Which coil is active when a coil is split?

[realhelp]

Hi --

I recently installed a JB, Jazz and a 59 into a Dean 7-string. All three pickups have individual switches that pull the red/white connection to ground for when I want to get single coil sounds, which is as per the SB schematics. My question is: for the JB, Jazz, and the 59, which coil of the pickup is the one that is active when split this way? Is it the one that has the visible screws, or the one without the screws? Is there a rule of thumb?

I would of course prefer if the coil closest to the neck would be the active coil for the neck pickup, and for the bridge pickup I'd like it to be the one closest to the bridge (to get those cool 60's surf sounds!). Is this the standard configuration? My experiments using an E-bow seem to indicate that I've got things backwards, but I'm pretty sure the pickups are installed correctly according to the SD specs.

If it turns out I've got them backwards, can I simply reverse each of the pickups in its socket? This would have the minor disadvantage of having the "Seymour Duncan" logo being upside-down when the guitar is in a stand, but I would do it if it gave me what I think I need. Alternately, can I rewire the three coil switches so the red/white connection is pulled to hot instead? Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[caprae]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

One way you can tell is to have it plugged in and set up, then take the blade of a knife and tap the metal pieces on the top of each side of each pickup in the differnt switch positions. You'll here a louder tapping on the active coils and a very muffled tapping or nothing on the inactive coils.

Someone much wiser than I will have to explain how to set up the three pickup configuration.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Just reversing the wires will get you one or the other coil "hot." The issue is really which coil do you WANT to be hot when split, and what do you want to combine it with-if anything. Decide that and then wire appropriately.

 

[Artie]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Grounding the red/white pair gets you the "stud" coil.

Check out this thread for all the options, but yes, you can just flip the pup. Or, short the red/white combo to "hot" rather than ground as per that thread.

 

[realhelp]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Grounding the red/white pair gets you the "stud" coil.

By "stud" coil, do you mean the one with the screws or the one without? Using the "knife" test, I seem to be getting the coil that does not have the screws when I ground the red/white pair.

Thanks!

 

[realhelp]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Check out this thread for all the options,

OK, one other dumb question - I took a look at your previous thread on coil splitting configurations and I noticed that in all four cases you have the green wire connected to ground and the black one hot, which is of course the standard wiring. I also took a look at how the wiring was done on my guitar, and have concluded that it will be easier to swap the black and green wires of each pickup to get what I want rather than rewiring everything.

Are there consequences to wiring the green wire hot and the black one grounded instead of the standard wiring scheme? Will the pickup not work in this case? Or will there be a lot of extra hum and noise, etc.? Will sound quality be adversely affected? It would seem to me that for a non-active pickup it shouldn't matter too much, but I'm admittedly no expert.

Thanks again.

 

[Kosh Naranek]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Are there consequences to wiring the green wire hot and the black one grounded instead of the standard wiring scheme?

There shouldn't be. I've seen guitars equipped from the factory with Duncans wired this way.

 

[LesStrat]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

...and you could just test the pickups with the screwdriver you're already holding rather than getting a knife.

I'm too lazy to seek out other tools that I dont' really need.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

...and you could just test the pickups with the screwdriver you're already holding rather than getting a knife.

I'm too lazy to seek out other tools that I dont' really need.

unless the screwdriver you are holding is plastic or magnetized ... plastic won't get the job done and magnetized is just not a good idea

is that why you stay in O/T room mostly

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

For the longest time, I thought that grounding red and white would make the screw coil active, not the stud coil. I thought the SD wiring was like this:

Green: beginning of stud coil
Red: end of stud coil
White: beginning of screw coil
Black: end of screw coil

If you ground red and white, according to this color scheme, that would make the screw coil hot. Am I wrong?

 

[tone4days]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

For the longest time, I thought that grounding red and white would make the screw coil active, not the stud coil. I thought the SD wiring was like this:

Green: beginning of stud coil
Red: end of stud coil
White: beginning of screw coil
Black: end of screw coil

If you ground red and white, according to this color scheme, that would make the screw coil hot. Am I wrong?

according to what you typed here, and if you ground GREEN and use BLACK as hot, then yes, grounding red/white leaves the screw coil active (IN THIS EXAMPLE)

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

according to what you typed here, and if you ground GREEN and use BLACK as hot, then yes, grounding red/white leaves the screw coil active (IN THIS EXAMPLE)

Okay, so is my color scheme wrong, or am I missing something else?

 

[Artie]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

For the longest time, I thought that grounding red and white would make the screw coil active, not the stud coil. I thought the SD wiring was like this:

Green: beginning of stud coil
Red: end of stud coil
White: beginning of screw coil
Black: end of screw coil

If you ground red and white, according to this color scheme, that would make the screw coil hot. Am I wrong?

Yes . . . you are wrong.

Straight from the Duncan FAQ:

What are your humbucker wiring color codes?

All Seymour Duncan humbuckers with four-conductor hookup wires incorporate
a standard wire color code.

Green = beginning of adjustable coil
Red = finish of adjustable coil
Black = beginning of stud coil
White = finish of stud coil

For standard series humbucking operation on a 4-Conductor wired humbucker the White & Red wires are soldered together and taped; Green is ground and Black is Hot Output. The bare wire is also grounded.

Are there consequences to wiring the green wire hot and the black one grounded instead of the standard wiring scheme?

There are no consequences to using green for hot and black for ground. A pickup doesn't have an "absolute" phase.

 

[realhelp]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

There are no consequences to using green for hot and black for ground. A pickup doesn't have an "absolute" phase.

PROBLEM SOLVED!!!! I rewired all three pickups so green is hot, black is ground, and red/white is switched to ground, and I've got to tell you, maybe I'm imagining it, but for some reason all three pickups sound WAY better this way, both with coils split and without. With the coils split, I'm getting the "outside" pickup configuration (coil closest to neck and coil closest to bridge), which is SO MUCH BETTER than the other way around. And for some reason, with the coil split switches defeated, the humbuckers seem to have more high end, which I can't explain other than to say it sure is a lot of fun, especially for blues, etc.

I do have to wonder, though, if I'm not imagining this (and I don't actually think I am), why does Duncan recommend wiring things with black hot rather than this way?



Thanks guys. Now excuse me while I go practice "Miserlou" ...

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Electrically, green hot vs. black hot can't sound different. That has to be in your perception. But your coil cut tones surely sound very different now. The wires are just colored for no particular reason, and Duncan does say you can reverse green and black freely in their instructions.

 

[Artie]

Re: Which coil is active when a coil is split?

Yup. I agree with Frank. If absolute phase made a sonic difference, then strumming a chord "up" would sound different than strumming a chord "down". (Maybe it does!)

Anyway, all thats important is that it works, and sounds good to you. Congrats.