Stoopid wiring question

[DrNewcenstein]

Any logic behind not trying any/all of the following (obviously not all at once):

- 4-conductor pickup where each coil wire runs to the outer terminals of a blend pot? The concept here is you get splits on the outer limits and they meet in the middle. Grounding what needs to be grounded will be an issue, I'm sure.

- 4 conductor pickup where the coils run to their own volume pot? Similar to the blend principle, but you can tailor the mix of each coil. To what end result is unclear - maybe a split-and-a-tap type of tone? Unlike the blend pot, grounding what needs to be grounded can be solved...... somehow. I imagine. Maybe.

- Separate the wires that join the two coils of a humbucker, so you essentially have 2 singles on the same baseplate? Obviously you lose the hum-cancelling function, unless you wire them in parallel externally?
Not sure of the benefit of this, if any, since you're still limited to the same wiring options as before. Maybe it might aid in realizing the above options (blend or separate pots per coil)?

 

[akio]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

Choice number 3 is no different from having 4-conductor wiring in the first place.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

Right, but my thinking is that each coil could go to its own volume pot more easily if the coils were separated.

Assuming a guitar with 2 hums and 4 volumes (say 2 stacked concentric pots, or 4 pots like an LP, but with no Tones), one could, in theory, get a custom mix of all 4 coils, rather than the typical coil-on/coil-off setup.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

The next question would be:
How to actually wire them up? Assuming a single 4-conductor pickup and a stacked volume pot, I'm thinking (SD color codes) Black to pot 1 input, white to ground, green to pot 2 input, red to ground.
Where would the center lugs of each pot go from there? If both go to the jack, would one pot affect both coils since they converge at that point? If so, then the entire mixing theory falls apart.

I suppose if they go to a 3-way toggle it could be wired in such a manner as to have true independent volume control, unlike LPs et al that are wired so one pot kills both in the middle position.

Speaking of that, how does one wire 2 hums with their own volume and a 3-way toggle so that when in the middle position (both pickups), you can cut one without affecting the other? Is it pickups->pots->switch? I know I've done it before, and I've also done it so one knob kills all in the middle. I just can't recall how, off-hand.
Surely you can't go pickups->switch->individual pots? Or is it pickups->pots AND switch?

It's late, I'm tired, and I need a lobotomy.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

It's late, I'm tired.

We hold this to be self-evident.

I need a lobotomy.

One Newcens-Teenage Lobotomy, coming up.

 

[akio]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

The quick and dirty solution would be to blend each pickup, then blend the two blend outputs. Three knobs, so still room for a master tone in a Les Paul.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

Hmmm.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

Any logic behind not trying any/all of the following (obviously not all at once):

- 4-conductor pickup where each coil wire runs to the outer terminals of a blend pot? The concept here is you get splits on the outer limits and they meet in the middle. Grounding what needs to be grounded will be an issue, I'm sure.

This option won't work if the pickup is wired for a humbucker sound, because for humbucking the coils need to connect in series, and if you use a blend pot to lift the remaining lead of one of the coils, you turn off the whole pickup. The blend pot has potential for the parallel 'two coils on a plate' idea, however.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

That'll work.

Not so much concerned with bucking hum all the time, so much as tonal options, particularly those that aren't offered by the standard "coil-on/coil-off" switching.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

I like this idea...

- 4 conductor pickup where the coils run to their own volume pot? Similar to the blend principle, but you can tailor the mix of each coil. To what end result is unclear - maybe a split-and-a-tap type of tone? Unlike the blend pot, grounding what needs to be grounded can be solved...... somehow. I imagine. Maybe.

...especially with options for pickup series/parallel along with master series/parallel (Artie's "Slutbucker").

I feel that it's prudent to mention that individual coil selection may not make much difference, especially in neck humbuckers... but it would be really cool to try it with something like P-Rails.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Stoopid wiring question

or to balance mismatched hybrids like the JB/59, DD/PG, etc.