How does parallel vs. series wiring sound?

[smjenkins]

I'm converting one of my strats to be HH.  I've got a 5-way rotary switch coming and I'll have one volume and one tone pot.  Looking at this site (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/wiring_resources_guitar_wiring_diagrams.2_pickup_guitar_wiring_diagrams/) there are lots of cool wiring options for coil tapping as well as running pickups in parallel. 

Is there somewhere I can find soundclips that highlight the difference in the sound of parallel vs. series?

 

[taez555]

That's so funny you should ask this... I've actually been working (slowly) on making a youtube video to show the difference between series/parallel/single spliting on humbuckers.    Making diagrams to show signal flow and such has been taking longer than I thought.  It might be time to get back on that.

I have 2 of my guitars wired with all it's humbuckers with the S/P/S switches.  I'd say the best way to describe the difference is that parallel basically sounds like a slightly beefer single coil that's humcanceling vs series that is much more compressed.    With dirt it's more like a medium/high gain switch instead of pure single coil vs humbucker sound..    

In this video I switch all around.  Whenever I switch the mini switches, anything in the up(towards the low strings) is series.  Anything all the way down is parallel.  Although a good chunk of the video is splits combined in various other positions (with the bridge always on switch)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVTWSfFNe4Q

Actually this one is much better to hear the difference for parallel/series....
In the intro I'm in parallel on the neck and you can hear the clarity and almost single coilness of the pickups before I switch to the bridge in series.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LB03pPOqvJo&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

Can't imagine building a guitar without them anymore.  I really like having the options and would actually take parallel wiring over single coil if I had to choose.

 

[Johnfv]

...parallel basically sounds like a slightly beefer single coil that's humcanceling... ...would actually take parallel wiring over single coil if I had to choose.

Exactly. I have a number of humbucking pickups installed only with parallel wiring for this reason. I like Strats but prefer a hot bridge position that still retains the essential single coil tone (and of course hum cancelling is great). One of my favorite all time bridge pickups is the Duncan Hot Rails wired in parallel. Wired in series I don't like it so much, it's muddy to my ears. Wired in parallel it's killer...

 

[stubhead]

Having fiddled with a number of guitars using a three-way switch to give me series/parallel/coil-cut, from now on I am only going to wire them for series/parallel. And if a guitar that has series/coil/cut switch should prove irresistible I'll rewire it for series/parallel. Because (ta-dum de-dum):
parallel wiring sound almost identical to a single coil, only bigger, better, there's more of it - and it doesn't HUM.... :toothy10: :hello2: ccasion14: :headbang: ccasion14: :hello2: :toothy10:

I even have Binky, my #1, wired so that it's bridge humbucker has a five-way - series, parallel, front coil, back coil, out-of-phase - but that's a Bill Lawrence L500XL and each single coil alone sounds like a decent, loud Telecaster bridge PU. And together, eeeeeek. But I only end up using three of the positions anyway. And the only reason I ever use a single coil is because it's easier to (quickly) cut the volume from that pickup with a switch than with the volume knob, and that only has any bearing when I've got the other switch - pickup selector between bridge and neck - in the in-between location. And, most people can't figure out how to make that guitar do all the stuff it can do  :icon_scratch: you sort of have to grow up with Gibson's four-knob layout in your history somewhere.

 

[rockskate4x]

For a short time I wired my jb/jazz set with series, parallel, and split options. I hated parallel, at the time because I was expecting single coil attack, which parallel wired humbuggies do not seem to have at all. You guys are making me want to try it again though, since there seem to be other good things about it, even though I wasn't looking for those things at the time I first tried it.  :headbang:

 

[smjenkins]

Thanks for all the data and sound clips.  I'm definitely sold on having a parallel switching option.  What are your thoughts on a wiring plan that runs coils across different humbuckers in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_05/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Rotary-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-05.html) vs running one humbucker in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_04/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Lever-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-04.html)

 

[taez555]

Thanks for all the data and sound clips.  I'm definitely sold on having a parallel switching option.  What are your thoughts on a wiring plan that runs coils across different humbuckers in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_05/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Rotary-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-05.html) vs running one humbucker in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_04/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Lever-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-04.html)

It really depends what kind of sounds you want out of the guitar.  The first one with the coil splits is going to give you more of that strat position 2 and 4 scooped type sound.  The second is straight ahead HH humbucker wiring, except each humbucker now has the ability to be a pseudo single coil by iteself.

 

[smjenkins]

Thanks for all the data and sound clips.  I'm definitely sold on having a parallel switching option.  What are your thoughts on a wiring plan that runs coils across different humbuckers in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_05/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Rotary-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-05.html) vs running one humbucker in parallel like this (http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH5R11_04/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers5-Way-Lever-Switch1-Volume1-Tone-04.html)

It really depends what kind of sounds you want out of the guitar.   The first one with the coil splits is going to give you more of that strat position 2 and 4 scooped type sound.   The second is straight ahead HH humbucker wiring, except each humbucker now has the ability to be a pseudo single coil by iteself.

Makes sense.  Since I play my strats more in position 1 and 5, then the second one makes more sense, right?

 

[taez555]

Makes sense.  Since I play my strats more in position 1 and 5, then the second one makes more sense, right?

Definitely.  If you don't use or like that scooped 2 and 4 sound in the strat anyway, then no point in going that route.   Plus those two split coil positions wired that way on the 5 way won't sound that different.   If you only have 5 positions, why make 2 sound nearly the same?

Having each humbucker independently able to split(parallel) sounds like it'd be much more useful for you.  

I personally really like having the ability to go between series/parallel for my humbuckers by themselves.    Like I said, it's like having a medium gain/high gain switch.   If you're playing some rhythm parts and want to kick it up for lead, bam!! Series.  Want some more clarity and openness, bam!!! downshift to parallel.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Parallel is not as loud (has less output) than series, and also produces a more high-end and perhaps a bit less midrange.