Spicy middle switch position!

[Tumblinman]

Hi

Mind you, not spicy as in HOT.

I seldom find the middle position very useful in a two humbucker eguipped guitar and was wondering if there are some easy way to spicy things up. It's a hollow jazzguitar, so hot sounds are not a requirement. Maybe something toward a single coil character?

Maybe using only one coil of each pickup at the same time (outside coils or inside coils?). I have also heard something about wiring in parallel? Maybe some other examples? I'd really appreciate any comments on sound with different wiring. Any links to useful schematics would be a plus!

The thing, is that I'm thinking of leaving my guitar with a tech and have him rewire it with quality parts and, when at it, make some changes to the middle position sound.

Thanks / Tumblinman

 

[Artie]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

The problem you're going to run into is that the type of switch used on a hollowbody will probably be similar to that used on an LP. It just doesn't offer much versatility. The only way I can think of around this, is if you're good at "tinkering" and can modify the switch with added "micro-switches" to get the results you want. You'ld have to be good at fabricating small brackets from hobby supplies.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

I had a Gibson ES347 with those Dirty Fingers pups. There was a switch on the lower bout which let the pups split. This wörked great and produced a gretsch-like SC sound, which worked great for Rockabilly / C+W / rock'n'roll things.

 

[Tumblinman]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

Oh! i didn't think of that, but now that I think about it I see that a regular switch isn't going to work. Hmm, bummer!

I thought this was a rather common problem (with the middle pos, I mean). Maybe a guitartech has a suitable switch?

I found a drawing from the Dimarzio website that seems to do what I want, but it isn't a proper schematic.

http://www.dimarzio.com/media/diagrams/TwoHumbuckers3Way_1118789183.pdf

It speaks of a 4-pole 3-way switch - isn't that rather common?

 

[Artie]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

I wouldn't call them common, but then again, they aren't rare either. Here's one from GuitarElectronics.com, and AllParts sells one too. If you don't mind using one of those, just wire it like this:

I used "blue" for one line just so you don't get it mixed with the others. It doesn't represent a blue wire.

Artie

Edit: Wiring it like this will give you the stud coil of the bridge, with the adjustable coil of the neck. That way, it remains humbucking even in the middle "split" position. I can change it to give you inside or outside coils fairly easily.

 

[gripweed]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

I wouldn't call them common, but then again, they aren't rare either. Here's one from GuitarElectronics.com, and AllParts sells one too. If you don't mind using one of those, just wire it like this:

I used "blue" for one line just so you don't get it mixed with the others. It doesn't represent a blue wire.

Artie

Edit: Wiring it like this will give you the stud coil of the bridge, with the adjustable coil of the neck. That way, it remains humbucking even in the middle "split" position. I can change it to give you inside or outside coils fairly easily.

That still only gives you three combinations though -- am I correct?

 

[Archer_of_Fish]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

You can use a push/pull pots and wire them so that up is split and down is a full pickup. That will give you a lot of tonal options.....including a middle position with a neck and bridge single.

 

[Artie]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

That still only gives you three combinations though -- am I correct?

Yup. Its the physical limitation of a 3-way switch.
But, as AoF said, you can always add other options by adding more switches.
I was keying my diagram off the DiMarzio drawing that Tumblinman linked to.

 

[Tumblinman]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

Hey, ArtieTwo. I guess I'll have to thank you again!

That seems like the thing I'm looking for. And I really only need 3 different sounds - I was just looking for another middle sound. And Allparts stuff I can easily get hold from my local shop.

I'd like to have it hum-cancelling. Isn't that possible when using the inside coils? I remember reading somewhere that using the inside coils sounds somewhat like a strat and using the outer coils yields a tele-sound.

That schematic you posted doesn't look all that difficult.

Thanks!

 

[Jester700]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

Yes, inside coils should be humbucking. So would outsides. If it's possible, try both and wire up your favorite (mine is inside, but that's on my SC620 and the guitar makes a difference). Ignore the inside=strat, outside=tele advice. Neither is a very accurate description; just choose what sounds best on that guitar.

 

[Funky P]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

That still only gives you three combinations though -- am I correct?

I have that exact same switch, but mine is a "5 way" sort of.

If you switch the hot with the wire to the switch on the volume pot, then when you turn down the volume the coil will split for the other pickup. But it only works if you have 2 volume pots.

So i essentialy have a 5 way in 3

 

[Artie]

Re: Spicy middle switch position!

Yes, inside coils should be humbucking. So would outsides. If it's possible, try both and wire up your favorite (mine is inside, but that's on my SC620 and the guitar makes a difference). Ignore the inside=strat, outside=tele advice. Neither is a very accurate description; just choose what sounds best on that guitar.

Again, this is one of those things where I'm not absolutely positive, but I was under the impression that you need the stud coil of one pup and the adjustable of the other in order to be humbucking. That way, the two coils are wound out-of-phase, and reverse-magnet-polarity.

That thinking comes partly from the diagram at the lower-left of this page:

Benedetto wiring

They are using stud/adj coils to get humbucking.