Pickup wiring help

[JimboJJ]

Hi, I’m newly registered here but have been lurking around for quite a while browsing posts.

Looking for help with a pickup wiring diagram for an RG Ibanez currently with HSS setup and cutouts—one tone, one volume pot, 5 position blade switch. I have checked here and elsewhere online and came up dry. I’m not experienced enough to modify the drawings for my requirements myself.

I’d like to:

- have an HHH setup (2 one coil sized humbuckers in mid and neck plus a humbucker at bridge) with a JB trembucker in the bridge position, a neck model hot rails in the middle, and a single coil sized neck version little ‘59 in the neck position.
- Have a push pull pot to split/ tap all three coils...or two push/ pulls one to split neck and mid, one to split bridge.
- Add a 5 position blade switch (superswitch?) with orientations being: neck, neck and middle, middle only, NECK and bridge, bridge only.

My questions are:

- Can I send a set of your favorite strings for a knowledgable, experienced person to draw this wiring diagram out?
- Can I make this configuration work?
- Do I need to use a “super switch?”
- Think it will sound okay?
- Hate my choice of pickups?
- Can I make this setup “hum cancelling?”
- Would you recommend 250 or 500K pots for this setup?
- Would you recommend a .022 or .047 orange drop tone cap in this situation?


I hugely value your advice. Thank you in advance!

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Well, I think I’m just going to get three SPDT on/ off/ on switches and split the north coils when the switch is up, humbucking in the middle, and south coil when switch is down...and just wire up a standard five way blade selector. I think me and my multimeter can figure that out—plus it gives me other coil options too.

I’d say thanks, but nobody replied. But thanks ahead of time if you do!

 

[Adieu]

Re: Pickup wiring help

If you want unusual combos out of order, I think you will need the super switch
... OR you could reverse wiring order of middle and neck (wire mid as neck, neck as mid), to get positions:

1. B , 2. B + N, 3. N, 4. N + M, 5. M

Don't use RG wiring diagrams, they already have coil tapping on positions 2 and 4. Use a Fender SSS wiring diagram, but follow Duncan directions (black is hot, green and bare together make ground)

For coil taps, you can just wire all 3 coil taps to 1 switch or push pull the same way you would wire 1... or wire em to individual switches/pushpulls to mix and match. Basically, a coil tap is a switch that sends red and white to ground when engaged.

For pots, theyre humbuckers so usually 500k

Regarding hum cancellation, well, theyre humbuckers....all positions when untapped, positions 2 and 4 when tapped

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Just a tip, you probably want the Hot Rails in the neck and the Lil' '59 in the middle for the sake of volume matching. I think you might like the three DP3T (not DPDT) switches. I had a Kramer Focus 5000 with this wiring when I first got into modding guitars and it was pretty versatile. The only problem was I only had one knob, so I ditched the volume for a rotary switch and had to rely on a volume pedal.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I agree with the above. The lil 59 is too low output to combine with a JB humbucker. I'd put the hot rails in the neck and lil 59 in the middle. Should work in the Ibby RG with 500k controls. Later i will post a wiring diagram with split toggles.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Thanks Adeiu, I had a fancy for a neck and bridge setting, it I think I’ll settle for a standard five position selector simply for ease of wiring and “keeping it simple.” I saw a YouTube video where a guy used those SPDT switches to tap the coils with north being up hum in middle south down. The sounds he got were sweet. Seems a bit more complicated than pushing or pulling a pot—but maybe I’ll get used to it. I’m a bit of a tinkerer, an electrician by trade (not small electronics), so I think I’ll get the hang of it eventually. It’s kind of addicting little electronics and stuff...been fixing rack tube amps and effects lately and it’s cool to see sound on my oscilloscope.

But back to the Ibanez...and the Duncan’s. You wrote that black is hot and green/ bare is ground. More specifically, what color is the north coil start , stop, and what’s south start and south stop with SD pickups?

I bought 250K CTS pots from guitar electronics—because Duncan’s diagrams with one coil sized himbuckers listed those. I am going to try and get some 500s on your advice. Thanks!

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Christopher, how would you suggest using DP3T switches? Those wouldn’t be on off on, but on on on off? This will be my first guitar pickup change/ wiring job so forgive me for my ignorance.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Thanks Teleplayer, I’ll plan on the Hot Rails in the neck position. I just bought two 250 CTS pots (10% tolerance I think), a new switchcraft output jack, three DPDT on off on switches (I just wont use the other side/ pole...they were cheaper than SPDT switches, some copper coil for shielding, and I already have some #22 silver coated copper milspec insulated stranded wire. That’s what I plan on using I suppose. Also got both a 22 and a 047 “orange drop” cap to see which sounds better.

Thanks for offering to draw it up.

 

[Adieu]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Thanks Adeiu, I had a fancy for a neck and bridge setting, it I think I’ll settle for a standard five position selector simply for ease of wiring and “keeping it simple.” I saw a YouTube video where a guy used those SPDT switches to tap the coils with north being up hum in middle south down. The sounds he got were sweet. Seems a bit more complicated than pushing or pulling a pot—but maybe I’ll get used to it. I’m a bit of a tinkerer, an electrician by trade (not small electronics), so I think I’ll get the hang of it eventually. It’s kind of addicting little electronics and stuff...been fixing rack tube amps and effects lately and it’s cool to see sound on my oscilloscope.

But back to the Ibanez...and the Duncan’s. You wrote that black is hot and green/ bare is ground. More specifically, what color is the north coil start , stop, and what’s south start and south stop with SD pickups?

I bought 250K CTS pots from guitar electronics—because Duncan’s diagrams with one coil sized himbuckers listed those. I am going to try and get some 500s on your advice. Thanks!

250 or 500k (or no tone) with JB and rails seems to be a matter of preference

Neck and bridge is easy, just wire the neck pickup where you would normally wire the middle pickup

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Ah, Adeiu, now I think I follow you. You said I could mix the wiring order up on a standard five position switch and get the outsome you posted above? That’s pretty sweet!

 

[Adieu]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Ah, Adeiu, now I think I follow you. You said I could mix the wiring order up on a standard five position switch and get the outsome you posted above? That’s pretty sweet!

Yeah, except the positions will be out of order, and mid-alone will be last

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Christopher, how would you suggest using DP3T switches? Those wouldn’t be on off on, but on on on off? This will be my first guitar pickup change/ wiring job so forgive me for my ignorance.

The number before the T is the number of throws (or positions) that the switch has. DP3T would have 3 positions, and you would have to make sure to get one that is on/on/on.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Christopher, I follow you. I think I could accomplish the same thing with my DPDT switches (or SPDT) on off on but I would wire the middle position humbucking and “closed” with continuity to the selector while in the “off” position, instead of DP3T wiring. Kind of like this (if I can figure out how to post a picture). At least I hope this works because Ive bought three DPDT on off on switches.

Ok couldn’t figure out how to post pic, but essentially north start to up “on” terminal, and also to selector hot, north finish and south finish to “off” middle terminal, and south start to “on” down position. I wouldn’t used the other pole/ side. I wish I could post a picture.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Sorry if I created any confusion, I was somewhat distracted when I wrote that.

The switches you have will work, and here is a diagram of how you would do it:



So it mostly works how you said, if I understand your intentions correctly. The only difference is that you would have to ground the red/white link to the middle lug on the left side of the switch and the grounds to the bottom left lug.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help



I was thinking like this so I could choose between north and south coils with both in the middle. Think it would work? Edit--Looks almost identical to your picture, except you are using the second pole/ side. After looking at them both I think I’ll try mine because I retain the right to select north or south coil. Although your diagram would be cool if you weren’t using a selector blade switch. Edit again— looking at the diagram I posted I’m not sure how the signal of the south coil start stop could get to the output/ selector switch/ volume pot with the switch down. I need to get my hands on one and meter it.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help



Here’s another one.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup wiring help

View attachment 93842

Here’s another one.

That works too.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Below is my suggested wiring diagram so far.

The top toggle switch is to split the middle and neck humbuckers. ( It could be a 3 Position "ON-ON-ON" Toggle, so it could split the middle pickup without splitting the neck pickup)
The lower toggle switch is to split the bridge humbucker, and is only effective in position 1 on the selector.

The 750k fixed resistor is suggested for loading the middle pickup. This is recommended when using the SL-59-1N with 500k control pots.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Darn, thanks a bunch. That looks great!

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Shoot, that's cool. I have never even considered a switch to turn a Strat from an HHH to an HSS. I might have to consider that in the future.