Re: Jazz VM Series Parallel mod..does not sound good
Your SD pickups have 3 wires (1 white, 2 black?)? They could either be tap-optional pickups (although IIRC those use a red wire), or one black wire is an isolated ground while the other black wire is the (-) side of the coil. If you don't experience any of the same problems when switched in parallel which is running the "stock" wiring, then you wired the switch wrong - JB pickups in series should not sound as described. If you do experience the same problems when switched in parallel (which would definitely be a tell-tale - but not so conclusive if the statement is not so), then swap one (or both) of the pairs of black wires. If you have one of the iso ground wires reversed and touching the hot signal (via serial wiring), that would introduce all of the excess ground noise, while grounding the side of the coil that should be in the series link. From your wiring schematic (which should work), both black wires on the bridge pickup should go to ground, the neck's isolated ground should go to ground, the other black to the corresponding switch terminal, and white to the vol pot. One way to check which wire is which is with a multimeter: if you get a reading between one pair of white and black wires, those are your coil wires and the remaining black wires should go to ground.
