Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

[warehouse41]

Hi,

I have a yamaha strat copy guitar that is HSS.

Want I want to have is a volume and tone control the neck and middle and have another volume and tone to control the humbucker. I also want the switch to split the humbucker so that I can use the guitar as follows:

5. Neck
4. Neck & Middle
3. Neck & one coil of humbucker
2. middle & one coil of humbucker
1. humbucker

I currently have the 5 way super switch from StewMac.

I have the guitar wired right now and the problem I'm having is that the volume control for the neck and middle is affecting the volume of the humbucker. I wanted to see how you guys would wire it.

I appreciated any help I can get, I can't find anyone who seems to have wired a guitar like this before. I heard that if anyone had, they'd probably be on this board.

EDIT: The white wire coming from the humbucker is grounded. It is a Stewmac golden age humbucker.

EDIT: Here's the diagram of how I currently have the guitar wired;

 

[AlexR]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Some of the better gurus than I might chime in here, but with 2 volumes, 3 pickups and a 5-way its looking hard to get independent volumes. I've attached the schematic of a '50's LP that had such control (which also meant you could blend the pickups other than 50/50 in the mid position). You might be able to look at the volume-tone section for the bridge pickup and wire it like that and see what happens.

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

You've actually got it wired correctly for '50's wiring, but what do you mean by:

volume control for the neck and middle is affecting the volume of the humbucker

Do you mean it controls the volume, or does it change the tone?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

What is the 'thing' on the RHS of your diagram that the two volume pots are wired to??

I have a feeling this is the cause of the volume issues. Once one volume is down and the signal is shunted to ground the other signal just follows it through the 'thing' to ground

Plus none of the tone pots are grounded according to your diagram

I'm not sure what the lightest blue coloured lines are supposed to be for either. If its the ground for the tone then they're connected to the volume pots at the wrong spot

There is also a missing white wire from the humbucker. If its a duncan the white will be the end of the screw coil, labelled 'A' on the diagram. This needs to go somewhere (sorry, I'm no expert when it comes to superswitches)

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Do you mean it controls the volume, or does it change the tone?

When I turn down the Volume pot that's supposed to control just the single coils, it cuts off the volume of the humbucker entirely.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

What is the 'thing' on the RHS of your diagram that the two volume pots are wired to??

I'm sorry, what is the RHS?

Plus none of the tone pots are grounded according to your diagram

The HSS diagrams from Stewmac have just the capacitor going from the tone to the ground on the volume control.

I'm not sure what the lightest blue coloured lines are supposed to be for either. If its the ground for the tone then they're connected to the volume pots at the wrong spot

Those are the wires connecting the tone pots to the volume pots. They don't have a separate ground wire.

There is also a missing white wire from the humbucker. If its a duncan the white will be the end of the screw coil, labelled 'A' on the diagram. This needs to go somewhere (sorry, I'm no expert when it comes to superswitches)

It looks like I forgot to draw that in, the white wire is grounded. I have added that note to the original post.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Anyone else have any thoughts?

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

What is the 'thing' on the RHS of your diagram that the two volume pots are wired to??

I'm sorry, what is the RHS?

By RHS, I think he means right-hand-side, and I think he's referring to your output jack. (Which is drawn a little strange.)

Anyway, I see the problem now, (which I missed this morning). You have the bridge volume pot wired correctly. That is, you're using the middle lug for the input. However, on the neck/middle volume pot, you're using the middle lug for the output. So, when it's turned all the way down, you short the output to ground. Reverse the input and output lugs of the neck/middle volume pot. In other words, leave the ground lug alone.

Your superswitch is wired incorrectly too. But thats a different problem. Let me chew on that for a moment.

Artie

Edit: Quick question . . . when you want one coil of the humbucker, do you want the stud coil or adjustable coil? (Stud coil would be the norm.)

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Anyway, I see the problem now, (which I missed this morning). You have the bridge volume pot wired correctly. That is, you're using the middle lug for the input. However, on the neck/middle volume pot, you're using the middle lug for the output. So, when it's turned all the way down, you short the output to ground. Reverse the input and output lugs of the neck/middle volume pot. In other words, leave the ground lug alone.

I had a feeling that might be the case, but didn't have time to try that last night.

Your superswitch is wired incorrectly too. But thats a different problem. Let me chew on that for a moment.

The superswitch does work btw, in the sense that the correct pickups are active when I switch to the different positions. Don't know if that helps you.

Edit: Quick question . . . when you want one coil of the humbucker, do you want the stud coil or adjustable coil? (Stud coil would be the norm.)

The Stud coil.

Thanks again, really appreciate it.

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

The superswitch does work btw, in the sense that the correct pickups are active when I switch to the different positions.

Ok, the thing is, your diagram doesn't show the middle pup "green" line going to pos #4 on the SS, so it doesn't appear as though it would work. But that might be a "typo".

Oh yeah, and your "middle" tone control has the cap in the wrong place. There's nothing on the middle lug of the pot.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Ok, the thing is, your diagram doesn't show the middle pup "green" line going to pos #4 on the SS, so it doesn't appear as though it would work. But that might be a "typo".

Hmmm. I'll have to take a look at the guitar when I get home (at work right now). It could be that I forgot to draw that line in.

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

I did this quik-'n-dirty. If it doesn't make sense, let me know. I simplified a couple of things.
The "red" line coming from the humbucker represents both the red and white wires. Just solder them together at the superswitch.
Also, the "neck" 5-4-3 and the middle 4-2 can all be just tied together. You don't need separate wires going to the volume pot.

Btw, the "norm" in wiring is for two wires just to cross each other. No need to "jump" one over the other. A connection is shown with a big black dot.

Make sense?

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

EDIT: Deleted.

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

I'm going to step out for awhile. If you have any questions, I may not see them for a couple hours.

Be back soon.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

I did this quik-'n-dirty. If it doesn't make sense, let me know. I simplified a couple of things.
The "red" line coming from the humbucker represents both the red and white wires. Just solder them together at the superswitch.
Also, the "neck" 5-4-3 and the middle 4-2 can all be just tied together. You don't need separate wires going to the volume pot.

Btw, the "norm" in wiring is for two wires just to cross each other. No need to "jump" one over the other. A connection is shown with a big black dot.

Make sense?

The wire you have going from the 2-3 position on the switch to the first volume pot, that's just being grounded? I understand the other changes you made, just not that one.

Thanks again.

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

I caught your post just before I stepped out.

The diagram on Stew-Mac's site shows the wire color code being the same as a Duncan. So, black is your output, green and bare go to ground, and red/white go together.

Then, you connect red/white to ground to split to the stud coil. You connect them as you had shown to split to the screw coil.

Edit: My wife is tapping her foot . . . waiting to go to dinner. Follow-up questions will have to wait awhile.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

I caught your post just before I stepped out.

The diagram on Stew-Mac's site shows the wire color code being the same as a Duncan. So, black is your output, green and bare go to ground, and red/white go together.

Then, you connect red/white to ground to split to the stud coil. You connect them as you had shown to split to the screw coil.

What I don't understand is why the wire is grounded to the volume pot? Shouldn't the wire that goes into 2-3 (denoted by the yellow arrow I drew) be on the middle lug of the lower volume pot? (purple arrow). Instead of being grounded? (red arrow).

Edit: My wife is tapping her foot . . . waiting to go to dinner. Follow-up questions will have to wait awhile.

Haha, I understand, no worries. I'm a patient person and again appreciate all your help.

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

hello
the yellow arrow you drew
and the other , orange?, this connection
creates the split coil for position number 2

where you wanted half of the humbucker
and the middle coil together

what Artie has done is :
assigned each single coil a pole on the four pole switch
and one pole for the humbucker
then one pole, the one in question, for the split humbucker coil

in position 1
only the humbuckers black lead is connected
bridge hum on

in position 2
the coil split and the black lead are connected, albeit the coil split is connected to ground
and the middle pickup hot lead (yellow wire from volume pot)
bridge split and middle coil

in position 3
looks like its gonna give ya the coil split and the neck pickup
looks like the same coil from the bridge tho
bridge split and neck coil

 

[Artie]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

What I don't understand is why the wire is grounded to the volume pot?

Look at this diagram, straight from Stew-Mac's Golden Humbucker wiring page. Note that the red/white wire goes to the switch, and then to the back of the volume pot. That splits the humbucker to the stud coil. (As you wished.)

There's nothing wrong with the way you drew it per se, just that it then splits to the screw coil.

 

[warehouse41]

Re: Wiring in HSS with two volume and two tone

Look at this diagram, straight from Stew-Mac's Golden Humbucker wiring page. Note that the red/white wire goes to the switch, and then to the back of the volume pot. That splits the humbucker to the stud coil. (As you wished.)

Okay. I think I understand it now, thanks.

There's nothing wrong with the way you drew it per se, just that it then splits to the screw coil.

One more question if you don't mind, what would be the difference tone wise if it's split to the screw coil vs the stud coil?