fancy ibanez 8 pole switch for that ibanez HH wiring:

1- bridge in series
2- inside coils in parallel
3- both pickups in parallel, each of them in series
4- neck in parallel
5- neck in series
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

The 5WSS will provide you with more versatility (position 2 could intead be the bridge in parallel, or bridge series with neck in parallel, as examples).

I would likely shunt the outside coils only partially for position 2 if I were going to use the inside coil combination mainly because I personally don't like the split sound of a single-sized humbucker. I don't know that it can be done with just a 5WSS if you are also switching one pickup between series and parallel, however.

I'd also comsider a 3-way blade and one push pull to switch the mode of the neck pickup between series and parallel, maybe a second to do the same with the bridge. That would give you 8 options, though I'd probably only like 5 or 6 of them. Which ones I liked would likely depend on the magnet chosen for the Custom.
 
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Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

gregory said:
The 5WSS will provide you with more versatility (position 2 could intead be the bridge in parallel, or bridge series with neck in parallel, as examples).

I would likely shunt the outside coils only partially for position 2 if I were going to use the inside coil combination mainly because I personally don't like the split sound of a single-sized humbucker. I don't know that it can be done with just a 5WSS if you are also switching one pickup between series and parallel, however.

I'd also comsider a 3-way blade and one push pull to switch the mode of the neck pickup between series and parallel, maybe a second to do the same with the bridge. That would give you 8 options, though I'd probably only like 5 or 6 of them. Which ones I liked would likely depend on the magnet chosen for the Custom.
Click to expand...

Maybe something like this?

https://guitarelectronics.com/2-humbuckers-3-way-toggle-switch-1-volume-1-tone-series-parallel/
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

My vote is for this:

5- Neck
4-Neck in Parallel
3-Wildcard
2-Bridge in Parallel
1-Bridge

The "wildcard" position can be anything, depending on your preferences. I tend to wire the 3rd position differently depending on the pickups and particular guitar.

Also, instead of putting them in parallel, you can split the pickups with a resistor in series to ground so that the split tone is thicker. I'd start with a 4k7 resistor.
 
Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

Chistopher said:
My vote is for this:

5- Neck
4-Neck in Parallel
3-Wildcard
2-Bridge in Parallel
1-Bridge

The "wildcard" position can be anything, depending on your preferences. I tend to wire the 3rd position differently depending on the pickups and particular guitar.

Also, instead of putting them in parallel, you can split the pickups with a resistor in series to ground so that the split tone is thicker. I'd start with a 4k7 resistor.
Click to expand...

Thanks Christopher. So in this scenario we would need a 5 way switch only right?
Something like this one:

https://guitarelectronics.com/2-humbuckers-5-way-lever-switch-1-volume-04/
 
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Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

attachment.php

Standard Duncan wire colors.

Position 3: Bridge + Neck (both in series mode)

You an also split one or both in position 3. Flip the magnet in the bridge and reverse the wires for each of the two coils for both split to inner coils to be hum-cancelling. Partial coil shunt will not be possible.
 
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Re: Custom Custom HB + Lil' 59 Wiring Suggestions

Yes, in position 3 it would be nice to split the bridge then
 
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