Splitted Motherbucker + P90 Wiring Question

[alysum]

G'day,

For my first homemade guitar I want to have a motherbucker (quad pickup) on the bridge with a split so I can select the top or bottom double on the quad.

For the neck pickup I'd like to put a P90. I will not need a selector position to have bridge + neck pickup.

Recap:

* full quad

* P90

* bottom double of quad

* top double of quad

So my question is what's the best way to wire this setup and what kind if selector would be best (extra LP 3 position switch, 2 position switch, coil tap ?)

Is it possible to have just a coil tap + 3 way switch?

cheers

[hooglebug]

hmm. i wouldnt have thought so. you might have to have another mini switch - the coil tap would split the motherbucker and the mini switch would choose between the upper and lower set. with the 3 way doing the usual things. but someone else might be able to come up with some other way

[alysum]

hi hooglebug (love your mattocaster ), thanks for your response, your suggestion seems possible yes.

I've emailed wdmusic who is going to email Kent Armstrong himself for a wiring schematic, hopefully he'll respond soon.

I'm surprised nobody has thought of that before...a quad should be easily splitter since it has 4 coils !

Edited May 21, 2007 by alysum

[alysum]

Hey,

I got a response from Kent Armstrong himself He said a 5way switch would be better BUT that there isn't much difference really between the top and bottom HB on the Motherbucker.

So I'm surprised to hear this. Initially I wanted to do this because I was worried the MB would be *too* powerful !

So I might just not split it...

[Logical Frank]

There will definitely be a pretty big difference between all four coils and just two coils. There will be much less of a difference between the bottom half and the top half of it. When you get right down to it, it's like having two of the same pickup right next to each other so the sound difference there will be comparatively minimal but there will definitely be a difference. (I'm just going off my experience splitting coils in a regular humbucker, never owned the motherbucker myself). I'm not quite sure how I'd wire up what you're talking about w/ a standard five way but It'd be pretty simple w/ a superswitch. Personally, I like just having a regular pickup selector and then a three-way mini-switch to split the 'bucker. It's just more straightforward by my way of thinking.

[hooglebug]

personally id just have a regular 3 way toggle and a push pull to split the motherbucker down to a humbucker to give you a drop in volume or whatever - but then it is your guitar so do whatever you want and enjoy it!

and thanks for the comments about my guitar

[donbenjy]

I have a motherbucker in my strat with a 5 way super switch to select: 1st coil/1+2/1+2+3+4/3+4 (parallel)/coil 3

I think there's an out of phase combination there somewhere too! tbh, it's so versatile, that I just use whatever sounds good, whatever it is!

still got the schem if you want it? I've changed it loads since the original diagram, but if you can follow the paths, it isn't too hard!

Edited May 24, 2007 by donbenjy