HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

[stealthisusername]

Hey all, first time poster, I was hoping you guys could help me out, sorry about the butcher-job of a title. So I currently have a Fender Strat with a Floyd, current pickup configuration is HSS, JB in the bridge with stock single coil pups in the middle and neck. When I can get around to getting the parts and ordering a wiring diagram (assuming this setup will be possible), I'm going to replace the neck with a Cool Rails, and a yet undecided single coil in the middle, making it an HSH. I'm going to replace the 5 way with a 3 way switch to have it act more as an HH, with an individual on/off toggle for the middle pup, as well as coil-split switches for the neck and bridge pups. My concern is that the middle single-coil pickup is typically only gonna be used with the the split-neck or split-bridge, and I want to have hum cancelling in those positions (neck and middle on a true Strat setup is my favorite position for a clean tone, and bridge and middle with Brian May in mind). My original choice was a Classic Stack in the middle, but I'm wondering if I would need a true single coil in the middle (RWRP or otherwise) to achieve hum-cancelling in those aforementioned positions. Genres are kinda all over the place as it's my only guitar ATM, but main focus would be hard rock (Toadies and Zep are my favorites), and some metal like Iron Maiden. Though as I said, I will mostly be using the middle pup for cleans, so that would be my main focus for tone. Rosewood fingerboard and alder body if it matters.

TL;DR
So yeah my main question is with an HSH setup, if I could go with a stacked single coil, or if I'll have to use a true single
coil, and if it should be RWRP or not, to achieve hum cancelling when used with split bridge or split neck. Thank you very
much in advance!

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

Hey all, first time poster, I was hoping you guys could help me out, sorry about the butcher-job of a title. So I currently have a Fender Strat with a Floyd, current pickup configuration is HSS, JB in the bridge with stock single coil pups in the middle and neck. When I can get around to getting the parts and ordering a wiring diagram (assuming this setup will be possible), I'm going to replace the neck with a Cool Rails, and a yet undecided single coil in the middle, making it an HSH. I'm going to replace the 5 way with a 3 way switch to have it act more as an HH, with an individual on/off toggle for the middle pup, as well as coil-split switches for the neck and bridge pups. My concern is that the middle single-coil pickup is typically only gonna be used with the the split-neck or split-bridge, and I want to have hum cancelling in those positions (neck and middle on a true Strat setup is my favorite position for a clean tone, and bridge and middle with Brian May in mind). My original choice was a Classic Stack in the middle, but I'm wondering if I would need a true single coil in the middle (RWRP or otherwise) to achieve hum-cancelling in those aforementioned positions. Genres are kinda all over the place as it's my only guitar ATM, but main focus would be hard rock (Toadies and Zep are my favorites), and some metal like Iron Maiden. Though as I said, I will mostly be using the middle pup for cleans, so that would be my main focus for tone. Rosewood fingerboard and alder body if it matters.

TL;DR
So yeah my main question is with an HSH setup, if I could go with a stacked single coil, or if I'll have to use a true single
coil, and if it should be RWRP or not, to achieve hum cancelling when used with split bridge or split neck. Thank you very
much in advance!

Welcome to the forum!

Since the Cool Rails is a true humbucker with two equivalent coils (vs it being a noiseless singlecoil where one coil is higher in output and the other coil much weaker in output and just there to cancel noise), the Cool Rails provides you the flexibility to choose which of its coils you want to have active in Position 4 when combining with the middle pickup. So you are not locked into having to get a middle pickup with a specific polarity. EDIT: Seymour Duncan's true singlecoils have a South polarity and Seymour Duncan's noiseless singlecoil's main coil's also have a South polarity, FYI.

I was curious to understand better about your plan to change from the current 5 way switch to a 3 way switch. When you said you want to make the guitar behave more like a HH config. guitar, does that mean you want the middle position of the 3 way to be the neck and bridge humbuckers connected in parallel, instead of what middle position of a 5 way provides (which is middle pickup alone)?

 

[stealthisusername]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

I'll be completely honest, I am not completely sure what the differences between series and parallel are, but I believe my answer is in parallel, forgive my ignorance. Sorry if I explained it in a confusing way, but yeah my idea is to have pretty much an HH configuration with a 3 way switch like a Gibson (or any HH guitar, ya know: bridge, bridge/neck, neck), with coil splits for each humbucker, and another separate toggle switch to activate the middle single coil at any given time. I tried adding a picture of how I plan to have the guitar set up, hopefully I uploaded it right.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

I'll be completely honest, I am not completely sure what the differences between series and parallel are, but I believe my answer is in parallel, forgive my ignorance. Sorry if I explained it in a confusing way, but yeah my idea is to have pretty much an HH configuration with a 3 way switch like a Gibson (or any HH guitar, ya know: bridge, bridge/neck, neck), with coil splits for each humbucker, and another separate toggle switch to activate the middle single coil at any given time. I tried adding a picture of how I plan to have the guitar set up, hopefully I uploaded it right.

View attachment 104295

Ok, gotcha. Yes, middle position on HH guitars is traditionally parallel.

So did my input help with your question about the middle pickup?

 

[stealthisusername]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

Absolutely, I appreciate it! Just to clarify though, polarity doesn't matter due to the option of using either humbucker coil for splitting (I'm assuming this goes for any 4 conductor humbucker), does that also mean the middle pickup being a noiseless pickup or true single coil doesn't matter either?

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

polarity doesn't matter due to the option of using either humbucker coil for splitting (I'm assuming this goes for any 4 conductor humbucker)?

Yes and yes

does that also mean the middle pickup being a noiseless pickup or true single coil doesn't matter either?

If the middle is a true singlecoil, the wiring requirements are less complicated because you just choose the correct coil on the Cool Rails to keep active (and similarly for middle+bridge).

If the middle pickup is a noiseless design (which means it has two coils), you would have to split that middle pickup to its main coil when you combine it with a split Cool Rails and a split JB, in order to achieve hum-canceling. This is because hum-canceling is contingent on each active coil present also having another, similar coil present to cancel noise. I.e. an even #of active coils in total. A noiseless singlecoil that is not split has 2 coils. So that plus a split JB (1 coil) or that plus a split Cool Rails (1 coil) adds up to 3 coils total - so there would be noise due to the 3rd coil left active and unpartnered/unmatched. In this scenario it is not polarity that is the issue but # of coils. On this basis, it would be best for you to choose a non-noiseless a.k.a. "true" singecoil for your middle pickup (1 coil only).

However, if you don't like the idea of having hum/noise present when you use the middle pickup all by itself, and so you go with a noiseless singlecoil (2 coils) on that basis, you still have options. Option 1 we already covered , i.e. you do the extra wiring work to split the middle pickup when you combine it with the split Cool Rails, and when you combine it with split JB... OR Option 2: since the Cool Rails is a single-coil sounding humbucker, *don't* split it and *don't* split the middle noiseless singlecoil when you combine the two together - and you will have hum-canceling because of an even # of coils present (4). You could take the same approach when combining the middle noiseless pickup with the JB.

So some things to consider.

 

[stealthisusername]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

Perfect, that covers everything I'd need to know and taught me a bunch. I'm going to research and think about it more down the road, but I'm thinking probably the true single coil, since I likely won't be using the middle pickup alone at any point. You've been more than helpful, thank you very much!

 

[Ascension]

Re: HSH, which middle pup for coil split bridge/neck (no hum)?

Middle pickup forst off will need to be a standard wind and NOT a RW/RP!! If you like the real Strat in pos 2 and 4 I would use a SSL 1 in the middle.