Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

HALENisking

New member
Moving on to how my warmoth will be wired-

So I've decided to go with a 59 custom hybrid in the bridge and a zhangbucker pagey 2 in the neck, both specifically designed to split well without dropping volume.

#1)I was thinking about going the PRS Custom 5 way switching before. Do you think I need to do the resistor thing that they do since both pups are made to have a strong coil to split?

#2)Also I was trying to keep all of my switching to the pickup selector and avoid push/pull if possible. My initial plan was

=Positions=

1 2 3 4 5
{Bridge} {Bridge split} {Bridge+Neck split} {Neck split} {Neck}

But I see that I won't get both humbuckers together this way. Could I somehow use a push/pull to get all 6 combos?
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

possibly triple shots?

And maybe a 3 or 4 way switch?

TS+TS=> 4way could be bridge, (in any of the 4 combinations), Paralel neck (in any of the 4 combinations) +Bridge(in any of the 4 combinations), Neck, Series in any combo

4 way could be wired like a 4 way tele, which would allow say, a single coil of bridge and neck in Series for a full humbucking sound.

Feeling like a push/pull? Add a phase switch post one of the triple shots.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

My main squeeze is a warmoth LP HSH with a push-pull for coil splits on a 5 way. This is the only way I would suggest going with a 5 way switch. My single coil is a stk-s4 rw/rp so it actually does what it should do when split. The humbuckers are duncan jazz with a trembucker in the bridge and they also are wired to split. Great setup, great tone and truly a player's axe.

That being said, I do not currently have a way to operate both humbuckers at once. You can get into some crazy "super strat" wiring options that could do this if you really want to. I have another warmoth dc lp wired with a push-pull and a set of duncan alnico II pros if I want the black magic of a les paul. I figured I didn't need to try to reinvent the wheel but it can be done.
 
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Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

possibly triple shots?

Humbuckers are going to be wood mounted, no rings for me! I just don't like them. And honestly I'm afraid of over-wiring, I have a 3 minitoggle+all push/pulls beast of an ibanez and it's just too many switches with options I don't use enough. :guilty:

My main squeeze is a warmoth LP HSH with a push-pull for coil splits on a 5 way. This is the only way I would suggest going with a 5 way switch. My single coil is a stk-s4 rw/rp so it actually does what it should do when split. The humbuckers are duncan jazz with a trembucker in the bridge and they also are wired to split. Great setup, great tone and truly a player's axe.

That being said, I do not currently have a way to operate both humbuckers at once. You can get into some crazy "super strat" wiring options that could do this if you really want to. I have another warmoth dc lp wired with a push-pull and a set of dunan alnico II pros if I want the black magic of a les paul. I figured I didn't need to try to reinvent the wheel but it can be done.

is that a pre lawsuit les paul body shape? Bolt on or did you set the neck? Sounds like it's sick! You got a good pic? lol

Yeah I'm not looking for crazy duper switching... Looking like I might have to pick between split combo or humbucker combo in pos. 3...
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

How about a freeway switch?
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

People often describe products as "the best thing since sliced bread." This li'l mutha... http://www.freewayswitch.com/products/products.html ...quite possibly IS.

I always craved the "Power-Out-Of-Phase" pickup combination of the very early PRS Custom. Thanks to this device, I now have it PLUS I get to keep all of my preferred sounds from the original rotary selector.
 
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Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

Humbuckers are going to be wood mounted, no rings for me! I just don't like them. And honestly I'm afraid of over-wiring, I have a 3 minitoggle+all push/pulls beast of an ibanez and it's just too many switches with options I don't use enough. :guilty:



is that a pre lawsuit les paul body shape? Bolt on or did you set the neck? Sounds like it's sick! You got a good pic? lol

Yeah I'm not looking for crazy duper switching... Looking like I might have to pick between split combo or humbucker combo in pos. 3...

It is a pre-lawsuit les paul, chambered black korina with a bolt-on 59 roundback 24.75" conversion neck (wenge back, ziricote fretboard). I've been meaning to take some new decent pics of it lately... I had some but my hard drive crashed this past summer. I will post a few today but I will try to take some better photos when I get back from my better half's parent's house for the holidays.

Position 3 would be a good choice for the humbucker combo. IMO the humbucker combo is pretty useful unless you absolutely play music needing the split combo.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?










These were the only photos I could find. I wish my hard drive hadn't crashed as I used to have better ones.
 
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Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

I think a Megaswitch model P will do the PRS thing with a 5 way switch.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

If you want all six options, I would recommend that the simplest way to wire it would be a 3-way switch and a push-pull pot. You get the standard HB options, then pull the switch and you get the standard split options. It's quick and easy to wire by comparison to other choices.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

People often describe products as "the best thing since sliced bread." This li'l mutha... http://www.freewayswitch.com/products/products.html ...quite possibly IS.

I always craved the "Power-Out-Of-Phase" pickup combination of the very early PRS Custom. Thanks to this device, I now have it PLUS I get to keep all of my preferred sounds from the original rotary selector.

It certainly looks interesting. Doesn't it seem like it would be very hard to find the right pos. on the fly though? And this guitar is a soloist body. I could technically use one of the potentiometer holes to mount it, but I'm not liking that idea better than a blade right now...

If you want all six options, I would recommend that the simplest way to wire it would be a 3-way switch and a push-pull pot. You get the standard HB options, then pull the switch and you get the standard split options. It's quick and easy to wire by comparison to other choices.

And have it be a master push/pull split? I was thinking about this, but I honestly switch from sc to hb enough live that it would make life easier to have it all on a 5 way. Crap. You do make a very good point.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

If it were me, I'd have to ask myself "do I really *need* both hums on at once, without either one being split, or do I just *want* that option?"

IMO both split is a more useable tone than both full.

However, the simplest way to get that one last option is to wire position 3 for whichever tone you use most (both full or both split), and use a push pull to reverse that for both at once. They can auto-split at 2 and 4.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

If it were me, I'd have to ask myself "do I really *need* both hums on at once, without either one being split, or do I just *want* that option?"

IMO both split is a more useable tone than both full.

However, the simplest way to get that one last option is to wire position 3 for whichever tone you use most (both full or both split), and use a push pull to reverse that for both at once. They can auto-split at 2 and 4.

Exactly what I'm thinking. How do I reverse with a push/pull?

And can I use a prs custom schematic without the resistors for the rest?
 
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Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

1) Bridge
2) B + N (Parallel)
3) Neck
4) Neck with tone roll-off
5) B + N (Series)

Maybe add a push pull for phase switching? If you still don't want the push pull you can wire the pickups out of phase to begin with. Series out of phase sounds really cool.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

Exactly what I'm thinking. How do I reverse with a push/pull?

And can I use a prs custom schematic without the resistors for the rest?

-The black wires of each pickup go to the 5-way at positions 1 and 5.
-The R+W of each pickup go to the push-pull (top or bottom lugs on either side of the switch), the middle lugs of the switch meet at the pickup switch 3rd position.
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

-The black wires of each pickup go to the 5-way at positions 1 and 5.
-The R+W of each pickup go to the push-pull (top or bottom lugs on either side of the switch), the middle lugs of the switch meet at the pickup switch 3rd position.

Another noobish question for you- Do I need a superswitch? I think I do to have split tones in 2,3 and 4. If so I have no idea how to wire one of those up- Maybe I should just start a new thread begging someone to make me a schematic :8:
 
Re: Help! 2 humbuckers with a 5 way switch, what should the combos be?

A SUperSwitch can be thought of as 4 5-way switches in one. Each Group is set up the same way as a single 5-way switch, there's just 4 of them.

Those 4 can work together, or you can wire each one with different functions and switch between the groups with another switching system (push-pulls, mini-toggles, etc).

If you've already got split tones in 3, then all you need is to figure out why that is and route that wiring to the push-pull switch instead of the 5-way, along with the wiring scheme that will give you not-split, then send the push-pull switch's center lugs to position 3 of the 5-way.
 
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