Help me choose my JB / 59 wiring configuration

[Sentenza]

Hello,

I'm planning to install a JB and a 59 (4 conductor version) in my LTD EC-256.

The guitar has 3 pots:
- 1 bridge volume with push-pull
- 1 neck volume with push-pull
- 1 concentric pot for bridge tone and neck tone (no possibility of push-pull)

I'm hesitating between two wiring options:

Option 1: 1 push-pull to split the bridge PU, 1 push-pull to split the neck PU.

Option 2: 1 push-pull to split both pickups, 1 push-pull to reverse the phase on the neck pickup.

Option 1 would allow me to split the pickups independently, so in the middle position I could use one pickup in SC mode and one pickup in full HB mode.
Option 2 would give me the out-of-phase tone in the middle position, but wouldn't allow me to split the pickups independently.

So, specifically for the JB / 59 pickups, which is more important?
Do the JB / 59 sound great together when one is in SC mode and the other is in full HB mode, or is this tone useless?
Does the out-of-phase tone sound great with the JB / 59, or is that tone useless?

Thanks!

 

[Artie]

Welcome to the forum. My vote would be for option 2. I haven't found the single/humbucker thing to be that useful. But it's a personal thing.

 

[Lewguitar]

Welcome to the forum. My vote would be for option 2. I haven't found the single/humbucker thing to be that useful. But it's a personal thing.

Artie, I haven't done this mod in so long I've forgotten the specifics. Can a humbucker be put in parallel with a single push pull switch?

If so, that's what I would opt for.

Use one switch for the neck pickup and the other for the bridge pickup.

It's a much better, fuller sounding "single coil like" tone than split and the pickup remains humbucking.

 

[Lewguitar]

Yes. It can. http://duhvoodooman.com/musical/humb...lel_switch.gif

 

[Top-L]

I would do option, 2, but instead of changing phase, I would use it to switch between parallel and series for neck.

 

[Lewguitar]

I wouldn't do the out of phase thing electrically.

If were going to do it I'd flip the magnet of one pickup like Gibson does on a stereo ES-355.

Or like Peter Green did (perhaps accidentally) to his '59 Les Paul.

Sounds better.

 

[Artie]

I agree with everyone above. I'd parallel rather than phase. But again, it's a personal taste thing.

 

[Mincer]

I like option 1. Phase isn't a sound that is used well often. Simplicity is generally what I go for, though.

 

[IMENATOR]

I would use option 1 to set neck as SC and back the volume for rythm or cleans then keep the bridge as a HB with volume crancked for high gain rhythm and leads.

 

[ericcomposer72]

One 'bucker full and one split (your potential middle position with option 1) is one of my favorite sounds. I use it with both full bridge/split neck, and full neck/split bridge. I personally love it for high-gain, liquidy lead tones.

 

[Lewguitar]

I agree with everyone above. I'd parallel rather than phase. But again, it's a personal taste thing.

I had a two humbucker Strat and installed a PG neck and JB bridge.

I installed two 3 position mini-switches. One for each pickup.

I could get single coil, parallel or series from each pickup.

Rarely used the single coil option.

Parallel sounded more like a good single coil than the actual single coil option, and was still humbucking.

The single coil option sounded thin and plinky to me compared to a real Strat single coil.

The JB in parallel reminded me of a good Tele bridge pickup.

Not exactly, of course, but it reminded me of one.

 

[Artie]

Generally, if I split a humbucker, it's in conjunction with another, to get that quasi Strat notch quack. It's seldom, if ever, that I split a single 'bucker on its own.

 

[Sentenza]

Many thanks for all the replies!

​​Option 2 isn't that useful, it seems.

According to some replies, I may want to consider a 3rd option, which would be: 1 push-pull to put the bridge PU in parallel, 1 push-pull to put the neck PU in parallel.

How good /interesting is the tone in the middle position, when both pickups are in parallel? And when one pickup is in parallel and the other pickup is in series?