Electronics Explaination And Diagram Help

[Metallic_Rhoads]

I case you haven't noticed the other crap I've been posting, I'm building a Rhoads V for a school project with pickups as follows:

Bridge: EMG-HZ (EMG-H4)

Middle: Gibson 498T

Neck: Seymour Duncan SH-4

I will have one overall volume control and one overall tone control. I just want a simple 5-Way pickup selector and if it's any extra info, I'm using a gold floyd rose.

I don't want the pickup selector up the top of the guitar, I want it down the bottom like you find on fenders etc.

Is anyone able to help explain the electronics involved and mentor me in creating a diagram, (I don't ask you to do it, just aid me in making one please).

I know I've been annoying you guys a lot recently but you are very knowledgable and helpful so again any help would be really appreciated.

[tubab0y]

what do you want in positions 2 and 4? one coil from each of the humbuckers, or just coil tapped?

[crafty]

You can use any of the million diagrams listed on Seymour Duncan's website or GuitarElectronics.com to get your system going. I'm more concerned about your choice and placement of the pickups, though.

If I may, I'd use the JB in the bridge, a Gibson 490R or 496R in the mid, and a Duncan Jazz, '59, or another Gibson 490R in the neck. The HZ-H4 isn't a bad pickup, but it'll look really out of place in there and it's output and tone is very similar to the JB anyway. The JB is a poor choice for the neck pickup because it's just too much pickup for that position. It'll never clean up. The same goes for the 498T in the mid, too much.

The Gibson 490R is a great PAF style pickup and sounds great in the neck or mid, but if you want to kick it up a little in the mid, throw the ceramic 496R in there. The Duncan Jazz is a great pickup for the neck because it's clean and tight, but if you want a little warmth the '59 or 490R are great up there too.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

Thanks for the pickup advice but what is there is there. There's a good reason for them being there.

If possible is it able run both 2nd and 4th positions as two whole humbuckers (EMG and Gibby in 2nd position and Gibby and SH-4 in 4th) or is that not able to be done?

[crafty]

Thanks for the pickup advice but what is there is there. There's a good reason for them being there.

Explain, please.

If possible is it able run both 2nd and 4th positions as two whole humbuckers (EMG and Gibby in 2nd position and Gibby and SH-4 in 4th) or is that not able to be done?

Yes.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

Thanks for the pickup advice but what is there is there. There's a good reason for them being there.

Explain, please.

School research, I need these pickups specifically because of my research.

If possible is it able run both 2nd and 4th positions as two whole humbuckers (EMG and Gibby in 2nd position and Gibby and SH-4 in 4th) or is that not able to be done?

Yes.

Ok so what electronics do I need and what do I wire to what. I want a single volume control and single tone control for the entire guitar.

Thanks

[crafty]

What kind of "school research" demands that you use the wrong part for the job? If you already have the pickups and don't have the coin to replace them with more suitable pickups, that's cool, but if you're just throwing the pickups at the guitar just because you think it's cool to be different, I think you're throwing your money away.

Anyway, regardless of what you pick, you'll need two 500k ohm pots, a five-way Strat switch, a mono jack, and a .047uf cap. You can use this diagram to help you wire up the pickups. However, on the EMG, the red wire is the hot wire and the black wire is soldered to the white wire and taped off. On the 498T, this pickup uses a braided shield cable as the ground and the center conductor is the hot wire.

If the in-between sounds on positions 2 and 4 sound very thin, reverse the wires on the EMG and the JB. Ground the red wire on the EMG and the black wire on the JB and the green wires on both will be the hot wires. This is much easier than trying to swap the phase on the 498T with its braided cable setup.

Good luck, and I'd really recommend re-thinking those pickup choices. JB's turn to mud in the neck and 490's/496's sound better in the mid.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

Unfortunately the SH-4 is the one that's fixed. Plus the Gibby I can't really get around changing, and I want something with a higher output than the 496's in the mid anyway. And well, that means the only one I can change is the EMG, which is the one out of the three which definately doesn't need to be changed due to its positioning.

I'm not doing this to be different, it's just something I have to do now, and I'm not worried, it'll be a good experiment for me and if it sounds THAT bad then I have two other guitars which the JB and maybe the Gibby will fit in if need be, I'm not 'wasting' money. I'm only paying for half anyway.

So this wiring will still be exactly the same with three humbuckers? And what do the green wires on the diagram represent? I'm not a wiz on guitar electronics (actually I suck which is why I'm posting this) but I know that both my guitars do not have green wires in them, are they the white wires or what? Also do I need any extra wire besides what comes on the pickups (I presume I do) and if so does this come with the other components?

Thanks for the help, you think I'm a newbie and you're probably right but still, it's a learning thing.

EDIT: Also, I can't see the ground wire which goes to your bridge area on that diagram, anyone care to point out where that is or where it should be?

Edited May 2, 2007 by Metallic_Rhoads

[crafty]

I'm still not getting why you're being forced to put a JB in the neck position, which the pickup was never designed for, but I'm too tired to argue. If money's no object and you're lighting your Cubans with a stack of Benjamins, more power to ya...

Anyway, good catch on the missing bridge ground on the Duncan diagram. Yes, you need a bridge ground. Solder it to the back of the pot where all the grounds are soldered, then solder the other end to the bridge posts or trem claw.

The Duncan and EMG pickups, which is silly because the EMG-HZ line is made by Duncan, use four-conductor wiring. This allows you to run various split, parallel, and series wiring options if you so choose. The green wire is the electrical ground, the bare wire is the shielding ground. Usually the black wire is the ground wire for most single coil pickups and the white or yellow wire is the hot wire. Everything changes with humbuckers. Most have unique wiring codes from manufacturer to manufacturer, but the wiring coding I told you about is accurate.

You will need to purchase some hookup wire to complete the wiring. Anything 22 to 26 gauge should be sufficient.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

Ok so I need hookup wire.

And the ground wire goes on the pot which has all the green wires?

So if I'm getting you right, the JB and EMG will have four wires? Red Black White and Green? What about the gibson?

Thanks for putting up with my incompetance.

[crafty]

The bridge ground goes from the back of the pot with all the grounds to the bridge, the Gibson pickup will have a braided shield-type cable, and the EMG and Duncan will have four conductor wiring.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

Ok mate sorry but I'm pretty much an electronics newb, I can follow diagrams for soldering circuit boards and thats about all, could you explain what a braided shield cable is and what differences it has to the other two which I'll need to take into account.

Thanks for this...

[crafty]

It's a cable that has a center conductor as the hot wire and a braided copper outer jacket that serves as the electrical and shield ground.

The pickup on the left is a Gibson 496R. The one on the right is a Duncan APH-1. Those pickups have the same wiring you'll see on your pickups.

[Metallic_Rhoads]

The Gibson looks like it only has one wire?!?!

So how do I wire that differently?

[Samba Pa Ti]

it has 2 wires, the inner one (hot) outta shield counts as one and is the ground

Edited May 4, 2007 by Samba Pa Ti

[Metallic_Rhoads]

it has 2 wires, the inner one (hot) outta shield counts as one and is the ground

So how do I wire that differently?

[crafty]

Center is hot, jacket is ground. What's the issue? It corresponds with the hot and ground wires on the other pickups, too.