Swaping 2 conductor from 4 ?

[Jerzey2222]

So this might be an obvious answer for most but I just need some assistance on guitar pickup wiring. My guitar has a harness made with good shielded wire. It currently has a pair of 4 conductor pups which branch off to a mini toggle for coil tap and a mini toggle for series/parallel. I want to install some new pickups that are vintage spec 2 conductor. Is there a way I could utilize the current wiring harness and just leave the mini toggles in the guitar without function for aesthetic purposes? If so, what color leads get soldered to where? Is it cool to have wire to switches but not soldered to the pups? The current 4 conductor pups have Seymour Duncan color code. Thanks

 

[idsnowdog]

Braided shield is soldered to the back of the pot for ground and the inner wire goes to the input lug of the volume.

 

[Lewguitar]

Braided shield is soldered to the back of the pot for ground and the inner wire goes to the input lug of the volume.

Yep. Assuming the guitar has a volume control for each pickup, like a Les Paul for example.

If there's only one volume control then the pickups would be connected to the selector switch and the output of the switch would go to the volume control.

Either way, it's totally doable.

 

[Jerzey2222]

Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure I asked the question correctly or you misunderstood. I'll try to word it differently. Here is a picture of my current wiring. If i wanted to keep the series/parallel and I were to take the 4 wire duncans out, and put 2 conductor pups in their place, can I still use the old wiring & diagram but just have no wire from pups to coil tap? How could I achieve that? Would the new pickup wires go to the series/parallel toggle?

 

[idsnowdog]

It would be this diagram. Just solder the shield to ground and the internal wire to the input lug on each volume.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/images/wiring-diagrams/2H_3G_1V_1T.jpg

 

[Jerzey2222]

Thanks for the reply, I'm not sure I asked the question correctly or you misunderstood. I'll try to word it differently. Here is a picture of my current wiring. If i wanted to keep the series/parallel and I were to take the 4 wire duncans out, and put 2 conductor pups in their place, can I still use the old wiring & diagram but just have no wire from pups to coil tap? How could I achieve that? Would the new pickup wires go to the series/parallel toggle?

Thinking about it now, do you think this wiring diagram is not the best setup for vintage wire pups and 1 volume and 1 tone? I want to get the best tone possible. Any advice us appreciated

 

[idsnowdog]

With two humbuckers in a Gibson style configuration you normally have two volumes and two tones. The advantage being that with a separate volume and tone you can set each pickups volume and tone settings independently and switch in between the two. For example clean neck and distorted bridge. You can also use the middle position to blend the two pickups together. You can also use a different value tone capacitor for each tone control and a treble bleed for each pickup to tune the frequency response of each position. With one volume and one tone you don't have as many options. So it's not really a question of more/less vintage sound. Instead it's a question of tweakability. When you look at some professional players they are constantly fiddling with the volume and tone to get a range of sounds. If you haven't mastered that technique one volume and one tone is no handicap. When I started out I was in love with options but options just added complexity without equating to performance. Because I realized that I play with the volume on 10 and I never touch the tone control.

 

[Jerzey2222]

With two humbuckers in a Gibson style configuration you normally have two volumes and two tones. The advantage being that with a separate volume and tone you can set each pickups volume and tone settings independently and switch in between the two. For example clean neck and distorted bridge. You can also use the middle position to blend the two pickups together. You can also use a different value tone capacitor for each tone control and a treble bleed for each pickup to tune the frequency response of each position. With one volume and one tone you don't have these options. So it's not really a question of more/less vintage sound. Instead it's a question of tweakability. When you look at some professional players they are constantly fiddling with the volume and tone to get a range of sounds. If you haven't mastered that technique one volume and one tone is no handicap. When I started out I was in love with options but options just added complexity without equating to performance. Because I realized that I play with the volume on 10 and I never touch the tone control.

I'm totally in the same ballpark. I never use the tone. The volume maybe a little but mostly on 10. Lol
here's a pic of the guitar anyway.

 

[Artie]

Keep in mind, that if you keep the series function, and you use shielded braided wire, then at least one of the pups will have its cover on the "hot" side of the circuit. It will probably buzz and/or hum when you touch it.

 

[idsnowdog]

That looks like a Languedoc style guitar. I wouldn't focus on the style of wiring as a source of tone as much as the pickups. It's a specialized instrument and you might as well keep the switching options but change the pickups to something that more suits your style. Because going from a 4-conductor 59 to a 2-conductor 59 isn't going to yield much tonal difference or put it any more in the LP, SG or ES-335 camp. If you don't like the 59 try a Pearly Gates, Seth or a WLH. Changing from 4 to 2 conductor isn't going to change much.

 

[Jerzey2222]

That looks like a Languedoc style guitar. I wouldn't focus on the style of wiring as a source of tone as much as the pickups. It's a specialized instrument and you might as well keep the switching options but change the pickups to something that more suits your style. Because going from a 4-conductor 59 to a 2-conductor 59 isn't going to yield much tonal difference or put it any more in the LP, SG or ES-335 camp. If you don't like the 59 try a Pearly Gates, Seth or a WLH. Changing from 4 to 2 conductor isn't going to change much.

Don't have 59s in there anymore. Fralin neck and WCR bridge currently. I wanted to put in some original paf's. Obviously they are not 4 conductor.

 

[Artie]

BTW, I forgot to mention: that's a gorgeous guitar. And they already installed the switches for cool wiring options. :fing2: