Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

[RichardG]

I am fooling around with various combinations and often find that when I wire a HB and a SC together I get a very weak sound - much weaker than the usual quack.

For example, currently I have a S/H/S layout in a Strat (works really well by the way!) but when I have the HB and bridge SC switched together I get that weak sound, but it's fine with the HB and neck SC.

Is there a rule of thumb about combining HBs and SCs that I'm missing?

 

[Fritz6]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

The 2&4 on a five way are combined in parallel. So the output of the two pups goes down by around a 1/3 if I remember right. If each pup is say 3k, when combined in parallel they're output'll be around 4k.

Might be a bit off with the numbers, but that's the general idea. Also, maybe the bridge pup is set too low?

You have a humbucker in the middle with two singles on the outside? Never seen that before. Usually the bucker would be in the bridge, what's the layout of your guitar, parts etc?

 

[RichardG]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

It's not down to the pickup height - the 'weak' sound I'm talking about is very very weak, boith in volume and tone.

The HB is an old one off a Les Paul, the SCs are (I think) an old Jap Squire one and an Evans.

I might not keep this combination forever (although it is giving lots of great Ry Cooder-ish tones), but this same problem was there when I had H/S/H too.

Any other thoughts? In general, if you get a really crap sound in position 2 or 4 is there usually a reason? (Surely it can't be that I have wired wrong as these are just 2-wire PUs, white for hot and black (or shield) for ground, right?)

 

[Fritz6]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

Maybe bridge and mid are out of phase with each other. That might explain why the mid and neck together sound ok but the bridge and mid don't. Try reversing the hot and ground on the bridge pup.

 

[RichardG]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

Thanks Fritz - I'll try that tonight. I don't quite understand the 'out of phase' concept but I'll switch the wires over and if it works, it works.

 

[RichardG]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

Just to report . . . I switched the hot and ground wires over and it worked. Not sure I understand why it worked, but it did. Thanks Fritz for the suggestion. Just goes to show that black isn't always white and white isn't always black.

 

[Fritz6]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

Awesome! Glad it worked out.

 

[pbrown]

Re: Mixing HBs and SCs - any rules?

basically whats happening when two pups are out of phase is you are having lots of frequencies being cancelled especially the lower ones giving you a low output very bright tone