Les Paul Wiring Question...

John_BlackWolf

Hi guys

I'm trying to find out if the following is possible, and if not, a similar alternative?

1 x Humbucker Bridge - 4 Conductor

1 x P90 Neck - 2 Conductor - RW/RP

2 Volumes

2 Tones (With Push/Push switch)

3 Way Toggle Switch

Toggle Position Down - Bridge Tone Switch Off = Bridge Humbucker

Toggle Position Middle - Bridge + Neck Tone Switch Off = Outside Coil Of Bridge Humbucker + Neck P90

Toggle Position Up - Neck Tone Switch Off = Neck P90

Toggle Position Down - Bridge Tone Switch On = Bridge Coil Split (No preference to coil)
Toggle Position Middle - Bridge + Neck Tone Switch On (Or 1 off) = Inside Coil Of Bridge Humbucker + Neck P90

I hope you can get the jist of what I'm after. Any thoughts guys?

ICBM

Not possible.

You can't get automatic coil splitting for the bridge humbucker with the toggle switch in the middle position - you need to do it with the push-push.

A push-push is pointless for a P90 - it's a single coil - unless you want to phase-reverse it.

It does matter which coil you split the bridge humbucker to, both for tone (they sound quite different) and if you want the middle position to be hum-cancelling. You can arrange that to be so, but if you want that *and* to use the inside coil of the humbucker, you may need to use a RWRP P90 (I can't remember which way round they usually are).

The best options look like being to use a push-push for both splitting the humbucker and choosing which coil you get. I'd probably use the bridge pickup volume for the split and the tone for which coil, to make the most logical sense.

John_BlackWolf

ICBM said:

Not possible.

You can't get automatic coil splitting for the bridge humbucker with the toggle switch in the middle position - you need to do it with the push-push.

A push-push is pointless for a P90 - it's a single coil - unless you want to phase-reverse it.

It does matter which coil you split the bridge humbucker to, both for tone (they sound quite different) and if you want the middle position to be hum-cancelling. You can arrange that to be so, but if you want that *and* to use the inside coil of the humbucker, you may need to use a RWRP P90 (I can't remember which way round they usually are).

The best options look like being to use a push-push for both splitting the humbucker and choosing which coil you get. I'd probably use the bridge pickup volume for the split and the tone for which coil, to make the most logical sense.

Thanks for the reply.
The P90 is RWRP.

I don't quite understand the relevance of some of what you have said. The two tone controls will have a push/push switch attached to each. The neck tone Switch wouldn't be to switch the neck P90...I know that can't happen.

So, I have 2 Push/Push switches (regardless of what pot position I use them for) could these 2 switches be wire'd/configured to split the bridge pickup, one to select the outside coil, the other to select the inside coil? That would pretty much give me what I'm after selection wise, but what would happen when both switches are engaged?

*Edit* Looks like I'm going to have to do what you said at the bottom of your post, but with the 2 tone controls. I was hoping I'd be able to set the Switches and go from full humbucker bridge, to split humbucker and p90, to just p90 using only the 3 way toggle.

ICBM

No, you can't do that.

Basically the standard 3-way toggle is a very simple switch - all it does is open one contact in each of the side positions, so it can only be used to turn one thing off at once, it can't turn on the neck pickup and split the bridge at the same time in the middle position.

The RWRP for the P90 doesn't actually make much difference if you want to be able to split to either coil of the humbucker - it will be hum-cancelling with one of them and not with the other.

I also prefer to use push switches for tone controls, because the tapers of the pots often aren't very nice for volumes, but it may seem odd for the neck pickup tone control to do something to the bridge pickup - although it will work, since the pot and switch parts are completely separate.

John_BlackWolf

Thanks for the advice!

Just need to get hold of a damned wiring diagram now!

ICBM

Really simple, it's exactly the same as a normal Les Paul apart from the push-switches. The first push-switch connects the coil split wires to the second push-switch, which then connects to either ground or the humbucker hot connection.

John_BlackWolf

I've just found out about free way switches, Could I get all the tonal options and lose the 2 push/push pots?

http://www.freewayswitch.com/products/products.html

Cheers

ICBM

John_BlackWolf said:

I've just found out about free way switches, Could I get all the tonal options and lose the 2 push/push pots?

http://www.freewayswitch.com/products/products.html

Cheers

Yes… I think so. Looking at the PDF for the 3X3-03, I *think* you can get all the combinations you want - I'll need to work it out! Or you could try emailing the company and see if they already have.

John_BlackWolf

In the 3X3-05 PDF, there is a diagram for 1 humbucker + 1 single coil. Would it be easier to modify this diagram for 2vol + 2tone?

ICBM

John_BlackWolf said:

In the 3X3-05 PDF, there is a diagram for 1 humbucker + 1 single coil. Would it be easier to modify this diagram for 2vol + 2tone?

Not easy, no. Even working out exactly what it's doing isn't that easy! It's also giving you a series option in one of the positions, which is probably more complicated than you need.

I think it might be easier to reverse-engineer the 3X3-03, but at the moment my head hurts from looking at it ).

See if you can contact them and explain what you want, there may be something they have worked out already.