I started making CBGs about a year and a half ago and it's sparked a lot of what I was into when in a couple of bands over 10 years ago (building speaker cabinets, wiring up amps, and modifying guitars). Sadly, I got busy starting a family and my guitar playing and everything else went on the back burner til now.
Over 10 years is a long time, and I have forgotten too much. I am currently working on a Skateboard Guitar for a charity benefit. It will have a Hot Rail Single Coil Humbucker with a DPDT 3-way switch, a single volume pot and jack.
I know there are a half a dozen ways to wire this thing up. I was going to do Series/Split/Parallel (like below).
But, since series and parallel sounds are not that much different than each other, is there anyone who can tell me how to wire this thing Parallel/Split/ Out of Phase? Is that possible, all from the same DPDT switch (on-on-on mini toggle)? I basically want a Humbucker, Single Coil, and then something different sounding (after all, it is a skateboard I made the body out of).
Any assistance (including telling me I am out of my mind) would be greatly appreciated. :-)
Replies
Hi Brian,
The wiring diagram I use for a on/on/on dp/dt switch is this one from Warman Guitars
If the switch isn't working check it is definitely an on/on/on because they look the same as an on/off/on switch (they usually stamp this on the side in small letters). Also if you have a multimeter check the connections in the middle diagram above is like the diagram because previously I have come across on/on/on switches that are the mirror image of this (red line 1 to 2 and 4 to 5) - if this is the case flip the wiring.
The blade minihumbuckers are great value but the wiring is different even from the same suppier (I get the impression they use what is lying around).
The coils run horizontal so if you turn the pickup over the two wires across the top width are one coil and the two wires along the bottom width are number 2 coil. from this pick a coil and run these two wires to the push/pull phase switch as per the diagram you posted and then wire the on/on/on switch as per my post with two wires from the phase switch and the other 2 wires from the other humbucker coil.
I hope this makes sense.
Best wishes,
David L.
Awesome David! This does help and makes a lot of sense. It's exactly what I have been looking for. I did finally get my wiring figured out, but sadly the wiring diagram above is for Series/Parallel wiring on a DPDT 2-way switch. Since mine is in fact a 3-way DPDT my position 1 does nothing (like a kill switch), then position 2 is series, and position 3 is parallel.
I am impressed with the actual, noticeable different between series and parallel for this pickup. I have re-wired this thing about 4 times now because of the issue above and some grounding issues (had to ground the pickup to the pot and not the bridge which is very strange to me). I think I may leave the existing wiring for this guitar, but this diagram at least taught me something and should work well for me in the future. Thanks a heap David!
Since it's not a Duncan and I only know enough to be dangerous I have not. Thanks for the reply and idea though.
Also, since I hadn't heard back from anyone else since Friday I went and wired the pup, pot, and 3-way for the Series/Parallel/Split. It didn't work. I think I have a wire or two swapped and a bad ground. All I get is a really nasty hum and no output. I did stop today at Guitar Center and the older tech there gave me some pointers on how to check and trouble-shoot. I think another go and I will have it figured out.
I did find this online... If I had a Push Pull Pot, would I still be able to wire it to the DPDT and do the Series/Split/Parallel?
I am no genius, or else I wouldn't be asking the questions around here, but could I just combine these two schematics (provided I have a working push-pull pot)?
- Could I take another red wire and wire it from the middle, right lug of the DPDT and have it go to the right,middle lug on the push-pull?
- Then I could take the bottom left ground lug of the DPDT and connect it to the left, middle lug of the push-pull?
- Lastly I would just wire everything else up the same way (bottom right lug of the DPDT to first lug of the volume pot part of the push-pull and the middle lug of the same pot to my jack, then just ground the jack to the pot).
What do ya'll think?
I don't entirely understand what you're asking sorry, but a phase flipper and series/parallel switch both need two poles and two throws so no, sorry you can't get both from one switch.
My fav with a tapped bucker is to use a blend pot and a couple diodes wired to only one of the coils (the other going straight to volume control) so at the centre detent this coil is off (so you've got a single) but you can roll that coil in in both directions, one in series and the other in parallel. I don't bother with phase flipping, most of the time its not a useful sound imho
Hey Kid,
I basically have a telecaster bridge that has a spot for a "single coil" pickup. Well, I thought I would be smart and get a twin blade, hot rail, single coil humbucker. Then I thought, it would be nice to have it so I could split it up (have it so I could get only a single coil sound, but then flip the switch to get the humbucker sound).
I have center-off switches on an old Strat of mine wired very simply to each single coil humbucker. Down is single-coil, middle is off, and up is humbucker mode. I basically wanted to do something like that, but have the third position sound differently since the switches I have for this Skateboard guitar is an On-On-On, DPDT switch.
Since I can't do it from one switch, will my wiring of a push-pull pot to the 3-way potentially work? My main goal is to get three different sounds (noticeably different sounds, not like Series and Parallel that sound about the same) out of one single coil, humbucking pickup. Make sense?
By the way, if this works out good, I will probably incorporate things like this with my more fancier CBG Builds that I actually use a guitar bridge and neck for.