single coil series wiring question

[tobereeno]

ok, so apparently a RWRP middle pickup is meant to combine with a normal single coil to produce a humbucking combination. But in strat wiring, this combination is parallel, not series.

1) to wire these in series, would that produce an actual humbucker (as one of the coils in a humbucker is RWRP)?

2) what about wiring two identical single coils in series? Humbucking?

and...

3) in a four-conductor SD humbucker, which coil is RWRP? Is it the red/white wired coil?

thanks!

[gorch]

A normal wired single coil and a RWRP single coil create a humbucking combination when wired in series. Look at the Brian May Red Special where series wiring is part of the concept.

Whether or not individual series wired pickups create a humbucker like tone depends on the creation of the pickups. Consider, individual pickups have more space in between them as opposed to humbuckers where coils are sitting next to each other both on one base plate. In addition, second coils on humbuckers typically are created to serve the sound of the main pickup. With two individual pickups both are intended to create their own character.

I have been experimenting a lot with series wiring options and added various solutions to my guitars. They all produce very different sounds that vary on different amps. All solutions in common have that series wiring sound wise adds to the low end. Whereas series inverse wiring typically makes the sound appear to be thinner. The latter appearing to be quite nasal sometimes. All talking about two pickups involved.

With three pickups it gets much more complex as switching combinations are much higher.

[velorush]

1. Yes, but the distance between the coils will provide a sound different from a true humbucker in either position

2. No

3. RWRP is a relative term: reverse wound with respect to what? reverse polarity with respect to what? RWRP pickups (or coils in a humbucker) are termed so as they are reverse wound and reverse polarity with respect to the other pickup(s) or coil in a pickup. That's how the humbucking concept works. Each coil still picks up the 60 Hz hum, but since they are RWRP with respect to each other, the noise picked up is out of phase with that picked up by the other. When these two reverse phase waveforms are combined they cancel each other out.

Here's SD's pickup color codes. This might help if you're experimenting with conventional humbuckers.

The Duncan StagMag is a set of single coil pickups (i.e., magnetic polepieces) combined into a single conventional-humbucker sized pickup.

[tobereeno]

I'm putting a set of Quarter Pound single coils into my JLV TLE. The middle pickup is RWRP, bridge and neck are identical. I could just slap on a standard Strat switch, but I want something a bit...different.

To mimic the typical wiring I have on my guitars, I'd want

1) bridge and middle in series

2) bridge only

3) bridge and neck in series

4) neck only

5) neck and middle in series

The only superswitch that will fit is a single-wafer, so I only have two poles instead of four to play with. The bridge and neck are tappable for lower output, so I have a push-pull pot for that. However...annoyingly, the pickup outputs, not grounds, are what varies the output. It'd be a lot easier if the pickup had two grounds, then I can use a single switch to short out all three pickups to go to the lower output mode. Unless I can find a three-pole push-pull pot

[gorch]

For series wiring it is very important to have the ground wire seperated from the coil wire for every pickup. Try to solder the ground wire to one single point to one pot i.e.

Tell us if what you think about the result. I'd be interested.

[tobereeno]

thanks - I installed a SD Liberator pot, which has very convenient ways of grounding several things to the pot - no more trying to heat the whole damned pot to get something to stick on the case.

now, to puzzle out how to do the wiring on the switch...

[murkat]

"The only superswitch that will fit is a single-wafer,"

Oh, that can be rectified...

[tobereeno]

not without some intricate routing...hopefully two poles should be enough to get that wiring setup I'd like to have.

[murkat]

" not without some intricate routing."

I do not see that as a problem

[gorch]

" not without some intricate routing."

I do not see that as a problem

I've done this on a Standard. The switch is far far away from the cavity. It worked perfectly.

Well, I have amounts of cable in the guitar now that compares to a car.

[tobereeno]

ok...so I'm doubling the middle pickup wires, and then pairing each set with the neck and bridge, respectively. That gives me four leads, and I can then wire the up as if I've got two humbuckers. That covers switch positions 1,2,4,5. The middle one though, I am stuck and cannot figure it out for the life of me.

[gorch]

Try neck-middle reverse.

[dhuber]

I'm putting a set of Quarter Pound single coils into my JLV TLE. The middle pickup is RWRP, bridge and neck are identical. I could just slap on a standard Strat switch, but I want something a bit...different.

To mimic the typical wiring I have on my guitars, I'd want

1) bridge and middle in series

2) bridge only

3) bridge and neck in series

4) neck only

5) neck and middle in series

The only superswitch that will fit is a single-wafer, so I only have two poles instead of four to play with. The bridge and neck are tappable for lower output, so I have a push-pull pot for that. However...annoyingly, the pickup outputs, not grounds, are what varies the output. It'd be a lot easier if the pickup had two grounds, then I can use a single switch to short out all three pickups to go to the lower output mode. Unless I can find a three-pole push-pull pot

I think all my Strat's are Parallel. I don't think you will every get a humbucker sound with single coils on a Strat. I'm guessing having pickups in series would give you more qwack and better tone in the Neck/Middle and Bridge/Middle with more noise. The only thing I've ever custumized on a Strat is a push pull volume knob to use the Neck and Bridge Pickup together.

[tobereeno]

I figured it out, and it works.

1) neck and middle RWRP in series - very thick, and after switching to a .011 cap, pretty decent sounding. I forget off the top of my head what the resistance is, but it's more than a PATB Distortion, something like 24Kohms. Hitting the push pull drops 7Kohms off, and adds a bit more clarity. Surprisingly, it doesn't lose much humbucking, even with crazy gain.

2) neck only, with coil tap to halve the output

3) middle only. I like this sound a lot.

4) bridge only, with coil tap again.

5) bridge and middle RWRP in series, same deal as #1.

It's an interesting setup, although the single coil settings are more useful than the series wiring, although I just had to try it. Would probably work a lot better if I used lower output single coils than the Quarter Pounders I have (basically creating the same thing as a Stag Mag humbucker). The #5 tone is great for silky sounding leads. Will have more time to play with it when I get home.