please educate me on single coil pups

[big bob]

If you decide you don't like the sound, you could always put a series switch in, then you've got slightly unusual humbuckers. Easier than finding a replacement for those, I'd think.

THATS a great idea, easy and wierd! and easily reversible too.

how would that be done...

 

[tfarny]

Simplest way is just a switch (maybe a push pot) to set the middle pup as the south coil on either the neck or the bridge, depending on what's selected. You're sending the hot from the middle pickup into the grounds of the other two pickups when the switch is on. Then the 'middle only' #3 selection on your standard strat switch becomes just silence, #1 & #2 become neck bucker, #3 and #4 become bridge bucker. Both of my strats have that option, one as a switch and one dials in from a tone pot. No guarantees on the quality of the resulting HB, but it is a strong, midrangey, and hum canceling tone on my strats.
I'm at work right now but i could draw you up something if you can't find a diagram in the usual spots.

 

[big bob]

this is what the previous owner has told me about the dials

i figured out the switching on this guitar! well...pete did....LOL

ok....

toggle in the up (while playing) position = neck pup only
" " " down position = bridge pup only
" " " middle position = bridge + neck pup

toggle in the up position w/ back pot pulled up = neck + middle pup
toggle in the down position w/ back pot pulled up = bridge + middle pup
toggle in the middle position w/ back pot pulled up = neck + middle + bridge pups

the last pot is just an on/off/vol for the middle pup...pretty sweet though

 

[MUYFUE]

see, not I'm confused. that's a very cumbersome set of options...
I like me a good 'ol 3 way switch.

 

[tfarny]

You could get a series push pull into that setup without difficulty, in fact you could even set it up so the existing push pot sends the middle in series instead of parallel, that way the switching wouldn't get any more complicated than it is.

Pot down: Neck / neck bridge parallel / bridge (same as now)
Pot up: neck  mid series / neck bridge parallel with the middle feeding into both (half series? dunno how to call it) / bridge middle series. Basically your les paul switching, more or less.

If you're normally a HB guy that's one you might consider. If I did that, I'd also change the middle volume to a master tone pot. You could have a VVT setup, get you closer to a les paul wiring job.

 

[big bob]

that sounds cool, where can i find schematics. I think series would be cool, it's my favorite setting on the guitar with p-rails.

 

[tfarny]

Hope that's legible, it should work but it would be great to have some extra eyes double check it.  Pot / cap values, whatever you prefer. This gives you independent volumes - when you turn one down the other stays on, like a jazz bass. To get the Les Paul situation where turning down one volume silences both pickups, swap the lugs on the volume pots.

 

[tfarny]

Oops - add a ground to the output jack ground, of course.

 

[big bob]

I may just have to give this a try..

 

[Justinginn]

I've got series wiring in my strat, similar pickup configuration to yours. I personally don't find it to be a tone I use enough. It doesn't really feel like a humbucker to me, more like an extra-thick, oftentimes muddy single coil. It might be worth a try but at least in my case it wasn't life-changing. It's mostly just cool to have a million different options.

 

[tfarny]

I agree, two strat pups in series are not the same sound as a nice PAF, but you may like it. I do use mine sometimes.