New to forum, Hi

[Dayo15]

Hi all, I am new to this forum and am from Oz and have been playing guitars for quite a few years now but never tried building or rebuilding them.
Decided to have a go at this and found a second hand Ibanez S Series quite cheap with a few minor body issues. Got them fixed and decided to replace the original pick ups with SD's all the way through so this is what I want to put in;

Bridge: SH4
Center: Coolrail
Neck: SH2-n
Switch: New 5 way
Vol Pot: 1
Tone Pot: 1

Only thing is, I can't seam to find a clear enough diagram for the wiring of these bad boys. Yes I do have the factory diagrams as supplied with them but there are a few differences to configurations.

Am I looking at these diagrams wrong or do I just follow the humbucker diagram supplied and then grab the coolrail and chase the center pins on the 5 way?

Has anyone possibly got a diagram already done from a guitar that they have done and would be willing to assist me in this venture.

Thanks for any help given.

Dayo15.

 

[daenius]

Re: New to forum, Hi

Welcome to the forum!

What you're describing is a 5 way HHH (yes, the cool rail is a humbucker) setup. You can use this diagram here, which does 3 single-coil-sized humbuckers, but it's essentially the same thing: http://www.seymourduncan.com/wiring...ps,neck-h,middle-sch,bridge-h,1-volume,1-tone

Unless you want to venture into some different split-coil options, that should get you started. You have an Ibanez S series with a whammy bar, right? Make sure you get the TB-4 instead of the SH-4 for the bridge position!

 

[Dayo15]

Re: New to forum, Hi

Hi Daenius,

Thanks for the info and I wasn't looking at the Coolrail as a humbucker so that maybe what was confusing me with the wiring diagrams so I will check out the link you have got up. I had already got the SH4 as it was part of the Hot Rodded PuP kit but will it make that much of a difference? If so then I will have to look at selling and getting a TB-4.

More homework for me it sounds like.

Greatly appreciated also, many thanks.

Dayo15

 

[daenius]

Re: New to forum, Hi

Hi Daenius,

Thanks for the info and I wasn't looking at the Coolrail as a humbucker so that maybe what was confusing me with the wiring diagrams so I will check out the link you have got up. I had already got the SH4 as it was part of the Hot Rodded PuP kit but will it make that much of a difference? If so then I will have to look at selling and getting a TB-4.

More homework for me it sounds like.

Greatly appreciated also, many thanks.

Dayo15

Heh, pickups are a whole can of worms to explore xD

Yeah the Coolrail is not a single coil, despite its size.

Would you be able to return the set and just buy TB-4 and SH-2n separately? If not then yeah perhaps sell the SH-4 and buy a TB-4.

As to why you need a TB-4, you COULD technically install the SH-4 and have it work no problem. The issue is that the pole pieces of the pickup will be misaligned with the strings, which means you won't be getting the optimal sound from the pickup. It'll still work, it just may not sound as full and harmonically rich because the pole pieces aren't sensing the strings properly. Read up more on Trembucker vs Humbucker here on the Seymour Duncan site: http://www.seymourduncan.com/faqs/what-does-trembucker-mean-and-how-is-it-different-from-humbucker

 

[Dayo15]

Re: New to forum, Hi

I should be able to return it and then buy separate PuP's. I asked a few guys over here just on an aussie FB page and with the type of guitar I was rebuilding, what PuP's might be a good option for me and most guys listed these but there were also a few that said the TB-4 for the bridge but didn't state why.

I am no mean guitar player but more of a play with mates in the shed type of guy so for what we do, these PuP's might be good enough but I will certainly check out the TB-4.
I do have a OLP version of the Music Man and I do not know what PuP's are in it but it is dual humbuckers so maybe the SH-4 might suit it but it has the Floyd Rose also!

Thanks again and I will see what sounds I can get out of these ones when I get all of the gear here to finish and go from there.

Dayo15

 

[daenius]

Re: New to forum, Hi

Anything that's got a Floyd Rose, or any kind of tremolo bridge, or anything that has a string spread of 52mm needs a Trembucker. Luckily, Seymour Duncan and Dimarzio and just about every pickup brand all make a Trembucker version of their pickups. Duncan calls them Trembuckers, Dimarzio calls them F-Spaced Humbuckers, and everyone else uses one of those names.

The standard old fashioned Humbucker is for stuff that has 49mm string spread. Best way to figure out what you need is to just take a ruler, and measure from the center of the low E string to the center of the high E string.

 

[Dayo15]

Re: New to forum, Hi

Cool, righto mate. Thanks for the help and I will see what the go is tomorrow when i get down to the shed.

Dayo15