HSS with Split Coil

[esqueleto.23]

So I have a bit of an off beat question I'd like to ask everyone.

Say that I have a Strat HSS, and want to run it with the humbucker as a split coil instead of full humbucking mode. And I want to do this using only the coil tap wires (the red and white wires on Duncan pickups that one usually solders together and tapes off). Basically, what I want to do is take those two coil tap wires (white and red)...ideally without using the other two wires (black and green)...and solder them to the selector switch and volume pot as you would normally, and run the humbucker as a single coil bridge pickup.

So my question is - is this even possible?? And, if so, which wire would go where?

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

So I have a bit of an off beat question I'd like to ask everyone.

Say that I have a Strat HSS, and want to run it with the humbucker as a split coil instead of full humbucking mode. And I want to do this using only the coil tap wires (the red and white wires on Duncan pickups that one usually solders together and tapes off). Basically, what I want to do is take those two coil tap wires (white and red)...ideally without using the other two wires (black and green)...and solder them to the selector switch and volume pot as you would normally, and run the humbucker as a single coil bridge pickup.

So my question is - is this even possible?? And, if so, which wire would go where?

I think the better solution would be to run the humbucker in parallel. To me... the sound of a humbucker in parallel just sounds better than the split sound. + you get the benefit of hum cancelling

 

[esqueleto.23]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

Thanks for the reply, that's good to know.

I guess what I am wondering is what are the possibilities using just the two 'coil tap' cables (red and white)?

 

[Artie]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

That won't work at all. You'd have two ends of the two different coils. Use either black and white, (for the stud coil), or red and green, (for the screw coil). Ideally, to prevent noise from the unused coil, I'd just short bare, green, red, and white all to ground, then use black as your "hot" wire, to the switch.

 

[Mincer]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

You caould also wire in a push/pull, and make the normal position (when the switch is down) the split sound. Then, if you ever need it, pull the switch for the humbucking sound.

 

[Artie]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

+1 Seems like a shame to waste the humbucking function.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

You caould also wire in a push/pull, and make the normal position (when the switch is down) the split sound. Then, if you ever need it, pull the switch for the humbucking sound.

i do something similar on several of my guitars except with a volume bypass.. push was 100% volume.. pull returns controls to the pot

 

[esqueleto.23]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

That won't work at all. You'd have two ends of the two different coils. Use either black and white, (for the stud coil), or red and green, (for the screw coil). Ideally, to prevent noise from the unused coil, I'd just short bare, green, red, and white all to ground, then use black as your "hot" wire, to the switch.

I guess part of my problem is I don't know what each of the wires does. My understanding is that the black is the 'hot' wire (that carries the main signal from the pickup?), that normally goes to the selector switch. The bare is the ground, which goes to the back of the volume pot. I know that the green wire normally goes to the back of the volume pot, but I don't quite know why and what it is. And I know that the white and red wire are the coil tap wires, but I don't know what each of them are.

I was actually using the HSS just as an example; didn't want to make it too complicated by going into my crazy plan! But here goes.

What I really want to do is create something like the photo below, with 4 pickups using 2 separate circuits - one circuit for the 2 humbuckers with a three way switch, then another for the single coils with a 5-way switch (hopefully with the bridge humbucker in split coil mode as the 3rd single coil). My idea was to have a 2-way switch that switches from one circuit to the other...so adding two new switches, and probably another pot...so a master volume and tone with 250k pots for the single coil circuit, and a master volume and tone with 500k pots for the humbucking circuit.

Might be a bit of a crazy idea, but I really like the distinct sounds of humbuckers and single coil pickups, but ideally could have the full versatility of both in one epic guitar. My original idea was to get an HSS, but I feel that would miss out on the middle strat positions and basically just be much less versatile than my new idea of a Paulocaster. (Or Fenson?) So instead of having two guitars, I could have one and really splash out for a great neck, bridge, etc.

I'm just hoping that the circuitry would all work out. My main concern is using the humbucker split coil as the 3rd single coil...not sure if that would work out in terms of the wiring and so on. And also I don't know about the two-way switch...if such a thing would be possible.

View attachment 72726

 

[Hank-]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

A split humbucker doesn't have quite the right characteristics of a true single coil. The bridge split + middle won't sound like two actual singles. Its a compromise with the hss setup, unless you go for a stag mag which has rod magnets instead of a single bar magnet, that is if you enjoy the sound of the stag mag in humbucker mode too.

I settled on two guitars with favourite singles in all positions & another with my preferred humbuckers i enjoy, that way i use the guitar accordingly to the need.

 

[esqueleto.23]

Re: HSS with Split Coil

A split humbucker doesn't have quite the right characteristics of a true single coil. The bridge split + middle won't sound like two actual singles.

Hmmm...yeah, that's good to know.

Think I'll start a new thread with a better title and full explanation at the top.