Ssl’s in series?

S

Snix

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Ssl’s in series?

Hi dear people.

This afternoon I rewired my Stratlike axe. It has two Quarter Pounds in it and it’s configured like Mr. Blackmore’s. The only downside I found, was the middle position. Not a very interesting sound. Useable, but a bit boring.
Now I wired them in series and out of phase. Now, that’s a sound I can hit the road with!
Funny enough I rarely hear or read about single coils in series, apart from Brian May.
Any thoughts on the matter? Any experiences perhaps?
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

I have a 1982 Fender, called 'The Strat', that in stock form, offers many series options. It is a different sound- not very humbucker-like, as it almost sounds like the attack of the notes are missing. A cool sound, but very different as you said!
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

Yes, that’s what I am afraid of. A new guitar is waiting for new pick-ups. And I want to switch the positions 2 and 4 in series if I want to. But also out of phase. That might take away the muddy sound. And might bring back the attack. It works on the ssl 4’s in neck and bridge.
 
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Re: Ssl’s in series?

I have never tried them in series/out of phase, though. Let us know if you try it!
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

I really like the series sound in strats. Both of my current strats are wired for it with bridge/middle and bridge/neck combos. Main one has QP bridge, SSL-5 middle and VZ Blues neck.

I have separated the tone circuits for them so that they have smaller cap values than usual. I also use a lot of treble boost, so tones I get by that are anything but muddy. It can certainly sound very humbucker-like.

I also have phase switch in my main strat, that certainly brings in some awesome tones. Individual volumes are very useful with it: Ability to dial in out of phase neck with bridge can bring in awesome in between tones. And you can throw in a very good wah-effect with it as well (Or should probably say phaser).

I try to drop in a recording if I can tomorrow.
 
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Re: Ssl’s in series?

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Sounds good already :-)
I never use tone pots. Only volume with a treble bleed. Dialling in is an interesting thought. Thanks.
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

I have a SSS Strat wiring I came up with, which I like to use when doing complete rewires. It looks bone stock '50's/'60's, but has push-pulls. One of the features is placing the bridge pickup and a RW/RP middle in series, in phase.

It leaves me with an approx. 12K–13K split humbucker. It's a good tone in and of itself. It's smooth and thick, but not crazily high in output. It doesn't play nice with the single coils, though (significantly louder and very different tonally), so it's generally not something you'd switch to in the middle of a song. Good to have it there, though, for those times when you want to bring only one guitar that can do the stock vintage Strat thing, but you also want something fatter and hotter for a song here and there.

The same wiring can also do other cool things, like give you all the features of an Esquire with the Eldred mod, and give you the two "missing" pickup configurations that a vintage style Strat lacks (B+M+N and B+N).
 
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Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

ItsaBass said:
I have a SSS Strat wiring I came up with, which I like to use when doing complete rewires. It looks bone stock '50's/'60's, but has push-pulls. One of the features is placing the bridge pickup and a RW/RP middle in series, in phase.

It leaves me with an approx. 12K–13K split humbucker. It's a good tone in and of itself. It's smooth and thick, but not crazily high in output. It doesn't play nice with the single coils, though (significantly louder and very different tonally), so it's generally not something you'd switch to in the middle of a song. Good to have it there, though, for those times when you want to bring only one guitar that can do the stock vintage Strat thing, but you also want something fatter and hotter for a song here and there.
Click to expand...

i do the same on one of my main strats. its a nice tone for slide too
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

I've 3 Strats with series and/or OOP wiring between middle PU and other PU's (most being stacks or splittable HB's). Non OOP series mode is useful sometimes for big fat tones, in solo rather than for chords.
I've never wired a guitar to obtain exclusively series AND OOP together but it might be interesting with non RWRP SC's, as it would make them noise cancelling.
Another of my Strats features a switchable series dummy coil, used to cancel noise with regular SC's.
My Charvel Superstrat had an optional series wiring for its neck and middle SC sized stacks but it sounded too muddy and I've replaced it with a switchable Q filter... So, no, regular series mode is not always good in Strat like guitars. This option sounds better to my ears in my short scale Strat than in regular instruments (Brian May guitars being short scaled too, suggestively).

This topic gives me the occasion to share again a clever schematic that I appreciate (and in which the blend pot opening to series + OOP can be replaced with a switch): http://ashbass.com/AshBassGuitar/armstrong/versatilestrat/armstrongstratvers1200AB.jpg

I like this one too: http://www.1728.org/wolfwir0.gif

FWIW. HTH.
 
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Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

freefrog said:
I've 3 Strats with series and/or OOP wiring between middle PU and other PU's (most being stacks or splittable HB's). Non OOP series mode is useful sometimes for big fat tones, in solo rather than for chords.
I've never wired a guitar to obtain exclusively series AND OOP together but it might be interesting with non RWRP SC's, as it would make them noise cancelling.
Another of my Strats features a switchable series dummy coil, used to cancel noise with regular SC's.
My Charvel Superstrat had an optional series wiring for its neck and middle SC sized stacks but it sounded too muddy and I've replaced it with a switchable Q filter... So, no, regular series mode is not always good in Strat like guitars. This option sounds better to my ears in my short scale Strat than in regular instruments (Brian May guitars being short scaled too, suggestively).

This topic gives me the occasion to share again a clever schematic that I appreciate (and in which the blend pot opening to series + OOP can be replaced with a switch): http://ashbass.com/AshBassGuitar/armstrong/versatilestrat/armstrongstratvers1200AB.jpg

I like this one too: http://www.1728.org/wolfwir0.gif

FWIW. HTH.
Click to expand...

Thanks.

The exclusive OOF/SERIES wiring in my Strat eliminates the need for more switches. And I predict a very muddy tone with 2 QP's just in series; They are quite dark sounding as they are.
And I primarily use or the neck, or the bridge.

In my next project I will put an ssl 6 in the bridge and twoo ssl 2's in neck and middle.
Positions 2 and 4 will be parallel by default, but switchable to series when needed. And swithable to OOF when needed. I don't think I will use a blend option. I am more of a 'all-or-nothing' kind of guy :-)
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

the two pups i put in series on my strat are antiquity II jaguar pups, id think two qp's would be a bassy mess in series/in phase
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

jeremy said:
the two pups i put in series on my strat are antiquity II jaguar pups, id think two qp's would be a bassy mess in series/in phase
Click to expand...

That’s why I wired it directly out of phase, without the option of putting it in phase.
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

jeremy said:
the two pups i put in series on my strat are antiquity II jaguar pups, id think two qp's would be a bassy mess in series/in phase
Click to expand...

I did this with an ASAT Special with the wide pickups and it was a bassy mess, like you said. It was different but not very nice.
 
Re: Ssl’s in series?

Re: Ssl’s in series?

atreidesheir said:
I did this with an ASAT Special with the wide pickups and it was a bassy mess, like you said. It was different but not very nice.
Click to expand...

Put them out of phase and you get a very useable, sparkling yet powerful sound.
 
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