"god" switch?

[neosadist]

All,

I've heard that if I wanted an electric guitar set up with two humbuckers that are splittable, and have only 3 way 1 volume 1 tone 1 split toggle on/off, but have the split control BOTH pickups without mixing them together due to electrical arrangement. I.e. Split on, 3 way to middle, both pickups in split is what you hear. Split on, 3 way to neck pickup, you only hear a split neck pickup. I will be buying a 4-wire '59 neck and 4-wire JB bridge. I hope I'm not rambling on, and I hope that this makes sense. Thanks everyone!

Robert

 

[Dave Z]

Re: "god" switch?

yeah I did that with my Pickup Test Axe, about as easy as it gets....yer extra switch can be as simple as a two terminal on/off (SPDT). Route the red & white-together wires there, one pup's pair to each pole. On the Terminal connect both poles to ground. Switch 'on' grounds both pups red&white pairs, thus splitting 'em both. Pickup Selector wired as normal.


If you get a DPST on/off/on, and you wire each pup's red & white to a different pole (ground to center) you can split one or the other but not both.

The ultimate is a DPST on/on/on with another on/off somewhere to lift the ground from the DPST's terminal. Then you could split one, the other, both, or none of 'em but that would get confusing

 

[SpiderVenom]

Re: "god" switch?

And I'm considering a guitar with one volume knob and a 3-way pickup selector :laugh2:

 

[shredaholic]

Re: "god" switch?

this should help you out:

http://shredaholic.proboards42.com/index.cgi?board=gear&action=display&thread=1126096448

 

[pinto79]

Re: "god" switch?

I've done that with my Kramer, if your switch is a DPDT (six Lugs) connect the red and white wires from each pup to one side of the middle and two outside ones together and to ground.

Like this:

Please excuse the cude drawing... I'm no Artie...

 

[neosadist]

Re: "god" switch?

this should help you out:
http://shredaholic.proboards42.com/index.cgi?board=gear&action=display&thread=1126096448

Thanks. So, some questions that came to mind:
1) If I want the most dramatic "he's using single coils" sound, I should go with splitting to outers, right?
2) Isn't the setup of a DPDT on/on/on going to make it similar to this:

------
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
------

I'm worried that if I have the switch in middle (humbuck) and 3 way in middle (both), that I'd be connecting the pickups together in a weird way, one that will sound totally wrong and different, and be electrically wrong. Has anyone used the humbucker(2)/outer coil setup and know if it works right as listed? Thanks! I gotta go, thanks for the help, even if I still have some questions!

Robert

 

[Inge Malmstein]

Re: "god" switch?

If you use two Duncans with an on/on switch (or other Humbuckers by the same manufactor) and you wire them the same, they should not be electrically wrong.

If you use an on/off/on switch, you would have the additional option, that you can choose which coils you activate at the same time. So you'd get outer coils/series/inner coils.

 

[neosadist]

Re: "god" switch?

If you use two Duncans with an on/on switch (or other Humbuckers by the same manufactor) and you wire them the same, they should not be electrically wrong. If you use an on/off/on switch, you would have the additional option, that you can choose which coils you activate at the same time. So you'd get outer coils/series/inner coils.

But what I'm saying is, it's possible that if the poles on the switch are the same, won't wiring them to the same post be like connecting them together, electrically? The red and whites get sent to the same switch, won't that cause any problems with the flow of electricity crossing between the two pickups' coils?

 

[Artie]

Re: "god" switch?

------
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
* *| <- these two electrically the same pole
------

Not exactly. The left and right rows of three, in your drawing, are electrically isolated from each other. A DPDT switch is to separate SPDT switches mounted in one case, with one handle.

Artie

 

[neosadist]

Re: "god" switch?

Not exactly. The left and right rows of three, in your drawing, are electrically isolated from each other. A DPDT switch is to separate SPDT switches mounted in one case, with one handle. Artie

Thanks, that's exactly what I was trying to ask! Cool, thanks again! This forum rocks! Now I can get inner/humbucker/outer on my '59/JB I'll be going to 1 vol 1 tone. Hey, btw, should i keep same capacitor I have, or should I use a different rating when using the '59/JB combo? I don't know what rating mine came with....