Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

[GreatOz]

Hello all,

I am custom building a stratocaster-styled guitar and am going to put a few Stack noiseless Singles in there, but do not know much about wiring.

STK-S7 for Neck
STK-S4M for Middle
STK-S6 for Bridge

I am putting a 6 way freeway switch 3X3-03 so I can have the extra neck + bridge setting.

I want to have another 2-way (on-on) switch for coil splitting all pickups at once to operate in true single mode as I do not ever really see a need to be able to mix stacked and true singles.

Specifically, what do I do with the red-white wires that operate the secondary coil (they come soldered together) when I want them coil-split? Do I leave them disconnected, do I route both to ground, do I route one to ground and leave the other "hanging"? I am not sure what to do with those two wires.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,
GreatOz

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

There’s no real reason to use stacks split into single coil mode. They already sound like single coils and you can’t achieve noise cancelation by combining them, since they are all the same polarity.


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[GreatOz]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

They do not RWRP the middle pickup (STK-S4M)? I did not know that. I thought it was standard for pretty-much all single-coiled pickups, regardless if they're noiseless or not.

I suppose if there's no point to adding a coil-split option, I may just skip that then, or make that switch do something else.

Thanks for the help,

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

My understanding is that the STK-S4M is RWRP to the rest, so splitting will be noise cancelling for notch positions and will be brighter with the reduced loading.

 

[GreatOz]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

I am thinking that I will put a switch for splitting later in case I ever put in a set of humbuckers in it. For now, I will stick to just the regular stack since that will be much easier to wire in the short term. I can always mod the pickups/guitar later.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

There’s no real reason to use stacks split into single coil mode. They already sound like single coils and you can’t achieve noise cancelation by combining them, since they are all the same polarity.


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I remember several posts by Frank Falbo saying the split allows for a little better true single coil sound, otherwise I can't think of other reason why SD would allow the split sound of their stacked pickups. HBs are a different story.

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Help with Stack + Stack + Stack setup

I remember several posts by Frank Falbo saying the split allows for a little better true single coil sound, otherwise I can't think of other reason why SD would allow the split sound of their stacked pickups. HBs are a different story.

With respect to Frank, what you will find is each half of the stack is wound a lot hotter than you’d expect (depending on the pickup model).

Stacks experience a lot of low end phase cancellation and power loss, do they are often wound a lot hotter to compensate.

Seymour has a wiring trick called the power boost, where you put the two coils in phase. This makes the pickup much louder, but doesn’t cancel hum.

And it doesn’t have a “truer” single coil sound, just different. The pickups are designed to be used with both coils.

You could also wire the two coils in parallel for a brighter tone.

Some stacked pickups have a different bottom coil would with fewer turns of heavier gauge wire. You’ll notice that some stacked pickups don’t have 4-conductor wiring.

I’d suggest to try it first in the guitar by shorting the series connection to ground to split one coil. Assuming it’s the top coil operating you can hear how it sounds.


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