PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

[Robert Corrington]

I want to upgrade the electronics in my PRS SE Custom 24 and try out the 50s wiring scheme. I also want to keep the push/pull tone knob for coil splitting. The diagram below describes my plan. Did I get it right?
Thanks in advance for your feedback. Much appreciated. Robert

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

Push pull looks strange. Looks like one or the other would always be split.

 

[Robert Corrington]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

I tried following the Seymour Duncan wiring diagram for this configuration:
https://docs.google.com/viewerng/vi...-content/uploads/2016/05/2H_3B_1V_1TppSPL.pdf

And used the Lindy Fralin article “PUSH-PULL POT POWER!” to map the terminal assignments found in the traditional DPDT switch shown in the Seymour Duncan wiring diagram to the CTS DPDT terminals.
https://www.fralinpickups.com/2017/03/29/push-pull-pots-mods/

Here’s what I understand about the CTS push/pull DPDT pots:

The C1 and C2 terminals are always connected.

When pushed down, terminals 2 and 4 are active (and 1 and 3 are inactive).

When pulled up, terminals 1 and 3 are active (and 2 and 4 are inactive).

When pulled up, the signals from the red and white wires are routed to ground, which in essence leaves only one coil sending its signal to the output tip.

Is this correct?

Thanks again,

Robert

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

The description of the terminals sounds right but looking at the drawing I think there will always be one pickup split.

 

[Robert Corrington]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

What do you see in the diagram that makes you think one coil will always be split?

 

[Clint 55]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

I concur. The Duncan diagram is right and the first diagram posted is wrong.

The Fralin article is good. I also recommend partial coil splitting.

 

[Robert Corrington]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

I concur. The Duncan diagram is right and the first diagram posted is wrong.

Please be more specific. What's wrong with the diagram I created? If I made a mistake, I don't see it. Thanks in advance for your specific and actionable feedback.

-r

 

[Clint 55]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

The Fralin article is correct and has very thorough descriptions with good pictures. Read the part about coil splitting, but I really recommend the part on partial splitting. Partial splitting gives you a good split tone, but the advantages are it's louder, fuller, and a tad quieter. You run both pickups' red and white wires to both middle terminals on the push pull section of lugs and ground both terminals closest to the pot with a 4k7 resistor.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

What do you see in the diagram that makes you think one coil will always be split?

I could be wrong, but the way you have the ground bridged across the two terminals on one side. The DPDT is a two way switch, so it looks like the red/white of one of the pickups will always be grounded, but not both at the same time.

 

[Robert Corrington]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

Thanks, beaubrummels. But I don’t think “the ground bridged across the two terminals on one side” is a problem, because the ground doesn’t run across “one side.”

The CTS DPDT terminals are laid out differently from traditional DPDT switches.
The StewMac article “Wiring the CTS DPDT Push-Pull Pot” describes the differences:
http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Onlin...Wiring/Wiring_the_CTS_DPDT_Push-Pull_Pot.html

The more I look at the diagram, the more I think the problem will be with polarity when the 3-way blade switch is in the middle position (activating both pickups) and the DPDT pot is pulled up (activating only the single coils).

I just tested both of the PRS SE pickups with my multimeter. Slugs coils are north and using the black (-) and white (+) wires. The screw coils are south and using the red (-) and green (+) wires.

In the diagram above, the red and white wires are routed to ground when the pot is pulled up, leaving only the two north coils. When the 3-way blade switch is in the middle position, don’t I need one north coil and one south coil to provide hum canceling?

 

[Robert Corrington]

Re: PRS SE Custom 24 and 50's wiring

So I learned the wire color coding scheme of the stock G&B pickups in a PRS SE Custom 24 is unique and does NOT follow the Seymour Duncan scheme. The G&B wire color coding is as follows:



So, here's an updated wiring diagram of a PRS SE Custom 24 with stock G&B pickups and a CTS push/pull DPDT pot with add'l resistors for partial split coils. It's my understanding PRS uses a 1.1k resistor for the neck pickup and a 2.2 resistor for the bridge pickup wired in series to the ground to create a "partial split coil." Thoughts?



If this is correct, I'll update the vintage 50s wiring variation.