Hardwired in parallel

[BlackhawkRise]

Do you guys have any experience with hardwiring a humbucker in parallel? I know Stingray's come like that and a few of SD's smaller single coil sized humbuckers. I'm trying to make a guitar that's almost entirely original just for the sake of originality. unique headstock design, unique body, unique electronics. I'm going for a neo-retro type vibe, so something that could have been invented in the 70s, but wasn't.

I'm looking for a pickup that when wired in parallel will have a single coil -esque sound, but I'm not trying to duplicate a single coil. For the neck I want to have a flutely Firebird sound (vintage Firebird, not modern) for the bridge I want to have a twangy Tele type sound. Middle position doesn't matter because it will not have one. What humbucker's can get me there?

The pickups will be mounted to the wood through the rear and have minimal adjustability, similar to what Gibson tried with their super modern SGs a few years ago, so keep that in mind.

 

[beaubrummels]

I always had parallel on a switch. In my SG I kept my neck Whole Lotta Humbucker on parallel almost all the time. The Custom Custom bridge in my Jackson I have on a switch and flip it to parallel for Tele sounds, which it does VERY well. I don't know how direct mount would change the sound.

 

[Chistopher]

The Mayhem set sounds very good in parallel.

 

[Artie]

The Invader sounds great in parallel. It makes me want a Tom DeLonge Stratocaster.

 

[ErikH]

My favorite humbucker in parallel is the DiMarzio Super Distortion.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Wiring a stock WLH neck in parallel finally ended my search for a good LP neck humbucker.

 

[GuitarStv]

What's the fixation with humbuckers? If you want a firebird/tele sound . . . why not go with a firebird neck pickup and a tele bridge?

 

[BlackhawkRise]

I suppose it doesn't have to be a humbucker. Just something noiseless that doesn't sound like a run of the mill single coil.

WLH sounds like a contender for the neck. What can I expect the difference between a Mayhem bridge, Super Distortion, or Custom Custom to be?

 

[BlackhawkRise]

The goal of this instrument is to make it impossible to have preconceived notions of how it sounds by looking at it

 

[Chistopher]

Perhaps Lace Sensors if you aren't familiar with them? They are all noiseless and both look and sound unconventional

 

[BlackhawkRise]

I'll do some research into Lace Sensors. Invaders look kinda cool with the covers. What could I expect from them in parallel?

 

[zionstrat]

Parallel works with practically every pup... It gives heavy pups a lighter side and even works well with low resistance pups... It's always there with hbs but usually ignored.

 

[freefrog]

I'm looking for a pickup that when wired in parallel will have a single coil -esque sound, but I'm not trying to duplicate a single coil. For the neck I want to have a flutely Firebird sound (vintage Firebird, not modern) for the bridge I want to have a twangy Tele type sound.

I'm another disciple of parallel wiring but your goal doesn't seem necessarily easy to achieve to me...

Vintage Firebird tone is largely due to vertical magnets in the coils of a mini-HB frame. Even if one finds a magnetically powerful HB measuring the right inductance in parallel (which is of 2.5H approximatively, FWIW), the wider frame of a standard humbucker should shape the harmonics differently and make the sound less focused / brighter - for instance, a DiMarzio X2N would have the desired kind of strong flux and the right inductance in parallel... but wouldn't sound at all like a FB pickup, obviously.

Maybe I'd pair parallel wiring with a specific LRC filter to obtain such a tone if it was for me.

The Twangy Tele type sound in bridge position seems more accessible to me: harmonics being less complex near the bridge, a HB with an inductance in the 8H range (giving 2H in parallel) should be able to do the job and many if not most high power HB's are in this inductive range.

FWIW: I was just thinking out loud. Good luck in your quest.

 

[Mincer]

You know, I've tried wiring lots of pickups in parallel...high or vintage output, doesn't matter. I just don't think I like what it does to the sound at all.

 

[freefrog]

De gustibus et de coloribus non est disputandum. ;-)


A note to my previous answer: might seem strange but a Hot Rails in parallel is pretty convincing IME for Tele type single coil sounds. Gives something like 3H of inductance in parallel... has a resonant peak at the right frequency and with a right Q factor compared to a Tele bridge single coil (at least with a 500k volume pot)... and bucks the hum, of course. I use it for decades on stage when it comes to obtain Fender style clean tones from my main versatile stage guitar and nobody among my bandmates / in the audience has never told me that it sounded fake or bad in parallel .

 

[Supernautilus]

If I was going to hardwire a HB in parallel, I would probably use a 250K volume pot. Parallel wiring gets real brittle for me unless the pup is very dark to begin with.