Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

[Artie]

Quick sidenote: I've come full circle on pup selection. Just installed the C5/59 combo in my Peavey Genny Tele-clone . . . my first set of Seymour Duncan pups as recommended by this forum.

Anyway, I came up with an interesting wiring scheme. Probably been done before, but it just replaces the standard "both-'bucker" middle position with the stud coil of the C5, in series with the adjustable coil of the 59, which creates a virtual 3rd humbucker/C5-59 hybrid. Its definitely a cleaner, more useable tone than any of my both-'bucker tones.

I've got to play with it some more, but this is a cool mod if anyone wants to try it. The downside is, it takes somewhat abnormal switching to accomplish it properly. I had to modify a standard Fender 3-way with a micro-switch to get one more set of contacts. That mod came out pretty nicely. You can just make it out in these pics. It fit entirely within the confines of the 3-way.

(Its where the red arrow is pointing.)

Artie

Edit: Only one pic needed.

 

[Corbic]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

So from my understanding, you get one of the infamous Custom/59 hybrids, a single coil sound, and two humbuckers in one axe!? Sounds like an cool idea to me :smokin:

 

[Artie]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Almost. Not exactly. I have 3 humbucker tones, no single coils at all. This is a 3-way switch in a Tele.
So I have:

1. 59
2. hybrid
3. Custom 5

I love it.

Artie

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

So it's more like two single coils in series, like a Brian May type of thing, but you're using humbucker coils instead of true singles, and the location is specific to a dual humbucker guitar. It sounds like a good idea. I'm not that big on series wiring across different pickups, but I have it on some guitars.

Hey it might be neat to try both coils in series across from eachother. In other words, have the inside coils in series with eachother, and then the outside coils in series with eachother, then in a parallel sum. So it would be like the LP middle position, but with each pickup coil crossing with the other pickup. It would be like the "inbreeding" of two humbuckers. Perhaps it would add a little complexity to the center LP sound, but it would still be thick like two hums, rather than thinner and cleaner like what you have now.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Was this inspired by my crazy superswitch wiring from a while back? I'm glad to hear it sounds good.

 

[larry_emder]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

"inbreeding"

HAHAHA....will it make you wanna play duelling banjos? :laugh2:

Seriously, sounds like a good idea........it is no too ridiculously hard to wire up artie?

 

[Artie]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

So it's more like two single coils in series, like a Brian May type of thing, but you're using humbucker coils instead of true singles, and the location is specific to a dual humbucker guitar.

More like - two halves of a humbucker to make a whole. I don't think I'd call it "like Brian May" so much as just simply a middle humbucker position. The virtual pup is wired completely as normal. Black to out, green to ground, and red and white together, (albiet from two separate pups).

And . . . it remains humbucking.

Hey it might be neat to try both coils in series across from each other . . .

Yeah, you could. But as Lew elluded to in another thread, I find that when I get the wiring too complex, I generally find two or three useful sounds and ditch the rest. I wanted to keep this simple.

Was this inspired by my crazy superswitch wiring from a while back? I'm glad to hear it sounds good.

Partially. What pushed me over the edge was wiring up Travis' Custom/59 hybrid. I had to have one, and this "vitrual" one gives me the best of both worlds. I get to have my hybrid and keep my original pups.

.......it is no too ridiculously hard to wire up artie?

Its not hard to wire per se. The trick is, it requires specific switch configurations that aren't "normal". Note that I had to add a micro-switch to a standard 3-way to make this work. It won't work with an LP-style switch at all, and to use a toggle switch requires a 4PDT on-on-on switch. You can also do it using a standard 3-way if you add a 4PDT on-on switch to switch between "normal" dual-humbucker and virtual hybrid mode.

I'll post the wiring diagrams tonight. One more thing, technically, this can be done with a straight 3-way, but it leaves an active coil hanging out on the hot lead as a noise antenna. Thats why I needed the micro-switch. This axe is silent in all three positions. I think its my only axe that accomplishes that.

Right now I'm working on making some custom switches specific to this wiring. Not sure yet if I can do it in an economical way. I'll keep ya posted.

Artie

 

[Artie]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Here's a quick peek at how my Tele is wired. Note in the pic in my first post how the microswitch is positioned to activate only when the 3-way is in the neck position. Since the hybrid uses the black wire from the bridge pup, its only necessary to switch the output when the neck is selected.

 

[MattPete]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Isn't that the PRS middle position on PRS's with 5-way switching?

 

[ranalli]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Geez...Artie...you never cease to amaze me....and further boggle my mind with your wiring schemes. Nice work!!!

 

[kramer]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Very cool, that's a hell of an idea!

 

[Artie]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Thanks guys, but MattPete is correct. There's really nothing creative or original here, just a cool implementation. The main thing is, that hybrid middle sound.

btw - Here's another way to do it with a 4-way, so that you have both series and parallel positions:

Artie

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Kind of a PRS kinda thing going on, huh? Sounds cool! PRS accomplished a similar thing with thier rotary switch. Lew

 

[Artie]

Re: Just did a virtual 3rd humbucker/virtual hybrid.

Now I see why. Its a great tone.