Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

[hillerheilman]

So I've finally got all the parts, electronically speaking, for the guitar I'm building(minus the Jack, as I don't have the body yet) and I think it's time to wire it up, so I can just throw it in the body when it comes. Trouble is, I can't understand the wiring diagrams at all. This would be my first time even picking up a soldering iron. Can someone offer some explanation? I've got an HSS setup, a 5 way switch, 1 volume, and 1 tone. I want to do a coil split on the bridge, and I've got both a push push and a push pull pot(I haven't decided which one to use for the split, would the wiring be the same?)

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Yes the wiring is the same for either of your p/p pots.

Which one to use is a matter of preference. The push/push pot is much easier and faster to use on the fly, but you can't tell by looking at it which position it's in. The push/pull pot is more difficult to change to the split position (up), but you can tell at a glance which position it's in.

Now the big problem...if you can't follow a wiring diagram, how are you going to do it?!

Here are a couple diagrams that you will NEED to follow. The first shows the basic wiring of your guitar. If your pickups are Seymour Duncan, just follow the color coding.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/1SCH_2S_5W_1V_1T.jpg

This next diagram shows how to wire in the p/p pot for splitting the humbucker pup.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/WD_Coil_Splitting.jpg

Just take the red and white wires of the bridge pup shown in the first diagram, and connect them to the middle lug of the p/p pot as shown below (use the top diagram). The black wire connects the other lug to ground (the back of the pot).

Just remember a basic soldering rule..."meat follows heat". That means, don't heat the solder and drip it onto the metal (the wire or the back of the pot). Heat the wire (or back of pot) with the soldering iron, then touch the solder to the hot metal while keeping the soldering iron touching it. The solder should flow like water. You want very thin solder, not large globs of it. "Globs" indicate that you didn't get the metal hot enough and you may end up with what's referred to as a "cold joint" which may not make an adequate electrical connection. Most beginners at soldering think that a lot of solder will make the connection stronger. But, the opposite is true.

 

[hillerheilman]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

So which side should I use in the split then? Is one or the other better sound wise? And am I supposed to run another wire from the bottom pin to ground or not? That's what it looks like to me.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

I learned by practicing on spare parts (not the ones I was going to use in my guitar). It is easy to overheat (and even under-heat), so put some time in practicing before your body gets here, so you can feel confident when it is time to install everything. Check out our YouTube page for some tutorials, (there are lots of soldering tutorials out there), and you will have a great skill that will open up a world of tones for you.

 

[Drano Max]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Yeah, do a lot of practicing on old components. Once you get the feel for iron and how the solder flows, then try it on the new stuff.

Honestly, if you have never done this before, let a tech do it. He won't charge you much. If you feel you must do it yourself, watch videos, read, and practice. It's not hard, but chances are you will burn something up on your first try. Most do.

 

[hillerheilman]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Yeah, do a lot of practicing on old components. Once you get the feel for iron and how the solder flows, then try it on the new stuff.

Honestly, if you have never done this before, let a tech do it. He won't charge you much. If you feel you must do it yourself, watch videos, read, and practice. It's not hard, but chances are you will burn something up on your first try. Most do.

That was my first thought actually. But I don't have any techs in my area):

 

[Drano Max]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

What city are you in. I can find you someone.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Well, you're probably going to be doing it yourself eventually, so you might as well start learning how now. No tech...do it yourself.

You can use either side of the switch. They are identical.

 

[hillerheilman]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Well, you're probably going to be doing it yourself eventually, so you might as well start learning how now. No tech...do it yourself.

You can use either side of the switch. They are identical.

I meant which coil. Do they sound identical?

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

I meant which coil. Do they sound identical?

It depends on the pup. Which pup are you going to use?

But generally the coils sound a little different from each other, especially in the bridge position. The coil nearest the bridge (or trem) will sound brighter and weaker due to the very small movement of the strings as you get closer to the bridge. For simplicity sake, wire it like the diagram...red and white wires together. This will split your pup to the slug coil and give you a bit stronger and fuller split sound.

 

[hillerheilman]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

It depends on the pup. Which pup are you going to use?

But generally the coils sound a little different from each other, especially in the bridge position. The coil nearest the bridge (or trem) will sound brighter and weaker due to the very small movement of the strings as you get closer to the bridge. For simplicity sake, wire it like the diagram...red and white wires together. This will split your pup to the slug coil and give you a bit stronger and fuller split sound.

I'm going to use a jb.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

Another issue in trying to get the other coil to split to is that you run into phase issues with the split and with other pickups. Much easier just to split to the default coil.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

The JB is a pretty bright pup to begin with and splitting, even to the default slug coil) only makes it sound unbearable. I much prefer the parallel tone myself. But if you are determined to split, then use the default wiring to split to the slug coil (the top diagram that I already sent to you).

If you want to try parallel, it is just as easy to wire using your same p/p pot.

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

or get a switch and have parallel/split/series and have all the options..

 

[hillerheilman]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

The JB is a pretty bright pup to begin with and splitting, even to the default slug coil) only makes it sound unbearable. I much prefer the parallel tone myself. But if you are determined to split, then use the default wiring to split to the slug coil (the top diagram that I already sent to you).

If you want to try parallel, it is just as easy to wire using your same p/p pot.

Thanks for the recommendation. I listened to a jb in parallel on youtube and I quite liked it. Might give that a try instead

 

[Brandenburg]

Re: Wiring help DESPERATELY NEEDED

on the guitar I have wired for parallel and split.. parallel with just the humbucker sounds like what others have said.. like a split w/o the hum.. now if i add that humbucker that is in parallel with another 'pup.. the results are much different that just splitting.. very twangy imo.. i like it