Pickup Configuration

[atifman]

Hello

I have Hum/Sing/Hum combo in Ibanez RG570

I'll be switching out the stock pickups sometime in the future, and i was wondering if i get this setup going in my guitar:

I want to keep the 5 positions i have now

1. neck

2. neck + middle

3. middle

4. bridge + middle

5. bridge

but i want to add on the "John Petrucci Inner Coil of Neck and Bridge Humbucker (humcanceling)" deal with my guitar

Plus i want to add the Emg Afterburner, but I have 2 knobs: 1 vol, 1 tone, and i don't want to necessarily lose them or drill new holes into my guitar.

So how am i going to do this?

The ideal setup for me would be: the EMG-AB works like a tone knob in the off position (or volume), and the other knob i'd use a push-pull pot, and in the up position, it would switch to the JP inner coil position (plus some other positions maybe)

or

Replace the tone knob with a 3 way switch, and then it would be like this:

1. Sounds like Tone knob rolled all the way down

2. Sounds like Tone knob rolled all the way up

3. Inner Coil dealie

and I'd skip the EMG-AB or use the volume knob for a high pass filter with push/pull switch. (the EMG-AB isn't as important to me)

I talked to the EMG tech guy and he said in order to use an EMG-AB as a tone knob i'd have to use a "stacked pot". What's that, a dual concentric knob control pot? I guess I could do that for vol/tone, but like I said, I don't really care about the EMG-AB thing as much as the Coil-splitting function. I'm more interested in that.

So is anything i'm asking for possible? What can I do? Right now, i'm sort of asking if it's even possible, I don't need a wiring schematic.....yet

On a side note, is there a site on the web that explains what the wires from the pickup do? I can sort of follow the schematics (i have a really basic understanding of electronics), but I want learn which wire does what and why guitars are wired like they are; so i can have a better understanding of the pickup wiring in my guitar.

[eiseyrokker]

if you've got the five-way, here's what i would suggest.

Your probably gonna want to wire the switch so that its like this:

1. neck

2. neck single coil

3. Petrucci setup (bridge bucker and neck single)

4. bridge and neck humbuckers

5. bridge

Then, i would replace your volume knob with a concentric pot and run both your volume and tone through that, leaving your other hole open. Then you could use a concentric pot in the old tone hole, run the afterburner through one, and make the other a bleed knob for your middle pickup, so that at 0 its off and you roll it in so that at 10 is all the way on.

This should work if the afterburner does not require some sort of switch to activate it. I'm not sure, but i think if it does you could always have it on and just leave it on 0 for regular play without it. This might be a real battery drain though.

Sorry if I babbled on there, but i think that should work out.

[Myka Guitars]

I am certian it is possible to do what you want with the right switches. I want to use a h/s/h setup soon so I would be working on this anyway. If I make any progress on a schematic I'll post it here.

Here are a couple sites to learn about wiring that have helped me out:

Guitar Nuts

DGB Studio

SK Guitar Specialties

~David

[lovekraft]

The easiest way I can think of would be to wire a DPDT pot to swap the middle pickup for the inner coil on the neck pickup, and wire the 5-way JEM style. You'd get the following combos:

1 Bridge humbucker

2 Bridge inner coil + middle

2A Pull DPDT pot for Bridge inner coil + Neck inner coil

3 Middle

4 Middle + Neck inner coil

5 Neck humbucker

That should give you all the standard SuperStrat sounds and the Petrucci setting you want, and leave your volume and tone controls working normally. You could also use a DPDT pot on the other control to turn the preamp on and off. It keeps thing simple, and you won't have to relearn the controls.

[atifman]

Thanks guys

lovekraft, that sounds great! How would i do that?

About the EMG-AB, it's not a regular push/pull knob.

http://www.emgpickups.com/displayproducts....s&categoryid=32

I don't think it has the leads that a regular DPDT pot has, it has a like a circuit or something. I'm not sure about that though.

I still would want to use it as a tone knob in the off position though.

Is there anything else I could do?

[lovekraft]

This is the basic setup for the JEM switching: JEM777

You make have to copy and paste the link - if you have problems, it's the first wiring diagram on the Jemsite Tech Page. All you have to do is wire the hot wire on the middle pickup and the middle tap (where the two wires connect) on the neck pickup to a switch and connect the output of that switch to the lug that the middle p/u hot wire normally connects to, and position 2 will be your JPM middle sound. You'll have to remember not to use the switch unless you're in position 2. As for the EMG preamp, it's completely bypassed in the off position, so the pot on the board won't do you any good. It'll have to have it's own slot, or you'll have to find a preamp that will work with your volume pot, sorry. HTH, if it's not fairly clear after you look at it, holler back at me, and I'll try to help some more.

[atifman]

sweeeet......

i decided not to go with the Emg-ab, i'll just use my 2 knobs as a high pass filter, and coil tap like Joe Satriani

okay for position 2, i'd have the JPM middle sound

how about the other positions, what other sounds can i get, besides neck HB coil tapped, and Bridge HB coil tapped

[ansil]

http://projectguitar.com/tut/12waymod.htm

hmm all those sounds and more a five way switch and two push pulls

you couldmodify this to do what you wanted it to do.

or if you want email me with what you wanted and i can draw you a custom schematic i just finished someone elses.. on a nother thread

[atifman]

thanks ansil, but i looked at that before, and i couldn't really understand what was going on and what modes you were getting

I also prefer to switch between modes with just my one tone knob, and leave the vol knob for high pass filter

I actually got a cool idea just now

with the tone dpdt knob in the off position, i'd have this:

1: Neck

2: N+M cc

3: Inner Neck + Inner Bridge cc

4: M+B cc

5: Bridge

and with the tone dpdt knob in the on position, i'd have this:

1. Neck single

2. ? (whatever's convenient)

3. Middle

4. ? (whatever's convenient)

5. Bridge single

that way, when the tone knob is down, I'd have all humbuckers and humcanceling sounds. when i pull the tone knob up, i'd get all single coil sounds!

is this possible? is there even a schematic for this already available? 'cause it sounds like something that someone else may have come up with before.

[atifman]

*bump*

[ansil]

since it was bumped i will reply with this.. have you played these settings you are listing.?? not to be rude but alot of them are the same sounding.

i too use the jon petrucci setup but for other reasons. i can get the same sound with just the standard neck and middle pickup when i had a middle pickup.

the whole reason for the petrucci sound was cause he didnt' have a middle pickup then.

not to discourage anyone but after spending countless hours wiring guitars for people and for myself i realized after doing a job that had nearly 100 work hours on it. (dont' ask it was relays and all sorts of crap that i should have never done more than once. but i did it for the cash @ the time) and then i had to turn around and rewire it nearly stock because the guy didn't realized that having 20+ posistions yielded some tones that were too close for paying big bucks for the wiring job.

anyway thought i would drop that piece of advice there, hope i didint' step on anyones toes.

also the diagram is like this.

its a standard 5way switch that has two sets of poles one side switches the coil cutting and rerouting the other is standard pickup selections. but however i do understand wanting to only use one pushpull. thats why i redid it and sent some of the later stuff to brian to see if he liked it enough to post it. that was before the computer crash.

[ansil]

thanks ansil, but i looked at that before, and i couldn't really understand what was going on and what modes you were getting

I also prefer to switch between modes with just my one tone knob, and leave the vol knob for high pass filter

I actually got a cool idea just now

with the tone dpdt knob in the off position, i'd have this:

1: Neck

2: N+M cc

3: Inner Neck + Inner Bridge cc

4: M+B cc

5: Bridge

and with the tone dpdt knob in the on position, i'd have this:

1. Neck single

2. ? (whatever's convenient)

3. Middle

4. ? (whatever's convenient)

5. Bridge single

that way, when the tone knob is down, I'd have all humbuckers and humcanceling sounds. when i pull the tone knob up, i'd get all single coil sounds!

is this possible? is there even a schematic for this already available? 'cause it sounds like something that someone else may have come up with before.

yes it is possible use one of those big ass mega switches and wire up the thing like two parrallel DP5T switches. and have the dpdt push pull switch between the two of them. if i think about it i can try to draw it up for you. or draw it and send it to someone else to draw it better.

[ansil]

lovekraft could you explain this for me if anyone has questions. i think its pretty self explanatory but i could be wrong.

edited note nc is no connection

bcc is bridge coil cutting

ncc is neck coil cutting.

vol is volume control.