Pickup wiring help

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I'm not sure which is better for a middle pickup out of Lil 59 (SL59-1N) and Cool Rails (SCR-1N). My preference is for the Cool Rails in the middle, mainly because I like the design using blades to match string balance of the Hotrails neck. SL59-1N will have warmer tone, but I think the Cool Rails may have a bit higher output. Maybe others can add their experience because to me its not very obvious about which is the better way to go.

If you change to Cool Rails SCR-1N, then it will be more important to have a load resistor as shown in my diagram in post #18. Either with value of 750k or maybe change it to 510k to suit the Cool Rails a bit better.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Cheers to you guys for helping me out. I’m going to try and wire three DPDT on off on switches after the pickups to tap the coils north series south, have a standard five position blade selector, have two 500K push pull pots - one to “add” the neck position to any selection running, and the volume push pull as a “blower” switch to go straight to bridge at full output. I hadn’t heard of the 750K resistor for the lil 59, thanks Tele! I appreciate all your help.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

The Lil 59 and the Cool Rails are apparently intended for 250k controls. I found the lil 59 sounded a bit to thin with 500k controls, so I tried the 750k resistor to bring the effective volume control load down to the equivalent of 300k ohms. It should still be reasonably bright with the tone control full open, but roll the 500k tone control down to 8/10 and you are likely to be close to the sweet spot for balanced voicing. Anyway there's a lot of variables so you just have to try it and judge for yourself.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

This is what I was thinking of doing...do you guys think it will work? Those are DPDT on off on miniswitches.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

The diagram looks basically correct. The on-off-on toggle switch looks right. The possible issue I can see is the controls may be upside down, so if you wire with the metal back of the pots facing you it could end up being backwards. If you copy the wiring on the existing controls it should avoid any issue.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Is this wiring scheme possible, but with three humbuckers and a five way selector? How would I change it up for three pickups? Would it be possible to switch all three pickups from series to parallel with one PP pot, and all three to out of phase with one PP pot?

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Thinking about it more, that wouldn’t work, would it? But could I go from the output of three DPDT mini switches that switch series parallel split to a push pull tone that switches phase, or is that again impossible? I guess to rephrase my question...is it necessary for each pickup to have its own switch for phase or series/ parallel, or can you combine the switching for two or three pickups on one mini switch or pot, after the pickup selector?

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Switching from Series to parallel is not possible for more than one pickup and a single DPDT switch.

If you want to do the Split-S/Series/Split, that is possible with a single DPDT On-Off-On switch.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Switching from Series to parallel is not possible for more than one pickup and a single DPDT switch.

If you want to do the Split-S/Series/Split, that is possible with a single DPDT On-Off-On switch.

Thanks Tele,

Following the signal in that diagram it looks like the witches on the pots were just switching one pickup. Could I switch from series/ parallel/ coil split on three DPDT on on on switches AND reverse the phase of all three pickups on one switch (push pull tone or other type of switch)? Or would PHASE switching have to be done individually, that is one switch for each pickup?

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

The idea with phase switching is to put the pickups out of phase with each other. So you only need to reverse the polarity for a single pickup.
I'm not aware of out of phase (electrical connection) being used in a 3 pickup guitar. As far as I know, its only used for dual humbucker guitars.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

That makes sense, thanks! I’ll jist stick with my original plan for the Ibanez and mess with out of phase stuff for my Sterling/ MM JP-100.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

[

Had some time while waiting for parts and thought I’d see if I could design something a bit more usable. This way, if I drew it up right, I could add the bridge pickup to the mix by pulling the tone pot, and killing all signal by pulling the volume pot. That, and choose between series, parallels, and a single coil with the mini switches.

Tele or other forum guys (or gals)—would this work?

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I’m waiting for this nitro clear gloss laquer to dry before spraying a few more coats and then waiting some more for a polish. As I wait I’m trying to figure out how I will wire the thing.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I probably spend way too much time browsing wiring diagrams on the net, but now THIS is how I think I’ll start wiring it. I’m fairly sure I will end up re-wiring it to something else though. I want it to be versatile and have a lot of different possible sound combinations.

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Hi JimboJJ,

I have some suggestions for your wiring as follows:

1) Simplify the kill switch wiring, so it has uses only one switching contact.

2) Remove redundant switching of ground connection between "bright switch" and the volume control.

3) Show explicit hardwire grounding of 5 important connections at back of volume pot.

These are shown on my updated diagram attached.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

Thanks Tele,

I’m “picking up what you’re laying down,” so to speak...somewhat. I admit I’m not sure why most of the time one of the terminals on the variable resistors is grounded. I have to mess around with one with my ohmmeter to figure that out. But I found this wiring diagram on SDs site that shows the “third terminal” of the pots not grounded, but the ground switched I believe in order to send signal straight to the volume pot without passing though the cap. I just modified it in order too add another switched ground to send the entire signal to ground (kill switch). See this picture :



I’m staring st the two drawings (my original and yours) and still trying to find exactly what is different with the signal path. Is your drawing accomplishing the same functions as mine, just not in a “roundabout” kind of way? Or would I lose some functionality?

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

But I found this wiring diagram on SDs site that shows the “third terminal” of the pots not grounded, but the ground switched I believe in order to send signal straight to the volume pot without passing though the cap. I just modified it in order too add another switched ground to send the entire signal to ground (kill switch). See this picture :

View attachment 94258

If they don't ground the "third terminal" of the volume control, then its not going to function as a volume control. Perhaps they are assuming it will get grounded somehow, or otherwise it looks like an omission on the diagram.

The case of the tone control pot should also be grounded to avoid static noise issue, but I didn't show that in my diagram ( I should have shown that). In my strat style guitars with plastic pickguards, the case of tone control is grounded to the volume control via the aluminium foil on the back of the pickguard. If yours has the foil as well, then you don't need to worry about the potential static noise issue.

I’m staring st the two drawings (my original and yours) and still trying to find exactly what is different with the signal path. Is your drawing accomplishing the same functions as mine, just not in a “roundabout” kind of way? Or would I lose some functionality?

It wasn't really clear to me when you draw the ground symbol, where you would actually be connecting the ground wires to. To remove all doubt, I just drew wires to the back of the volume pot. That's the biggest visual difference between the two.

The lack of grounding of the "Third terminal" of the volume pot is a real functional issue, and it sure to cause you trouble if it's not correct.

I changed the connection of the Kill switch. Both will work. Mine has one less switch contact and performs the same function.

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

It turns out I found the diagram while browsing diagrams on Fralin Pickups site here: https://www.fralinpickups.com/2017/04/23/april-mod-month-bright-switch/

They say that by only grounding the volume pot when the push pull switch (on tone pot) is engaged that it bypasses the volume pot altogether, which they claim adds “brightness” due to resistance in the pot even when it’s on “high.” But by depressing (or pulling) the tone pot the volume pots “third prong” still wouldn’t be grounded, the pot bypassed altogether (except how I drew it with signal going to “kill switch.”

Is Fralin smoking some powerful medicine, or would that work too?

 

[JimboJJ]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I think I figured it out, Tele. The way I drew it the signal would bypass BOTH the volume pot AND the tone pot and cap...while how you modified it the signal would just bypass the tone pot and cap but not the volume pot (in regard to the function of the tone push pull “bright switch.”)

I think I’ll try it the way you drew it first, and if I don’t think it’s “bright” enough I may try the other way.

By the way, thanks again for your help!

 

[Teleplayer]

Re: Pickup wiring help

I think I figured it out, Tele. The way I drew it the signal would bypass BOTH the volume pot AND the tone pot and cap...while how you modified it the signal would just bypass the tone pot and cap but not the volume pot (in regard to the function of the tone push pull “bright switch.”)

I think I’ll try it the way you drew it first, and if I don’t think it’s “bright” enough I may try the other way.

By the way, thanks again for your help!

I agree with your comments above. No troubles!