DiMarzio Forum

DimarzioForum.Com => The Pickup Place => Topic started by: kavoo on April 03, 2016, 09:40:35 AM

Title: Splitting old vintage 70s Super Distortion and PAF
Post by: kavoo on April 03, 2016, 09:40:35 AM
Hi!

I've just bought old DiMarzio Super Distortion and PAF at Ebay, both pickups are from 70s. Don't know about PAF (it wasn't showed on pictures), but the Super Distortion have 3 wires. I believe PAF also have 3 wires. I know that modern production have 5 wires (red, green, white, black, bare).

Will it be possible to split those pickups in my strat?
Title: Re: Splitting old vintage 70s Super Distortion and PAF
Post by: KH Guitar Freak on April 03, 2016, 02:41:14 PM
The modern versions are 4 conductor. With the three conductor versions, I think you can only wire it for series/parallel configuration(s)
Title: Re: Splitting old vintage 70s Super Distortion and PAF
Post by: darkbluemurder on April 04, 2016, 03:16:57 AM
The modern versions are 4 conductor. With the three conductor versions, I think you can only wire it for series/parallel configuration(s)

That should be correct - those pickups had a black, a white and a bare wire. To be sure I would measure the DC resistance between all three - black to white should be close to the rated DC resistance, black or white to bare should be infinite ohms.

Cheers Stephan
Title: Re: Splitting old vintage 70s Super Distortion and PAF
Post by: slim_blues_boy on April 16, 2016, 09:37:16 PM
the two wire (or rather three including the bare) was use for phase switching, you know, if you want out-of-phase sound in the middle post ala peter green.
it can't be splitted nor series/paralel.
by the way, those older PAF & SD are excellent. I have some of those set, I like the PAF better than the 36th or the PAF Masters.
Title: Re: Splitting old vintage 70s Super Distortion and PAF
Post by: RayBarbeeMusic on April 20, 2016, 12:16:33 PM
You can split old 2 conductor pickups.  Unwrap the tape on the coils, find where the wire from the negative of one coil goes to the positive of the other (this will be shrink wrapped).  Remove shrink wrap, run a lead from that point, re-shrink wrap so it doesn't short the pickup accidentally. That lead is now what you will ground when you want to split.