Throw some wiring ideas my way, please!

[Rex_Rocker]

I've finally found the right pickup for my Squier Esquire, as you know. But I'd like to change the volume knob for a 500K one (maybe even 1Meg?) because it's a bit too dark and dull in the attack.

Since I'm doing this, I might as well play a little with the wiring. When I installed the Hot Rails, I messed up the wiring, and had to wire it to a single 250K volume, and then to the jack. No biggie. But I do kinda miss what the 3 position switch did for the options of a 1-pickup guitar.

I did, however, think that the last position of the switch (highs severely rolled off) was not particularly useful at all. Plus I'd want to play more with perhaps coil splitting and series/parallel rather than rolled-off tone settings. I'm pretty sure I don't want a tone knob. I don't like what it does, especially on a dark high-output humbucker.

So what can I do with a 3-way switch and a single volume control? I can add a push-pull volume control, mind you, so there's that as well.

Ideas? Suggestions?

 

[Artie]

So, you have a Tele Hot Rails? If that's correct, I'd simply do the 3-way with series/parallel/split. Three good useful tones. Simple wiring.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Yes, I have a Tele Hot Rails, and yes, I'd definitely want a coil split option. What does parallel do to the sound?

And any idea where I can find a diagram for that?

 

[Artie]

Yes, I have a Tele Hot Rails, and yes, I'd definitely want a coil split option. What does parallel do to the sound?

And any idea where I can find a diagram for that?

Parallel is very close to split, but remains humbucking. Also, slightly more harmonically rich due to picking up two different string nodes.

You can find the diagram here, in the morning, after coffee.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Parallel is very close to split, but remains humbucking. Also, slightly more harmonically rich due to picking up two different string nodes.

You can find the diagram here, in the morning, after coffee.

Please do!

 

[Artie]

Actually, that's a standard Duncan diagram.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/images/wiring-diagrams/Esq_1H_SSP.jpg

 

[uOpt]

So what other pickups do you have in the guitar?

 

[JamesPaul]

If it is a true Esquire, it only has a bridge pickup.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Throw in a push-pull for a complete tone bypass or tone and volume bypass?

 

[Artie]

Throw in a push-pull for a complete tone bypass or tone and volume bypass?

That could be cool. Or, since a Hot Rails isn't all that great split, then maybe:

3. parallel
2. series
1. series with no tone and/or volume

 

[jeremy]

i dont mind the hr split actually, i do like parallel better though

 

[Mincer]

That could be cool. Or, since a Hot Rails isn't all that great split, then maybe:

3. parallel
2. series
1. series with no tone and/or volume

This actually sounds like a great idea!

 

[Artie]

i dont mind the hr split actually, i do like parallel better though

I may be confusing the HR with the Lil 59. I recall one wasn't very good split.

Edit: Or I didn't care for it.

 

[Artie]

This actually sounds like a great idea!

Unfortunately, I don't see any way to do this with a standard 3-way. You'd need the 3-way superswitch that you found.

 

[Mincer]

Unfortunately, I don't see any way to do this with a standard 3-way. You'd need the 3-way superswitch that you found.

And that wasn't easy to find!

 

[Artie]

And that wasn't easy to find!

Yeah, and I can't even find the link now. It was expensive, and the switch wasn't super high quality. I have a work around, but it's far from ideal. You have to be REAL geeky to do it.

 

[Chistopher]

This is going to be slightly different than from what other people are saying, no doubt:

1-Series with big bass cut (0.0047uf in series with pickup output)
2-Series with little bass cut (.0018uf)
​3-Series

If you absolutely have to have the parallel sound, you might have better luck with a split sound, considering that it's roughly similar and a lot easier to wire:

1-Split
2-Split but with a 10k resistor in series with the red/white wire to ground in order to leave one of the coils partially on
3-Series

The trouble with Esquires is that its tough to fill up a three way switch. You tend to find one or two settings that you gravitate to and a third one that you never use. The tone/volume bypass setting rarely gets used unless you're in a situation where you need a boost but can only get it on board the guitar. Having an intermediate setting between two good sounds, like I did in both conceptualizations, helps to alleviate this.

 

[Rex_Rocker]

OK, so for now, I just wired it with a 500K push pull set for full series humbucker / coil split.

Not really feeling the coil split. Doesn't really sound as good as it did with even the stock single coil. Just sounds like a weaker/squelchier Hot Rails. Gonna try parallel.

I wonder if I can do the push pull do series parallel, and then have the 3-way switch do something fun.

I like the idea of a bass cut. Can that work?

 

[zionstrat]

I think you will find the parallel significantly better than the split.. as far as bass cut, I think it's one of the best mods possible to thin out a thick fat heavy guitar like a Les Paul... But I'm afraid it would knock all the umph out of an esquire.

Sounds like the switch may be the challenge, however I love to try a blower setting on practically any pickup ( bypassing everything other than the pickup).. sometimes it's hard to predict what you'll get, but with a hot rails it should be a pretty massive sound of some sort.

 

[Mincer]

Parallel does sound better to my ears across all of the 'little' humbuckers. I don't feel the same way about full size ones, though.