Single Doubling To Humbucker?

[Opencan]

I've seen someones guitar that have 3 single pickups, and the guitar had a switch to make the bridge singles to sound like an humbucker.

anyone knows how to create this circuit?

[GregP]

You sure they weren't just combining the middle and bridge pickups? That's standard fare for a Strat-style guitar.

It's also possible they used a 'mid-boost' or some sort of boost circuit, but I have my doubts. If they did, it's a full-on active effect, kind of like having a pedal built right into your guitar in a way. Relatively imple to install if you buy one, but you'd have to search around if you want to make one.

I still think you've probably simply seen someone engaging the middle and bridge pickups at the same time, which will buck the hum.

Greg

[Opencan]

nope, i'm sure i didn't, because he had other guitars he built with 3 singles that sounds like hums, and you can swich between them. I've tried to sqweez the secret out of him, and all i got is that it is doubling the single somehow.

[gripper]

Could that be one of the guitars that have the hidden passive pickup inside the body cavity? I do not understand how that works but info on the inet says that someone has done it. It works to a point with microphones to reduce hum and increase output(X2) or so it is claimed. Just a thought. Rock rocks!

[GregP]

Is it actually cancelling the hum, or is it just 'fatter' sounding? If it's 'fatter', it could be that he has the two coils operating in series (one leads into the other) instead of parallel, which is the normal 'strat' way.

Greg

[Opencan]

no hidden pickups, i got from him that its some kind of wiring of the pickup. it sounds fatter and haven't really checked the hum.

Greg, its just one coil, he did it to other people that had a Fender strat standard.

[marksound]

Could be a stacked pickup -- one coil on top of another instead of side by side -- with a coil splitter. Flip a switch, it's a single coil. Flip it again, it's a humbucker. Just like magic.

[Tonerider]

Could be a stacked pickup -- one coil on top of another instead of side by side -- with a coil splitter. Flip a switch, it's a single coil. Flip it again, it's a humbucker. Just like magic.

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You actually have a few ways to do this, but the most common would be just add a "neck-on" switch that can add in the signal from the neck pickup to output of the five-way IN SERIES.

But will it be a true humbucker? No...unless you have a RWRP bridge position single coil. So you could try

a. Neck pickup regular wind

b. Mid pickup regular wind

c. Bridge pickup RWRP

And then, here's a cunning part...

Reverse the positions of the bridge and mid pickup on the five way switch and you get:

Pos1: Mid only (or solid sound with NECK ON)

Pos2: Mid and Bridge in Parallel (can you say quack? also noise-cancelling)

Pos3: Bridge only (or great, noisecancelling rock sound with NECK ON)

Pos4: Neck and Bridge in Parallel (much better than Neck and Mid! also noise-cancelling)

Pos5: Neck only

Enjoy

[Opencan]

nope, thats nothing like what he did... it was very weird.

1. He did it with a FENDER STRAT USA SINGLES, and put no extra pickups.

the on\off switch for making the humbuckers was at the volume \ tone knob, by raising it up.

yet, it had the 5 normal positions.

i guess i should spend this 800USD and buy one of his guitars to see for myself...

[marksound]

USA, eh? Could it be the S-1 Switching System?

[Opencan]

it was a push pull switch...

and i doubt thats the deal, beacause he did it to a guitar that didn't had this option.

he did it to other guitars as well, not just Fenders.

Anyway, that seems like a nice system

[GregP]

It's gotta be said:

What the heck is your problem? People keep giving you very viable options about what it could be, and you keep saying, "no, no, no, no". Well if you don't KNOW, how can you say "no"? And if you DO know, why did you ask? Why not just tell us, "My friend does this neat thing."

It could very well be any of the things mentioned. What makes you think he's magically transforming just one single-coil into a fatter sound? It has to be one of two things only:

a ) active electronics, some sort of 'booster' kit

b ) a combination of pickups, which isn't necessarily something that will fit the normal 'visual' strat paradigm. Just because he's using a push-pull doesn't mean he's not adding in another pickup. For all you know, pulling the knob DOES add in the neck pickup in series, as suggested already.

It could be a fake S1 system, but with a push-pull knob instead of Fender's sneaky special button. It could even just be a 'part' of the S1-- perhaps the push/pull just adds in a second capacitor to the tone equation. Yours for the cost of the push/pull and $0.50.

I mean, you don't know (hence the reason you asked), and yet you're not willing to listen to several viable options. If your friend won't tell you and you're willing to give him 800 bux just to find out, something smells funny.

Greg

[Opencan]

his not really my friend, he is some guitar fixer that lives around here.

and i set with him for about an hour while fixing my guitar, and i tried to figure what exacly he does. the things mentioned are things that can do the same trick, but from what i've got out of him, it isn't.

and it really might be a fake S1 system or something like that, but i'm pretty sure its not the original one.

I just thought maybe its a bit common trick that lays around and someone does it also.

he keeps his twick as a secret as well and doesn't tell much about it, for the reason he is the only one is Israel that does it, and get pretty much of a good money for it.

Oh, and i wouldn't buy it just to check, thats dumb. i'll check with someone which he did it to his guitar (if i'll catch one, which shouldn't be too hard)

[GregP]

If he's jealously guarding his secret, I bet it's something simple. He's just enjoying the "nyah nyah" factor and doesn't want his own fun to end too quickly.

Greg

[Jester700]

The closest thing to a true bucker you'll get on a strat is wiring the neck & middle or the bridge & middle together in series. Period. That way, they will buck hum, and basically BE a humbucker, except that the coils are seperated by more space and the magnet config is different. Of course, because of these things it won't sound exactly like a bucker, but it's as close as you get.

If that's NOT how he's doing it, he's taking the long way around.

[ansil]

chickens shall rule the planet one day. along with cher's face

[Opencan]

Greg, he sure is but he's a nice guy overall..

Jester, he might be doing that, but how yet does he have a normal 5 way switch?

ansil, i heard this theory before. realized that its what they want you to think. they just WANT YOU TO THING they will conquer the world in the near future, and by that obtain piorior conditions and care. (while they are just starting to find out the final solution for all humankind)

[GregP]

It may not BE a 'normal' 5-way switch, though with some of the options presented, it could still be. It may be a 'superswitch', which has hundreds of combination possibilities.

Greg

[Jester700]

ansil, i heard this theory before. realized that its what they want you to think. they just WANT YOU TO THING they will conquer the world in the near future, and by that obtain piorior conditions and care. (while they are just starting to find out the final solution for all humankind)

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AH! Like a self fulfilling prophecy. Sneaky.