Tele pickups in series?
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Dave Z
New member
Re: Tele pickups in series?
I love it. Series - I would *not* say brighter than the parallel setting, far from it. Punchier yes. Darker and thicker and more rock & roll. I use a Fender nocaster bridge with their '52RI neck which is humcancelling in both series & parallel. This makes the Tele a most versatile guitar - the series mode is far better than what I have on the strat (yeah I did a similar thing with the strat). Series is good for mellow jazz, you still got the tele twang when you need it, series kicks ass with OD or distortion, kinda funny really....
I love it. Series - I would *not* say brighter than the parallel setting, far from it. Punchier yes. Darker and thicker and more rock & roll. I use a Fender nocaster bridge with their '52RI neck which is humcancelling in both series & parallel. This makes the Tele a most versatile guitar - the series mode is far better than what I have on the strat (yeah I did a similar thing with the strat). Series is good for mellow jazz, you still got the tele twang when you need it, series kicks ass with OD or distortion, kinda funny really....
. which means the tone is darker and thicker?Re: Tele pickups in series?
It's a rather powerful sound- Not as much as series p90s, but it definately kicks it up a couple of nothes-
Not exactly a humbucker as much of that sound comes from the "wide but close" section of the string as seen by the pup- But series is an inportant part of the gibsonish humb, but remember that filtroney kind of humbs are paralel-
Also, if you are going for tele series, this is about the least powerful version of the single, series, out of phase sound that I highly recomend- It takes a lot of juice to make this work, because as everyone knows out of phase can be very weak and thin sounding- But if you've got enough power (and classic series teles are right on the low edge for me) you can get a really cutting snarly sound.
By itself you never would use it- In the mix, it's one of the most useful lead sounds out there-
Hope to hear how it goes and, keep in mind that loew tele pups are right on the edge of power for this 'effect'-
cheers
It's a rather powerful sound- Not as much as series p90s, but it definately kicks it up a couple of nothes-
Not exactly a humbucker as much of that sound comes from the "wide but close" section of the string as seen by the pup- But series is an inportant part of the gibsonish humb, but remember that filtroney kind of humbs are paralel-
Also, if you are going for tele series, this is about the least powerful version of the single, series, out of phase sound that I highly recomend- It takes a lot of juice to make this work, because as everyone knows out of phase can be very weak and thin sounding- But if you've got enough power (and classic series teles are right on the low edge for me) you can get a really cutting snarly sound.
By itself you never would use it- In the mix, it's one of the most useful lead sounds out there-
Hope to hear how it goes and, keep in mind that loew tele pups are right on the edge of power for this 'effect'-
cheers
Butch Snyder
ObsoleteChickenPickingologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
I used to use a Fender 4-way switch ina 52 RI I used to have. I would describe it as being very close to the tone you would get using an LP or ES-335 in the middle position. It's a bit louder than the normal Tele middle positon and a bit thicker.
I used to use a Fender 4-way switch ina 52 RI I used to have. I would describe it as being very close to the tone you would get using an LP or ES-335 in the middle position. It's a bit louder than the normal Tele middle positon and a bit thicker.
larry_emder
New member
Re: Tele pickups in series?
Here ya go
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/singlecoil_series_mod.html
Here ya go
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/singlecoil_series_mod.html
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
I've wired my Strat so I could get the bridge and neck in series with a push/pull so it's a very similar concept to Tele pickups in series.
It made more sense when I had 6.5k bridge and 6.3k neck Fat 50's in there, but since I rewound bridge and neck to be 10.7 and 9.1k, it's a little too dark and too loud relative to the other settings.
On the bright side, it's enough power that bridge/neck in parallel has plenty of punch.
I've wired my Strat so I could get the bridge and neck in series with a push/pull so it's a very similar concept to Tele pickups in series.
It made more sense when I had 6.5k bridge and 6.3k neck Fat 50's in there, but since I rewound bridge and neck to be 10.7 and 9.1k, it's a little too dark and too loud relative to the other settings.
On the bright side, it's enough power that bridge/neck in parallel has plenty of punch.
Artie
Peaveyologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
I've done a similar thing with my Strat, except that I used bridge and middle. Since both those pups are "tapped", I have my switch set such that when I activate it, the middle and bridge go into series while also tapped. That keeps the output level copacetic with the singles and still gives me that nice "phat" humbucker tone.
Its an almost perfect Fat Strat solution, while retaining traditional 3-singles Strat tones. (Perfect to me, that is.)
Artie
Edit: Also, since the 5-way still functions as normal, I can select the #2 notch position and have the neck single with the middle/bridge hybrid-humbucker.
Zhangliqun said:
I've done a similar thing with my Strat, except that I used bridge and middle. Since both those pups are "tapped", I have my switch set such that when I activate it, the middle and bridge go into series while also tapped. That keeps the output level copacetic with the singles and still gives me that nice "phat" humbucker tone.
Its an almost perfect Fat Strat solution, while retaining traditional 3-singles Strat tones. (Perfect to me, that is.)
Artie
Edit: Also, since the 5-way still functions as normal, I can select the #2 notch position and have the neck single with the middle/bridge hybrid-humbucker.
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
Mine are tapped too, at 7.7 and 7.4, but it's still too dark in series to my ear.
ArtieToo said:
Mine are tapped too, at 7.7 and 7.4, but it's still too dark in series to my ear.
Fresh_Start
New member
Re: Tele pickups in series?
This may be obvious, but don't forget that you have to "lift" the shielding ground from it's connection to one of the pup's ground wires. The neck pup's shield or (and) the bridge pup's baseplate both need to be connected directly to ground. However, the ground wire from one pup has to be connected to the hot lead from the other to get series. Normally the shield/baseplate is just wired to the pickup's ground lead. Now you have to wire it independently to your ground for whichever pickup is "on top" in the series.
Hope this helps.
Chip
This may be obvious, but don't forget that you have to "lift" the shielding ground from it's connection to one of the pup's ground wires. The neck pup's shield or (and) the bridge pup's baseplate both need to be connected directly to ground. However, the ground wire from one pup has to be connected to the hot lead from the other to get series. Normally the shield/baseplate is just wired to the pickup's ground lead. Now you have to wire it independently to your ground for whichever pickup is "on top" in the series.
Hope this helps.
Chip
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
Maybe I'm not understanding you but we're talking single coils, not humbuckers.
Fresh_Start said:
Maybe I'm not understanding you but we're talking single coils, not humbuckers.
larry_emder
New member
Re: Tele pickups in series?
yes
yes
Fresh_Start
New member
Re: Tele pickups in series?
No worries if you are talking about Strat single coils.
However, if we are talking about Tele single coils, they typically have something metal jumpered to the black wire of the pickup. The metal baseplate of a bridge pickup and the metal cover on the neck pickup. Just double checked a Jerry Donahue bridge pup and Fender vintage neck pup. In both cases there is a small, bare wire soldered onto the base of the black wire. That grounds the baseplate/cover. That connection needs to be broken and the baseplate or cover needs to be grounded separately for the pup that you put "on top" in the series connection.
If you are using an uncovered or strat pup in the neck, then use that as the pup "on top" in the series connection. IIRC there is at least one Tele bridge pup that doesn't have a baseplate, but I can't remember which it is.
Chip
Zhangliqun said:
No worries if you are talking about Strat single coils.
However, if we are talking about Tele single coils, they typically have something metal jumpered to the black wire of the pickup. The metal baseplate of a bridge pickup and the metal cover on the neck pickup. Just double checked a Jerry Donahue bridge pup and Fender vintage neck pup. In both cases there is a small, bare wire soldered onto the base of the black wire. That grounds the baseplate/cover. That connection needs to be broken and the baseplate or cover needs to be grounded separately for the pup that you put "on top" in the series connection.
If you are using an uncovered or strat pup in the neck, then use that as the pup "on top" in the series connection. IIRC there is at least one Tele bridge pup that doesn't have a baseplate, but I can't remember which it is.
Chip
Artie
Peaveyologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
Thats what I expected out of mine. I think that part of the reason I didn't hear it that way was because I was using an SSL-6 and an SSL-3 to start with. They measure 13k and 16.4k respectively. Each one, on its own, is stronger than many 'buckers to begin with. So the "series-tapped" mode, (6k + 8.8k, for a total of 14.8k), didn't really get any "darker".
Oddly, the difference in tone between both full-parallel, and series-tapped, isn't that dramatic. I'm not sure why.
Artie
Zhangliqun said:
Thats what I expected out of mine. I think that part of the reason I didn't hear it that way was because I was using an SSL-6 and an SSL-3 to start with. They measure 13k and 16.4k respectively. Each one, on its own, is stronger than many 'buckers to begin with. So the "series-tapped" mode, (6k + 8.8k, for a total of 14.8k), didn't really get any "darker".
Oddly, the difference in tone between both full-parallel, and series-tapped, isn't that dramatic. I'm not sure why.
Artie
Zhangliqun
Questionologist
Re: Tele pickups in series?
Full parallel should give you about 7.3k (13k + 16.4k = 29.4k/4 = +/-7.3k), pretty much exactly half of 14.8k series tapped.
I would think there would be a big difference too, especially in output. Hmmmm....
ArtieToo said:
Full parallel should give you about 7.3k (13k + 16.4k = 29.4k/4 = +/-7.3k), pretty much exactly half of 14.8k series tapped.
I would think there would be a big difference too, especially in output. Hmmmm....
