Switchable Humbucker Mode <> Single Coil Mode With Lace Duallys

[Petros]

Converting HH guitar to switchable HH/SSSS modes. I'll explain.

Lace makes a pickup they call a "Dually," which looks like a humbucker but is actually two true single coils placed side by side. They're designed to be very low noise even as single coils. Using a set of these pickups you can create a guitar that switches from humbucker-humbucker (HH) mode to a true 3 (or even 4) single coil (SSSS) mode. The wonderful world of wiring and switching should be able to get you there, but I'm having a little trouble finding a diagram. The closest I found was an excellent design for creating a HSH configuration with three pickups (here: http://www.alloutput.com/Wiring/hsh_wiring.html ) Although it would work, I don't simply want to remove the single coil from that configuration because it would create dead spots on the switches.

Next, I found the many wiring diagrams at GuitarElectronics ( http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/category/wiringresources/ ) , but none of the HH combinations (each with two 4-wire humbuckers) will provide me with how I want my guitar to function.

I then found this interesting wiring scheme http://www.1728.com/guitar5.htm in which two humbuckers (each is the 4 wire type) gives you many series/ parallel combinations, but always keeping the guitar only in HH mode, and I'm looking to switch to a true single coil mode.

*Essentially, I'm looking to be able to have any combination of two single coils connected in either parallel (for the traditional single coil strat sound) or in series (for the hotter Les Paul humbucker sound). I need a parallel/ series switching option, and I need one volume and at least one tone control.

Okay, if you're still with me, the most simplistic idea I had at first was to create an on/off switch for each of the four pickups, something like the Brian May design in which the only "bad" thing about it is 1)you may have to flick multiple switches during performances and 2) you can't blend the individual pickups. In place of each switch you could use a Volume pot, but I'm not sure if there's something wrong with wiring four 250k pots as volume controls in the same circuit (something else I've not seen in my searching). But if you can do that it would be an advantage over the on/off switches because you can "blend" and still shut off the pickup by turning down the volume knob full. The "bad" thing about the four volume knobs is that it would be hell trying to get consistency dialing in a sound you like, and you'd need space on your pickguard for four knobs. Now where do you put at least one tone pot?

Then, I thought of using a 3-way switch for each single-single (what Lace calls a "dually") combination. Each set could switch:

1. single coil north

2. single coil south

3. both single coils (essentially humbucker mode)

With the two 3-way switches you would need either an on/off switch for each pickup set OR I think you can use another 3-way wired so that up is the neck pickup set, down is the bridge pickup set, and middle is both pickups. Again, I have no clue how to add yet a fourth switch to include parralel/ series options.

Has anybody come across a wiring diagram for two humbuckers or four single coils that would approximate what I'm looking for? Ever see the four volume pot configuration? Some advice?

Edited March 25, 2008 by Petros

[Tim37]

i think your in for a true switch monster i personaly am not oppossed to except you can clutter up a guitar very quickly thats where my liking for wiring and electronics clashes with my liking for clean and simple. anyway http://www.1728.com/guitar.htm has a lot of cool wiring tricks and mods i think you might find page three interesting it has a wiring diagram for a 3 humbucker set up. i don't think you are gonna find an exact wiring diagram so your probably gonna have to make one up good luck and enjoy.

[GregP]

I dunno. Having every single combination possible isn't going to give you the rich variety of sounds you might think it will. I'm a bit more into minimal switches, so my temptation would be to have a global "cut coils" option and then a 3- or 5-way 4-pole (superswitch) to do the rest of the heavy lifting.

[Petros]

...my temptation would be to have a global "cut coils" option and then a 3- or 5-way 4-pole (superswitch) to do the rest of the heavy lifting.

Thanks for your reply, GregP. Can you refer me to a wiring diagram regarding what you're suggesting?

I have yet to receive the pickups in the mail. Lace is supposedly providing a mini-CD with their pickups for what they call all the popular configurations, but who knows what that really means.

Tim37: Would you call Brian May's guitar setup a "switch monster?"

Edited March 18, 2008 by Petros

[Tim37]

yeah its pretty much a switch monster i don't play on stage and never intend too so im not sure but it seems to me that all those switches would get in the way and maybe confusing but i guess it would be ok to have one set up like that to play around with.

[Petros]

The only thing I don't like about switch monsters like Brian May's guitar is that some of the out of phase combinations are redundant and too thin. That's why I don't care much about an in phase/ out of phase switch. However, I do want to be able to somehow switch the pickups from parallel to series. I think with single coils that's how you get them to sound like humbuckers. Now if I can do that and still be able to control whether each pickup is on or not, I think I'll be satisfied. The hard thing for me, not having done many guitar mods myself (Last wiring job I did I installed Bartolini pickups on my Carlo Robelli fretless bass), is trying to understand how the switches can affect the sound without having to get into six or more switches. Remember, for the Lace Duallys that I'm looking to install it's like having 4 single coil pickups.

[Petros]

An all humbucker mode/ all single coil mode that does it with one switch (nice):

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wirin...v_2t_5w_3splits

Problem is it's only for three pickups, which means one of the Lace Duallys would be left out of the circuit. I really like the idea of using the push-pull pot to change from humbucker to single coil mode. I would also use only one tone pot instead of two unless I can get it to fit.

Edited March 25, 2008 by Petros

[Petros]

I'm really amazed though that there's no full wiring diagram for doing this with either two 4-wire humbuckers or 4 single coils like the Duallys. All the websites that draw the individual portion of the circuit without showing all the connections are very unhelpful unless you already know how to wire the rest of the circuit.

Edited March 21, 2008 by Petros

[Petros]

This is where I'm at in the design, which I don't claim to be mine because it's basically Wolf's "Wolf Wire Ultra Strat" available here at http://www.1728.com/guitar2.htm . The diagram below was just redrawn to show the push-pull pot, remove the phase switch, and add the 4th single coil pickup. Remember, I'm using a set of Lace Duallys not two humbuckers.

(Note: Reverse the numbers up there at switch 1)

Switches 1 - 4 are on/off SPST (single pole single throw). This design would allow me to use all the pickups as I mention above in any combination, including an all-on option (though the bridge pickup would not be switchable as either parallel or series). The push-pull switch on the volume pot changes the connection of the pickups from parallel to series.

Q. What I'm most unsure about is how to connect switch 4 as a "bridge on" type switch. Connecting switch 4 to switch 3 in parallel would work (connect point 7 to 5 and point 8 to 6). How would the series connection look ? (Not even sure I would do this given the DC resistance of the set. The bridge pickups are each rated at 13.2K for a total of 26.4K, and the neck pickups are each rated at a little over 6K for a total of 12.1K)

Update: I'm leaning more toward the wiring diagram designed by Wolf here: http://www.1728.com/guitar5.htm

As configured by Wolf, I wouldn't need to loose one of the pickups and I'd only need to have a parallel/series switch for each pickup set instead of having the one switch that puts everything in parallel or everything in series. Guitar circuits are always a compromise!

Edited March 25, 2008 by Petros