please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

[doctadre]

Hey guys,

So I rewired my Les Paul with 2 push pulls. One is for bridge/neck split and the other I wanted to do a series parallel switch for the bridge pickup.

I thought I wired it correctly but it acts weird. Basically, when in parallel bridge mode, the volume doesn't smoothly taper to 0. It stays constant, then towards the end goes quiet quickly. Sometimes picks up more noise on most of the way down too.

I checked wiring and everything is good. Bought new CTS pots for them. Gibson stock pickups 4 conductor. Did red and green to power and white and black to ground. Sounds like a parallel humbucker with volume all the way up. What could be going on?

Dre

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

In order to do the series/parallel, you need all of the wires of the bridge pup separately available, but you have them combined in the split switch (white+green of neck to one side of p/p, and white+green of bridge to the other side of the p/p), right? You could do it if the split switch was used only for the neck pup or only for the bridge pup. Because you would need to separate the two wires (green and white) which are used to link the two coils...the bridge white wire to the middle lug on one side of the p/p and the green wire to the middle lug on the other side of the p/p. The two top lugs of the p/p are both shunted to ground. This would split your bridge pup when pulled up, but keep all four wire separated (when not split) so you could use them in the series/parallel p/p.

So to get what you want you would actually need 3 p/p pots...1 to split the neck, 1 to split the bridge, and 1 to change bridge from series to parallel. You could do series/split/parallel for the bridge with just one DPDT on/on/on switch:
https://docs.google.com/gview?embed.../uploads/2016/05/WD_Pushpull_minitoggle_3.pdf

 

[doctadre]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

I figured out a way to do the wiring with just two push pulls. I'll draw it out and show, but don't have it right now. It involved utilizing the 2 poles of each push pull in creative ways. Basically on the parallel switch, I have white on one middle lug, and in down position it connects to the green and simultaneously connects via other pole to the other push pull which does the split. I'll have to double check that it all makes sense but I think it does. I'll send picture later. Maybe something could be going wrong where it doesnt quite work and it screws up the volume but I thought it was pretty solid. Only other thing I think it could be is a volume pot issue when push pull is up, bit doubtful it's that.

Dre

 

[doctadre]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

Did a quick partial drawing, just showing the pertinent Bridge pickup wirings. I think in theory it should work. When the Neck push pull is up, everything splits coils to inner coils. When the bridge push pull is up, it is in parallel mode. Bridge Push pull should also over-ride the neck push pull and make the bridge stay parallel with neck as single coil.

The only issue has been the weird volume knob taper when compared to bridge pickup series humbucker or single coil. Could something be leaking? Is my wiring not correct? Could it just be a weird push pull pot that doesnt work right in pull mode?

https://imgur.com/a/5oyBrdq

Thanks,

Dre

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

Yes, you can do it with twp p/p pots. I misunderstood your initial post. I thought you were splitting both neck and bridge pup with one p/p. Of course, if you only split the bridge then two p/p pots will do what you want. But your diagram for the series/parallel is incorrect. When you have the series/parallel p/p in the up (parallel) position you have the red wire on the input of the vol pot and the green wire on the output to the jack, bypassing the vol pot altogether (assuming that the upper right lug of the series/parallel p/p is output to the jack).

 

[Artie]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

You actually made that more complicated than it needs to be. Recently, I just posted the easy way to this. If you search my posts, you'll find it. If I find it first, I'll point you to it.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

You actually made that more complicated than it needs to be. Recently, I just posted the easy way to this. If you search my posts, you'll find it. If I find it first, I'll point you to it.

Is this the one?

https://docs.google.com/gview?embed.../uploads/2016/05/SCHSCHSCH_5W_1Vpp3SPL_2T.pdf

 

[doctadre]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

I think I figured out what I did wrong. Guitardoc is corrent. I should put that push pull up position for green wire at the first lug with red. I basically bypass volume pot on that and that explains why the volume doesn't taper well.

I probably overcomplicated it but actually I am splitting both neck and bridge with 1 push pull, since it is dpdt. I didn't finish the diagram but will at some point and send along for info showing the neck pickup's connections.

Thanks for the tips though, Let me try to fix that one connection and see if that works!!

Dre

 

[Artie]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

Is this the one?

No. That isn't it. He wants one p-p for parallel, and another for split. I get disorganized with my diagrams because sometimes I'm on my desktop, and other times on my laptop. But it's simple to describe. Just do a normal p-p for parallel. Then run a jumper from its series jumper to the split p-p. I'll draw another one real quick.

Did this quik-'n-dirty. I'll try to find the good version tomorrow.

Parallel overrides split.

 

[doctadre]

Re: please help troubleshoot parallel push pull wiring issue

Thanks, yes that is right. When I fixed the one connection it now works like a charm! thank you!