small technical question

[Iced Dragon]

If you have a 2 humbucker guitar with a 3-way switch, when the switch is in middle position, do you automatically only use the two inner coils? Or do you need to wire them in a special way to get this effect?

Does 'to split' a humbucker mean you only use 1 coil or can you call the fact as described above, using both the inner coils at the same time, 'split' too?
Kinda hard to explain, of course they are both split but with splitting I mean using an extra switch or push/pull-knob to split 1 humbucker at the time...


thanks

 

[Artie]

Re: small technical question

With an "ordinary" 3-way, both pups would be on full. To get a split, you'ld have to specifically wire it that way.

Having said that, understand that several guitar models now come from the factory with coils in some form of split mode when the 3-way is in the middle. It just means that they went to the trouble to wire it up that way.

A lot of Ibby's do this.

 

[Iced Dragon]

Re: small technical question

With an "ordianry" 3-way, both pups would be on full. To get a split, you'ld have to specifically wire it that way.

And I could do that myself? I've been looking for a schematic, but it seems that an extra switch is needed to split.
It's 2 humbuckers, 2 Volume pots, 1 tone pot and a 3-way switch

 

[Artie]

Re: small technical question

And I could do that myself?

Possibly. It will depend on what kind of 3-way it is. What Brand and model of guitar is it, or what type of 3-way is it?

 

[Iced Dragon]

Re: small technical question

It's a '90 (circa) ESP Horizon.
The switch does not mention any brand.
I loosened it and this is mentioned:
AC
6A125V
8A250V
ON ON ON

blue/green plastic, 6 pins (solder points)

thanks

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: small technical question

If you wanted more options you could order a PRS style rotary switch. It has

1 full neck series
2 outside coils series
3 inside coils series
4 outside coils parallel
5 full bridge series

Artie is right you'll have to get a specialty switch.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: small technical question

This is something that probably is not well understood by our younger colleagues in here, which is that in 99.9999% of wiring schemes of guitars, when you're using more than one pickup, they are in PARALLEL, not in series.

With that in mind, if you have just one coil each from the two pickups, they will sound very thin and weak -- unless you wire them up so that the two single coils are in series.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: small technical question

But to answer your original question, without some sort of special switch like the Super Switch or Mega Switch, you will get both humbuckers full on.

 

[Iced Dragon]

Re: small technical question

ok, thanks than. I'll do it the normal way.

Thanks for your input, everybody!

Bjorn

 

[Luke Duke]

Re: small technical question

With that in mind, if you have just one coil each from the two pickups, they will sound very thin and weak

The exact reason why people who split 2 PAF style pups aren't thrilled with the results.

Luke

 

[Artie]

Re: small technical question

With that in mind, if you have just one coil each from the two pickups, they will sound very thin and weak -- unless you wire them up so that the two single coils are in series.

I'm going to slightly disagree with this. This is heavily dependent on which two pups you split. I had a pair of Stag Mags in one guitar, and a Distortion/Custom in another. Both sounded great when using only inside or outside coils in parallel. It was just like having the #2 or #4 notch position of a Strat.

With the "wrong" pups though, it could sound bad.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: small technical question

If you're using two higher output pickups, it will probably be a fine or at least usable tone. The Stag Mag is 16k so one coil would be 8k, still wound hotter than your average Strat pickup (6 to 7k).

But with two PAF clones, you're talking about roughly a 3.7k coil (neck) in parallel with a 4k (bridge) coil, which would give you about 2.8k DC resistance -- pretty weak compared even with one Strat single coil.

But even with a high output bridge bucker, you're looking at a 7k coil in parallel with the 3.7k coil, which gives you 3.3k.

 

[Artie]

Re: small technical question

Your math sounds good. (No pun intended.)

 

[Iced Dragon]

Re: small technical question

well, it would be a CC with a PGn...I guess the PG would be a little low on k?
The intention indeed is to have a more strat-like 2-4 sound and have a more versatile soundcombination...