monkey69962000 Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 ok i want to make a pickup. Now this will be a humbucker, but what i want to do is have a switch right on the side to switch it to either single coils, so when i play i an have like a warm tone then go to a brite tone pick up with a flick of a switch. I need help on how to do that f i buy two single coils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nalo1022 Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 this idea is already around its called coil splitting .....you can do it with any 4-wire humbucker and its really simple www.guitarelectronics.com will have schematics for many diffrent ways in wich you can achieve this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 i couldnt realy find it sorry. Can you show me a diagram or a link right to a diagram. Also what type of switch would i nee. an on on on if i want S H S to work on he pickup. S as in single coil and H for humbucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 18, 2004 Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 Humbucker Multi-Sound Wiring Modifications Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 18, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2004 what one would i pick if i wanted to do: Switch position one= top single cil Middle Swithc= humbucker Last switch= bottom single coil sorry im new at this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a bicycle made of anarchy Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 that's a neat idea... how about a HH config with two mini switches and three-way toggle.. three-way works as usual... miniswitches regulate which coil/both coils of each individual pickup are playing. except i never would use the single coil in the bridge position at all.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morben Guitars Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 If you have a humbucker and split the coils, you're not going to hear much differance between the two coils when split...Perhaps in a studio situation, but in your room or on stage? It's not worth it. Just split the north on the neck and the south on the bridge. There are lots of cool things you can do with guitar electronics, but in reality - most people don't use half of it...and the other half all sounds the same That's an exageration...but it's common to want to put as many options as possible into a guitar. I am currently working on a Tele Thinline for a customer that was sick of it's "thin & twangy" sound.. So we're putting a SD Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates in the Neck, a Tele Little '59 in the bridge and giving each their own volume. Now being a big Tele Fan, I wanted him to be able to get that sound back..so the knobs will be push/pull to split the coils, and the tone knob can switch from parallel to series (the pickups, not the coils) for a "turbo boost" when needed. That's about as much as I'd throw into a guitar... Jimmy Page's guitar tech once went on and on about the crazy electronics he had in his LP...then finished the interview by saying that no one could tell the differance..ha.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 If you have a humbucker and split the coils, you're not going to hear much differance between the two coils when split... I agree, but there is a marked difference when both pickups are used together - There is a definite difference between the two outside coils in series and the two inside coils (also in series), on stage or anywhere else. I wire all my dual humbucker guitars so they have those options - it gives you two more usable sounds for the price of a 4-pole 5 way switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morben Guitars Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 I agree with that as well, however I prefer the LP type switch, which would mean more switches...and I hate extra switches... Just curious, do you arrange the switch like this? 1: Neck 2: Outer Coils in Series 3: Neck & Bridge Parallel 4: Inner Coils in Series 5: Bridge Do you normaly wire in a way to play both HB's in Series? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Yes, that's my setup, and I only recently discovered the hums in series thing when I was trying to get a Brian May sound, so I haven't played with it extensively, but the sounds I have heard show promise for Old School Hard Rock/ Metal tones. I'm kinda torn between the idea that you should have all the options available, and the nightmare of trying to remember which switch does what in a dark club after a couple of beers, so the 5-way is probably as far as I'd push it, but I think a push-pull pot for that center position might get you the series/parallel option - I'd have to draw it out to be sure, I often miss obvious problems when I do this stuff in my head. It's like a Vari-tone- I love those sounds, but I don't use them enough to memorize the different switch and pickup combos that sound good. Like you said, in the studio it's great, but I'm not doing much recording these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
68 lost souls Posted July 19, 2004 Report Share Posted July 19, 2004 Hey Im trying an ultimate selection mod, well when I say Im rying it I mean I thought of doing it a guitar and someone is very kindly drawing schematics for me. Its a hsh setup with a normal strat style 5way selector N NM M MB B With a neck on so it has N NM NMB MN NB Then it has a series and a phase switch for neck bridge postions. It has 6 pots with tapping and splitting push pull pots for the pups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 ok here is the thing. Its an humbucker that i am creating for my guitar teacher. He is the coolest. He gave me so many ideas of what he wants to see that noboyhas done. i am not going to mention all though because i want to do them first. Now i want to make the pickup have a Noth pickup humbucker South pickup arrangment on any single humbucker. So can anyone show me how i can take 2 single coils, turn them into a humbucker and then make the mini toggle for the set up i want. I know the site has it but i cant get the site because of my computer. Now i know there is also other threads about the humbucker but i really want to know how to do it step by step. I dont know what wire is which. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 You're re-inventing the wheel here - take a look at the page I linked to earlier in the thread: Humbucker Multi-Sound Wiring Modifications To make a pair of single coils humbucking, all you have to do is make sure one is reverse wound ( in relation to the other), and wire them either in series or in parallel. The amount of hum rejection will depend on how close the coils are matched. As for which wire is which, manufacturers use a proprietary color code - check out this chart: Color Codes That should be enough info for you to either ask specific questions or do what you want to do. If you understand the concepts, it's pretty simple to wire something up, and if you don't, it's pretty near impossible to do custom designs. Print out copies of both those Guitar Electronics pages, read (or re-read) and absorb both, and you should be able to do it with ease. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 how do you get the fifth wire, and how do you put two single coils first to make the humbucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 how do you get the fifth wire...I'm guessing you mean the shield - that's part of the cable you install when you make the pickup. It hooks up to the ground plane of the pickup to lower the noise. and how do you put two single coils first to make the humbucker. Try this: To make a pair of single coils humbucking, all you have to do is make sure one is reverse wound ( in relation to the other), and wire them either in series or in parallel. If that's not clear enough, I don't know how to make it any simpler. Maybe someone with more insight can help you. I simply don't think you know enough about pickups, magnets and basic electricity to successfully wind a good pickup, but I would be delighted if you'd prove me wrong. If you'd like specific information on winding pickups, I'd recommend Jason Lollar's book - his website also has some info on bobbins, etc. There's also a thread on pickup making in the tutorial section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 no i know all about pickups but what i want to do is take 2 fender single coils, and make them into a humbucker. Do i need to run 2 bar magnets on the bottome of them like others have done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bell Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 how do you get the fifth wire, and how do you put two single coils first to make the humbucker. I think once you have wound a few sets of single coils the answer to this question will become clear. no i know all about pickups but what i want to do is take 2 fender single coils, and make them into a humbucker. Do i need to run 2 bar magnets on the bottome of them like others have done. A humbucker is not just two single coils stacked side by side. If you take two fender single coils and try to make them into a humbucker they won't fit properly and you will potentially have polarity and wiring problems. A single is bigger than half a humbucker and both singles will have magnets that have to be correctly alligned in order to acheive hum cancelling. In a humbucker both coils are usually identical (in terms of DC resistance, number of turns, wire gauge, etc.) however if you just take two single coils it is very unlikely that they will be identical (bridge, middle and neck singles usually have a different number of turns) so even if you did get it assembled and wired it wouldn't be totally hum cancelling. As I've said before wind a single coil pickup first - you will be surprised how difficult it is to get a decent result. Once you can wind a competent single coil try something a bit more ambitous. There is nothing wrong will coming up with new ideas but I think you might be trying to run before you walk. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 20, 2004 Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 no i know all about pickups but what i want to do is take 2 fender single coils, and make them into a humbucker. You may take two single-coil pickups and mount them next to one another, and run them in series - this will give you a lower resonant frequency (or "warmer tone"), more like a humbucker. If one of the pickups is wound in reverse, like many Strat middle pickups are, they will also exhibit the hum-cancelling effect to some degree, depending on how well-matched the two coils are. As Jon Bell has already noted, the result will not fit into a standard humbucker case, and the sound of it is anybody's guess. I'd suggest that you start there - wind a pair of identical single-coils with the winding reversed on one, get them working individually, and then try wiring them in series to see if that's what you want. If not, then you can start adding magnets or whatever to tweak it into what you want. And forgive me for saying so, but all of this should be obvious to somebody who knows "..all about pickups...". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 20, 2004 ok well lets say i get a humbucker. How do i get the shield wire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 I do know a lot. The only thing that you guys are saying new to me is that the pickups on a fender wont fit into the standerd humbucker slot. Now what i am complaining about is that some body told me that if i take 2 single coils (identical) that are wound opposite, then you also need to add a magnet to the bottom of the 2 single coils in the opposite direction. Is that true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovekraft Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 ...some body told me that if i take 2 single coils (identical) that are wound opposite, then you also need to add a magnet to the bottom of the 2 single coils in the opposite direction. Is that true... No. A pair of single coil pickups wired correctly will reject hum if one is reverse-wound, period. They don't even have to be next to one another, but can be as far apart as the bridge and middle pickups in a Strat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bell Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 To make a humbucker wind two identical coils. Humbuckers use two bobbins, which are usually wound in the same direction, however the path to ground must go in opposite directions as shown below. If we labeled the start of each coil A and the end B. Ground -> Coil 1 A -> B -> Coil 2 B -> A -> Hot The poles on coil 1 need to be north and on 2 south (or visa versa). The fifth wire, the shied wire, is soldered to the metal baseplate present on a humbucker. A pair of singles wouldn't have a baseplate so it'd be an idea to build one - it gives a base to hold everything togther too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 ok thanks that helps sorry for the grouchiness i took a 2 hour bike ride in Los Angeles heat. Now i am getting a Duncan. Now the shield wire is soldered to the plate?? what plate. a pic please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Bell Posted July 21, 2004 Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 Its the metal thing at the bottom of a humbucker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey69962000 Posted July 21, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 21, 2004 i think i know what your talking about but a pic please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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