2 humbuckers, 3-way toggle switch, 1 volume and 1 tone (both push/pull)

  • 3 Replies
  • 6603 Views

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

*

Offline JesterCro

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 2
  • 0
    • View Profile
Hi!
Is it possible to combine Dual sound mod (series/parallel) on one push/pull switch (e.g. volume) with Single-Coil switching (also known as coil Tapping or coil splitting) or with Phase switch mod (on the other push/pull switch e.g. tone)? Which mod of these other two (Coil splitting and Phase Switch) you find more usable? Can someone please provide wiring scheme for both versions (Dual sound / Phase switch and Dual sound / Coil splitting)? Also, I would like to incorporate Treble bleed mode on the volume pot if that won't interfere with this kind of setup. Thank you!

Guitar is Ibanez JS100
Both humbuckers have 4 conductor wiring
Neck: DiMarzio DP156 Humbucker From Hell
(Black/Creme)
Bridge: DiMarzio DP224 AT1 Andy Timmons Humbucker Pickup
(Black F-Spacing)
Both potentiometers are CTS 500K A500K DPDT PUSH-PULL SHORT SPLIT SHAFT BY MOJOTONE
3-way toggle switch is standard stock switch

*

marcwormjim

  • Guest
Re: 2 humbuckers, 3-way toggle switch, 1 volume and 1 tone (both push/pull)
« Reply #1 on: October 20, 2017, 08:56:48 AM »
Apologies if I’m stating the obvious, here:

First off, the treble bleed mod won’t interfere with any of the switching options - It’s just a capacitor and resistor on the ground lug of your volume pot. Coil splitting both pickups can be done with a single DPDT switch. For series/parallel switching, each pickup will require its own DPDT switch. In this case, two push-pulls limits you to the following switching options:

- One switch for coil splitting both pickups, one switch for phase reversal.
- One switch for bridge series/parallel, one switch for neck series/parallel.

You can also do series/parallel switching for, say, just the neck pup, and use the other switch for phase or splitting both.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the sounds of a humbucker’s coils in parallel vs splitting to one of the coils: You generally expect a split humbucker to have half the output. A humbucker with its coils in parallel will sound closer to its split sound than its series sound, but still humcancelling.

Personally, I’ve owned guitars with separate splitting and parallel options, and found the sounds to be redundant. I recommend choosing one or the other, based on whether you prefer all switching options be humcancelling, or want the “legit” single coil hum that comes with splitting.

If you prefer the idea of humcancelling parallel, I recommend using each pot for series/parallel switching, plus a DPDT mini-toggle for phase switching. If you want the authenticity of the 60-cycle hum, then you can use the two-pot option I mentioned above.

Dimarzio has schematics for all of these options on their pickup pages.



*

Offline JesterCro

  • Newbie
  • *
  • 2
  • 0
    • View Profile
Re: 2 humbuckers, 3-way toggle switch, 1 volume and 1 tone (both push/pull)
« Reply #2 on: October 20, 2017, 11:12:15 AM »
Apologies if I’m stating the obvious, here:

First off, the treble bleed mod won’t interfere with any of the switching options - It’s just a capacitor and resistor on the ground lug of your volume pot. Coil splitting both pickups can be done with a single DPDT switch. For series/parallel switching, each pickup will require its own DPDT switch. In this case, two push-pulls limits you to the following switching options:

- One switch for coil splitting both pickups, one switch for phase reversal.
- One switch for bridge series/parallel, one switch for neck series/parallel.

You can also do series/parallel switching for, say, just the neck pup, and use the other switch for phase or splitting both.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the sounds of a humbucker’s coils in parallel vs splitting to one of the coils: You generally expect a split humbucker to have half the output. A humbucker with its coils in parallel will sound closer to its split sound than its series sound, but still humcancelling.

Personally, I’ve owned guitars with separate splitting and parallel options, and found the sounds to be redundant. I recommend choosing one or the other, based on whether you prefer all switching options be humcancelling, or want the “legit” single coil hum that comes with splitting.

If you prefer the idea of humcancelling parallel, I recommend using each pot for series/parallel switching, plus a DPDT mini-toggle for phase switching. If you want the authenticity of the 60-cycle hum, then you can use the two-pot option I mentioned above.

Dimarzio has schematics for all of these options on their pickup pages.

marcwormjim first of all thank you for your quick and detailed answer. if I understood correctly first option is to do serial/parallel (both push/pull pots in function) and second is to do standard serial wiring (beside parallel which you find unusable with coil split on) with coil split (e.g. volume push/pull) and faze reversal option (e.g. tone push/pull). 
Here's resume:

1st option:
Plus: canceling hum in both cases
Minus: 2 characteristics of sound (if we ignore the option of combining parallel/serial)

2nd option:
Plus: 3 characteristics of sound
Minus: hum that comes with coil splitting

If humbucker with its coils in parallel sounds similar to splitted coil in series, but still humcancelling, maybe that is a better option to do since I'm not a fan of hum. Is it loss of volume in parallel mod similar to coil split volume loss? Which one is more noticeable?

Okay, let's assume I've decided for the first serial/parallel option, my next question is which extra switch do I need to add at guitar body to add phase mod?
« Last Edit: October 20, 2017, 11:36:34 AM by JesterCro »

*

marcwormjim

  • Guest
Re: 2 humbuckers, 3-way toggle switch, 1 volume and 1 tone (both push/pull)
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2017, 08:24:13 PM »
Your push-pull pots are a two-position, DPDT on-on switch built into a potentiometer. Therefore, any DPDT on-on switch may be installed and wired the same way for any of the discussed mods, plus many more.

Here is an example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-PC-DPDT-Mini-Toggle-Switch-ON-ON-PCB-Mount-High-Quality-USA-Seller-/301413640867?hash=item462da72aa3:g:oNgAAOSwuMFUdu0l

Installation will include drilling a small hole for the switch shaft, with the most common location being between the volume and tone pots (this space constraint is which is why I recommend a mini-switch). Depending on how your control cavity is routed, you may need to ream where the switch mounts.

Concerning how split/parallel tones compare: Different pickups sound better one way or the other. I’ve personally not used the Humbucker from Hell or AT-1, and recommend you email Dimarzio to ask their opinion.

This is a matter of subjective opinion: In one instance, I found the Air Norton (in the neck position) in parallel to sound halfway between its series and split mode. In another, I found the Norton (functionally the same pickup, in this example) in the bridge position to sound so similar in parallel vs split that I went with parallel just for the humcancelling. Others may feel that the opposite was true for them - I don’t particularly care for the Norton/Air Norton, anyway.

And so, I can’t prescribe one over the other. Rather, I encourage you to try every way you’re willing to; as that’s the only way to honestly know which you prefer.

« Last Edit: October 20, 2017, 08:25:50 PM by marcwormjim »