Versatile Pu/wiring Ideas

[humbuckr]

I'm in the process of building my first project guitar. a bit tele, bit PRS, bit LP. It's chambered and will use a warmoth 25.5 mahagony/ebony neck.

Pickups - plan on using H-S-H (SD 59'-neck, SD Vintage Rails, SD JB - Bridge)

push/pull controls: 1 volume, 1 tone , 5 way selector. (push pull for coil splitting.)

Ideally I would like this guitar to do a lot of things (including helping me play better...)

1. Ripping distortion, long sustain

2. Strat-like clean

3. jazz rhythm

4. and a way to *combine* these tones to get something different

5. optional acoustic sound (without using a special bridge)

I found a great article by Bill Cozzo who had the same idea but doesn't have any diags or specs.

I'm sure I'm not the first guy to do this so any links to existing stuff would be great. I searched the forum a bit but couldn't anything useful.

thanks

[da_free_runner]

I'm in the process of building my first project guitar. a bit tele, bit PRS, bit LP. It's chambered and will use a warmoth 25.5 mahagony/ebony neck.

Pickups - plan on using H-S-H (SD 59'-neck, SD Vintage Rails, SD JB - Bridge)

push/pull controls: 1 volume, 1 tone , 5 way selector. (push pull for coil splitting.)

Ideally I would like this guitar to do a lot of things (including helping me play better...)

1. Ripping distortion, long sustain

2. Strat-like clean

3. jazz rhythm

4. and a way to *combine* these tones to get something different

5. optional acoustic sound (without using a special bridge)

lol

well this may help, i did this for a guy on his £2000+ ibanez jem guitar

i think ive written the diagram right, i did it freehand, didnt even plan it out

cant remember what i did to the tone and volume, i think its just standard wiring

sorry for the bad diagram, i did it in a couple of mins in paint lol

green and silver wires are the ground and case ground wires on the pickup, green is standard ground colour for pickups, the pickup case ground wire is usually bare,

red in the diagram is just the hot wire from your pickup, the 2 wires connected together in the middle of each humbucker i dont know what colour they will be on your pickups, but you are basically wiring the humbuckers in series. if you dont know what that means then read up on it cos im not very good at explaining it the five way switch is easy, the bottom connection that goes to your volume andtone is the final output for your pickups after selection, the selection switch will give these positions:

1 (top): neck humbucker

2: neck H/B + middle single

3: middle single

4: middle single and bridge H/B

5 (bottom): bridge H/B

you can check this by tapping the pickups with a magnetic screwdriver when you are pllugged into a amp, you will hear clicks when you tap a selected pickup and nothing if it is not selcted.

if the selctions are reversed, a.k.a the top switch position selects the bridge H/B instead of the neck H/B then simply switch the 2 red hot H/B wires around on the switch pins

notice i am only using one side of the switch, the other four contacts below are just a mirror image of the top set of contacts so you can use them to select certain onboard effects? its just an idea cos u wer saying about sustain, look at the sustain articles on this site, yu could set it so that in certain positions on the selector it would switch on a built in sustain circuit? i would suggest top position to switch sustain and have a microphonic sustainer mounted under the neck pickup

hope this helps

will

oh yeah i forgot, this setup sounded amazing on his guitar and it took about an hour to complete, plus there is a possibility to get even more sounds if you replace your tone pot with a pull push pot of the same value and wire it as a coil tap like on the vintage metal axxe razor guitar

Edited November 2, 2006 by da_free_runner

[Doeringer]

Many have thought of this too. Keep this in mind as you are doing your research, many details other than pickups and configurations go into the overall sound of an instrument. What you will find if you make a guitar like this, is you will wind up with many sounds but none of them will be great. If you build a guitar for a great strat sound, your Jazz and distortion sounds may not be ideal, (and vise versa). Also this type of setup may not be stage friendly. Before you venture in and start spending money, make sure it is what you want. and keep us posted.

I don't know if this will help you play better...

[lovekraft]

• 1. Ripping distortion, long sustain
  
• 2. Strat-like clean
  
• 3. jazz rhythm
  
• 4. and a way to *combine* these tones to get something different
  
• 5. optional acoustic sound (without using a special bridge)
  

Well that's easy enough - warm DeArmond-ish jazz humbucker in the neck, clean vintage Strat pickup in the middle, and screaming humbucker in the bridge. Dual coil splits and standard 5-way switching should give you plenty of options. As for an acoustic sound without piezos, buy an acoustic simulator pedal. Of course, it's not going to really sound like a Strat unless it's a bolt-on with a trem, just like it's not going to do the LP/PRS thing perfectly unless it's a set-neck with a fixed bridge, but you might get close enough.

[unklmickey]

...I searched the forum a bit but couldn't anything useful....

hi Humbuckr,

what i'm about to say, might get me smacked severely about the head, but i think you're looking on the wrong forum.

Project Guitar is one of the most awesome sites for builds, when it comes to the artistry and originality in the wood end of things. There are some cutting edge ideas in the realm of sustainers here as well. But when it comes to outrageous wiring schemes, there isn't as much happening here.

John Atchley has a site, GuitarNuts worth looking at, with some pretty good ideas.

The original forum got hacked, but one of the members started a new forum, with John's blessing: GuitarNuts2

Compared to PG, the guys at GN2 don't have much to offer in the build department, but wiring is what they DO.

I generally hang out there, and only come to visit here once in a while. You should definitely check out some of the wiring schemes there, and get your build ideas and advice here at PG if you want the best of both worlds.

I hope i haven't over-stepped my bounds here.....

unk

[unklmickey]

hi Lovekraft,

i'll concede those style points, and add an apology, i didn't mean to sell you short.

i did those searches and got even more pages than you said, but there were an awful lot of links to other sites and diagrams outside PG.

i'm sure there must be plenty of good original stuff you guys have done, but even with that search there is too much other stuff to wade through.

i'd be grateful, i you could tell me of a way to refine the search so i can see just the wiring that you guys have designed here. or even just point to a couple of the threads. i enjoy seeing the exotic, innovative, and overly ambitious stuff, so you've really got me interested now!

... after all, all they do is wiring!

well, that's not entirely true either. there have been a few custom builds posted on GN2 that would fit right in with what's on PG.

but admittedly, the upper eschelon of the builds on PG have no rivals, and there's seemingly no limit to the amount of gorgeous guitar 'eye candy' here.

cheers,

unk

[lovekraft]

...what i'm about to say, might get me smacked severely about the head, but i think you're looking on the wrong forum...

No smack in the head, but you do lose points for style! And while you'll never hear me say a bad word about anything Mr. Atchley's involved with, you're selling us really short! In this forum section alone, the phrase "wiring diagram" brings up 14 pages of hits in the search engine, and "superswitch" gives you two pages all by itself! There's plenty of info here, if you're willing to look for it. Brian has been kind enough to keep archives of every useful post since the first day this forum was operational, and there are a lot of unusual (and even a few ridiculously overambitious) wiring ideas in there (I've drawn up a few myself).

That's not to say that the GN2 forums aren't a great place to find this stuff too - after all, all they do is wiring!

[lovekraft]

Not offended, just setting the record straight - here are a few of mine, from memory:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;#entry204734

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;#entry202166 (same thread)

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;#entry173771

There's plenty more, but you'll have to look for them - keep in mind, the main reason there's so much to wade through is because so many other people have already posted new threads on topics previously covered rather than using the search engine to find what they needed ( there are at least 5 threads on the Black Ice/ Strawberry Ice passive clipper, for example). Short of implementing draconian measures a la MIMF, all we can do is encourage people to use the archives.

[psw]

There are some cutting edge ideas in the realm of sustainers here as well. But when it comes to outrageous wiring schemes, there isn't as much happening here.

Yeah...I've been cut a few times with that sustainer ...mostly burnt by the iron ... ...thanks Unk

+1 for the GN2 forum as far as wiring goes and great help along those lines from the members there...and changing wiring can provide some unique sounds...but there is a limit and seeking a guitar for all seasons is probably overstepping things a little...

So much depends on the pickups, the wood, the structure of a guitar and even it's feel (especially scale length) that makes an instrument play and sound the way it does...that wiring is only a tiny part of making some options within the intrinsic character of the instrument come out...

That said...I am not adverse to a little switcharoo...

In addition to GN2 if you are serious about this stuff...check out this amazing site of wiring options for every combination of switching and pickup combinations from Japan...

DGB Studio for Guitar Players

In addition are string tensions, scale lengths, pickup impedances....amazing amount of data and hundreds of wiring schemes...a fabulous resource...

That said however...there are an amazing array of stuff here on it...if you search for it! One reason to search out these threads is because there has been a lot of talent pass through here...but they may not see your post. Others, will pass it over because they know they have addressed this type of question before...I know I have...

As for those pickups...they pack a bit of punch for a glassy strat or a jazz type sound... A lot of these tones are better coaxed by turning down the volume and having an effective tone control. You won't get an acoustic sound from anything but piezos...but a phase switched guitar can give you something like that (think dire straits early stuff). As a recording instrument all this is fine...but for jaming and gigs, you will find massive level differences between these "tones"...

The ultimate approach for this type of thing of course is modelling...like the Line6 guitar. You can get a similar effect (more than you can with simple switching) from a digital effects unit. Here you can compensate for level and tweak EQ, compression and distortion...some even have acoustic simulation...and these can be a better approach from a good and versitile instrument than a lot of fancy wiring anyway...

Good luck with the guitar and I hope it plays well...that is the main thing. Leave enough room in the controil cavity and you can mess with the wiring as much as you like once you get a feel for what the guitar itself has to offer... pete

[humbuckr]

Thanks much for the great responses on this thread. hopefully updating the links on projectguitar.com

http://www.projectguitar.com/ref/wire.htm will avoid re-hashing this newbie stuff.

DGB Studio for Guitar Players

Thanks. loads of good info. I'm more of a wood worker / guitar player and electronics is not my passion so I appreciate the feedback on resources like the DGB.

That said however...there are an amazing array of stuff here on it...if you search for it!

would be great if there was a diagram repository that had links that actually went somewhere unlike

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/diagrams.html#oem

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/menu.html

As for those pickups...they pack a bit of punch for a glassy strat or a jazz type sound...

Any ideas for something with a bit more subtlelty. I love the growl of a les paul and the dynamic range of a strat. that's what I'm trying to fuse. I use a Line6 PodXT since I play at various places and its simple to plug it in to direct boxes.

A lot of these tones are better coaxed by turning down the volume and having an effective tone control.

I was planning on using CTS pots.

You won't get an acoustic sound from anything but piezos...

the PoD does an ok job on the acoustic sounds for now.