Wiring advise needed

[rduke]

Hi all,
Please indulge my naivety!  I've just received my Strat body that I had routed for a H/S/S.  I want to keep the wiring simple and was considering a mini on/on/on switch and a volumn and tone pot.

Several rookie questions.
A). What does having the ability to split the coil on the humbucker do for me?
B).  Why would I want to consider being able to series/parrallel the pickups?
C).  What does having more than one pickup available at a time do for me?

I realize the answers are all related to tone but I was hoping for something simple with regards to my wiring strategy.

Thanks!
Ron

 

[Cagey]

A). What does having the ability to split the coil on the humbucker do for me?

Turns it into a single coil, which dramatically changes its character. But, humbuckers have an inherently higher output so the coils aren't as large as regular single coils, so the output of only one coil can be somewhat weak. Also, it makes it noisy.

B).  Why would I want to consider being able to series/parrallel the pickups?

Again, it changes the character of the pickup, lowers its output, and makes it noisy.

C).  What does having more than one pickup available at a time do for me?

It's yet another way to change the tone, and if you're using all single coils, you can wire multiple pickups in such a way as to make them "noiseless", provided one of them is reverse-wound with a reverse polarity magnet.

 

[Firebird211]

What Cagey said, he knocked it right out of the park.  The only thing I could add is that series/parallel switches come in handy to simmer hot pickups down in parallel setting, then let them go full tilt in series.  As far as pickup combinations, as an example I have seen Fender Strats using all single coils combine neck/middle, middle/bridge because of the noise cancelling properties of them being so close physically, like humbuckers.  If you wanted to do something different you could do neck/bridge, but that noise suppressing character doesn't work, unless they are noiseless singles, or are individual humbuckers.  The sound character of the pickups position changes from the neck, to the middle, and to the bridge, and combining any two of these will give you a little character of both.

 

[rduke]

Thanks for the easy to understand answers.  As I am at the stage where "I don't know what I don't know"  I've been asking as many questions as I can.

Thanks
Ron

 

[Dan025]

Thanks for the easy to understand answers.  As I am at the stage where "I don't know what I don't know"  I've been asking as many questions as I can.

Thanks
Ron

alot of people get excited over haveing many options, well pickup designers make the pickups to sound a certain way, using them in other ways isn't always good. also complicated wireing is a pain to troubleshoot. for a first project the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method is always best. some of us have had experimental guitars the have 10 up to 50or more pickup combinations and most agree that you wind up using fewer than 5. also the traditional ways are always good. the electric guitar has been around over 50 years and things are done a certain way because they have been successful for 50+ years.

 

[richship]

I'd consider one of these for an HSS strat:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Megaswitches/Megaswitch_E-Model.html

With a reverse wound middle pickup, you could get all the positions except the neck single to be hum cancelling.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Thanks for the easy to understand answers.  As I am at the stage where "I don't know what I don't know"  I've been asking as many questions as I can.

Thanks
Ron

What configuration do you have or are you leaning towards?  I've gone crazy with wiring and switches that yield endless combinations only to find that 3 of them sound good or get used often.  Basically, I fall back to what it is prety much standard like a S-S-S or HxH configuration.  But, part of the fun is modding and seeing for yourself.

 

[Firebird211]

Thanks for the easy to understand answers.  As I am at the stage where "I don't know what I don't know"  I've been asking as many questions as I can.

Thanks
Ron

alot of people get excited over haveing many options, well pickup designers make the pickups to sound a certain way, using them in other ways isn't always good. also complicated wireing is a pain to troubleshoot. for a first project the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method is always best. some of us have had experimental guitars the have 10 up to 50or more pickup combinations and most agree that you wind up using fewer than 5. also the traditional ways are always good. the electric guitar has been around over 50 years and things are done a certain way because they have been successful for 50+ years.

I can vouch for this too, since I don't use parallel settings very often, but I do use them.  For a first project I wouldn't go too nut's on wiring, and do a single coil selector for the humbuckers if you must do something. Stick with what works and don't try to reinvent the wheel.