Making Use of STK-1B's Four-Wire

[68Kustom]

Hi,

Just had a NOS Vintage Stack STK-1B installed to my Pro II Strat's bridge spot. Has a real Les Paul tone to it and gets rid of the grating V Mod II single-coil!

The stack has been wired in series, as with a regular humbucker, but this causes noise and overpowering output when it's used with the middle single-coil.

So, what about re-wiring so that the bottom coil is cut when the switch is on #2 bridge+middle? Then, when switch is on bridge only, the full stack comes into play. I believe the stacked coils are at least 7k each, so that works well with the stock middle 6.7k.

Do I have this worked out correctly?

 

[marcello252]

I think you can do it with a superswitch only, with a standard five pos strat switch the 2 position just parallels the pickups , so you can't separate the red-white junction

 

[jeremy]

as long as the top coil is rw/rp from the middle pup then you can do what you are asking. and it can be done with a normal five way. the output will go up a touch when you split an old school stack, but the tone will be brighter and more like a traditional single coil

https://www.seymourduncan.com/images/wiring-diagrams/1SCH_2S_5W_1V_2T_AS.jpg

 

[marcello252]

aaaah, ok, I got it, you're right jeremy ,you shorting to ground the lower coil in central lug on the other side

 

[68Kustom]

as long as the top coil is rw/rp from the middle pup then you can do what you are asking. and it can be done with a normal five way. the output will go up a touch when you split an old school stack, but the tone will be brighter and more like a traditional single coil

Okay, but IS that how Duncan builds its stacked pickup? What is the DC on the vintage stack? Am I looking at phase problems?

The install of this stacked unit did not turn out as hoped. So now I'm hoping a re-wire will allow single-coil Strat use with middle pickup.

 

[68Kustom]

as long as the top coil is rw/rp from the middle pup then you can do what you are asking. and it can be done with a normal five way. the output will go up a touch when you split an old school stack, but the tone will be brighter and more like a traditional single coil

Thanks also for the schematic. Does the Duncan stack need a 500 tone pot or a 250?

EDIT: the diagram looks to be for the newer stack model. I am using an older discontinued design. No circuit board. Is there a difference?

 

[Mincer]

Generally, they were designed as drop in replacements. I always say stick to 250k unless you hear an issue. Wiring-wise, there shouldn't be an issue if it is an older design.

 

[68Kustom]

Generally, they were designed as drop in replacements. I always say stick to 250k unless you hear an issue. Wiring-wise, there shouldn't be an issue if it is an older design.

My Pro II Strat has under its pickguard some pretty funky Fender factory notions for wiring. The NECK pickup is RWRP and there's that push-pot craziness on the Bridge pickup.

What's happening is the new Bridge stack is causing hum when in combo with the Middle. That setting, you have a series double-coil in parallel with a single-coil. The tag-along coil adds some noise while not really adding juice.

So, when in combo Bridge+Middle, my idea is to ground the Bridge stack's lower coil, which shunts it 'off'. Then the combo is a single-coil Bridge in parallel with a Middle single-coil. Hum should vanish with that lower coil shut off.

I mentioned this to my local tech but he was immediately "oh just drill into your Strat and add a micro switch and some wires"--why, man?! Just use the multi-lug blade switch Fender provides you to cancel the stack's lower coil where needed! Auuggghhh

And a Duncan stack is supposed to be really nice sound, right? So the top coil should make for a nice Strat single-coil, right? Right?

 

[Mincer]

I've done something similar with a humbucker and a single coil. I wanted to split the humbucker and combine with the middle single and have it hum-cancelling, which it wasn't. My solution was to split the humbucker to the other coil. If you are using a Stack, you can't do that, as you wouldn't want the bottom coil to be on by itself. Two same wind/same polarity coils won't cancel hum.

 

[Artie]

I wanted to split the humbucker and combine with the middle single and have it hum-cancelling, which it wasn't.

It's been so long since I've done this, that I can't remember for sure. But doesn't a stud coil hum-cancel to a neck single, and the screw coil to a middle (RWRP) single? In other words, in an HSS Strat, if you want to split to the stud coil, (in the #2 position), you'd reverse the position of the neck and middle pups. Is that right?

 

[Mincer]

I probably asked for your help while I was wiring it!

 

[Clint 55]

It's been so long since I've done this, that I can't remember for sure. But doesn't a stud coil hum-cancel to a neck single, and the screw coil to a middle (RWRP) single? In other words, in an HSS Strat, if you want to split to the stud coil, (in the #2 position), you'd reverse the position of the neck and middle pups. Is that right?

Yes

For stock Duncans:

Stud coils of hums and rwrp singles = north
Screw coils of hums and regular singles = south

 

[Artie]

Yes

For stock Duncans:

Stud coils of hums and rwrp singles = north
Screw coils of hums and regular singles = south

Thanks. Copy & pasted that into my "Clint-notes." :beerchug:

 

[Clint 55]

 

[68Kustom]

It's been so long since I've done this, that I can't remember for sure. But doesn't a stud coil hum-cancel to a neck single, and the screw coil to a middle (RWRP) single? In other words, in an HSS Strat, if you want to split to the stud coil, (in the #2 position), you'd reverse the position of the neck and middle pups. Is that right?

You do NOT want to get into that on a Pro II Strat. Once I got the schematic, today, I realized I am reverting everything to stock.