Suggest wiring for single pickup Tele with 3 way switch

[paulnb57]

My partscaster Tele has a single bridge humbucker and 3 way switch, suggest a way to use the 3 positions on the switch to best advantage, without adding more switches or pull pots, taking into account that although I can solder OK I'm an electronic retard, explain as if to a small child!

Cheers!

Paul

[verhoevenc]

You've really only got a couple of options no matter what:

1- Humbucker in series (standard)

2- Kill switch position

3- North coil

4- South coil

5- Humbucker in parallel

6- Humbucker out of phase

Pick 3.

Chris

[Japfenfan]

You could use the switch to change capacitor value, making the pickup sound darker or brighter.

[curtisa]

6- Humbucker out of phase

Phase reversal on a single pickup will have zero effect unless you have another pickup in that guitar to combine with. Humans can't hear phase shifts in a single source unless there's something to compare the phase shift against.

Switchable filter capacitors (for tone shaping) or a series/split/parallel switch would be my vote.

Edit: Probably also worth mentioning that the switch you have in your guitar (or want to install in your guitar) will have an impact on what switching options are achievable.

[verhoevenc]

You can phase a humbucker because it IS two sources. Two coils. You're stuck with the magnetic direction of each pickup, but by all means you're welcome to change the coil direction in one. Phase is a combination of polarity and wind direction. In phase is where both are opposing: ie: a humbucker where one coil is north, one is south, one wraps left, one wraps right. In phase. Change just one thing, say, coil direction in one coil, and you're out of phase.

Which reminds me, he could also do series out of phase or parallel out of phase.

Chris

[Tim37]

I like japfenfans suggestion.

[curtisa]

You can phase a humbucker because it IS two sources. Two coils. You're stuck with the magnetic direction of each pickup, but by all means you're welcome to change the coil direction in one. Phase is a combination of polarity and wind direction. In phase is where both are opposing: ie: a humbucker where one coil is north, one is south, one wraps left, one wraps right. In phase. Change just one thing, say, coil direction in one coil, and you're out of phase.

Which reminds me, he could also do series out of phase or parallel out of phase.

Chris

My apologies, I assumed you were talking about phase-reversing the whole pickup.

Changing the phase of one coil in the humbucker is another option (whether series or parallel-connected), although you may find that it sounds pretty unpleasant. Both coils being in nearly the same position relative to the string while being out of phase with each other will result in a lot of signal cancellation - it will probably sound quite weak and thin in comparison to the full humbucker sound, or even a straight-out single coil.

Perhaps the OP could try some of these suggestions with the pickup. De-solder the pickup from any existing switches/pots and separate all the pickup conductors. Start combining the conductors in various ways using temporary solder connections, or twisting wires together, to find out which 3 sounds he'd like to implement on the switch.

[verhoevenc]

No one ever said it'd sound good

Chris