What are my wiring options?

chrishill901

I have two guitars that I want to upgrade the wiring for.

One is a Les Paul (typical 3-way, 2v, 2t) - for this i was thinking of getting an axetec Jimmy Page wiring kit.

The other is a PRS Style guitar - 2 humbuckers, 3-way, 1V, 1T

All I really want from either is a more single coily tone - The PRS style guitar is naturally bright and snappy and twangy (its Alder bodied) and as such I think could sound quite stratty if I split the coils. However! I don't like the idea of introducing the noise of a single coil. I read something saying that having a series/parallel switch can help give you a coil split type tone but it would be noiseless. Would a push/pull for parallel help do this?

If so, is there a way to wire it so that the volume push pull put the neck in parallel and the tone but the bridge in parallel? (for the PRS Style) And if parallel wiring is what I'm after should I forget about the Jimmy Page kit and do the same on the Les Paul? Im not bothered about out of phase. Are there any other fancy tricks that can be done with push pulls? Im fine soldering, I just don't know much about it

Roland

PRS tap their pickups with a push-pull on the tone control. Personally I prefer a push-push because it's quicker to activate. I've several times had a problem gripping the tone knob with sweaty fingers in the short gap between verses. If the guitar is properly earthed and shielded then hum should not be too much of a problem.

You can do the same trick with the Les Paul.  An alternative is used by Washburn.  One of the controls, either tone or volume is replaced by a progressive tap.  There are lots of sub options about having separate taps for each pickup, or dual resistor pots etc, and whichever control you don't replace will need rewiring as the master.

Personally I'd test out the sound of tapping your pickups before wholesale rewiring.  You can do his by running a couple of trace leads out of the control cavity, and connecting/disconnecting as you play.  It would be a shame to buy parts and do a complete rewire, and then not remember what it sounded like before, or worse not liking it.

Megii

This might fit the bill for the PRS...

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3T11_04/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers3-Way-Toggle-Switch1-Volume1Tone003.html

chrishill901

@Megii - that would certainly fit the bill providing parallel would give me the tone i'm after? What do you reckon?

@Roland - Im definitely going push push, dont know why I typed push pull. Neither guitar has any feature like that, so its going to be a full rewire jobby anyway. The Washburn idea sounds good but perhaps an arse on? 

If parallel will give me the tone variant I am after then I wonder perhaps if simply wiring the Les Paul with two push push pots that put each pickup in parallel might be the best option too?

Roland

Parallel coils on a Humbucker doesn't work for me. I tried it on a Les Paul and reverted. My Parker Fly has a parallel setting simply because I had a double throw switch when I rewired, but I only use serial Humbucker and fully tapped single coil.

Megii

Re the parallel vs coil split question - just my personal experience, but I have tried both, and tbh find it hard to tell much difference at all in the tone - both very similar. I think the results do depend somewhat on the type of pickup used, having said that. I have to say I've never got a tone that could be described as very similar to a true single coil, like a strat pickup for instance, from either a coil split, or the parallel wire - more just a case of having a useful, brighter and less heavy kind of tone available. But as I say, I think the type of pickup does have a big influence, and also as you imply, the natural acoustic character of the guitar.

There are various wiring schemes mentioned on the web, which purport to give a better single coil type of tone from a humbucker - for example: http://www.entwistlepickups.com/assets/Humbucker wiring.pdf (see the "partial phasing" bit) but I have to admit I've never tried them. I think @TheGuitarWeasel has something he recommends in this regard also.

chrishill901

I think you've hit the nail on the head really - I'm not after a 'single coil' per se - particularly with the Les Paul im never going to get a strat neck tone out of it... id be better buying a strat. For the Les Paul im after a half way house between my bridge and neck pickup. I like the roundness of my neck pickup for clean parts but it is too full and warm, but the bridge is too bright. Im hoping that a parallel or split neck pickup will give me a rounder neck tone, but a bit thinner and brighter. I use Alnico 2 magnet pickups FYI

As for the PRS Style guitar I feel it will give me exactly what I am after because the acoustic character of the guitar is already half way there

Megii

chrishill901 said:

I think you've hit the nail on the head really - I'm not after a 'single coil' per se - particularly with the Les Paul im never going to get a strat neck tone out of it... id be better buying a strat. For the Les Paul im after a half way house between my bridge and neck pickup. I like the roundness of my neck pickup for clean parts but it is too full and warm, but the bridge is too bright. Im hoping that a parallel or split neck pickup will give me a rounder neck tone, but a bit thinner and brighter. I use Alnico 2 magnet pickups FYI

As for the PRS Style guitar I feel it will give me exactly what I am after because the acoustic character of the guitar is already half way there

I like alnico 2 pickups myself as it happens. Anyway, I think if it was me, I would give the series-parallel switching a go in the PRS - especially if it's important to you to keep the guitar hum-cancelling in all settings. I'm not sure re the Les Paul, although I'd have thought a series-parallel for the neck pickup would certainly be useful. That would give you a choice of two tone settings for the middle position on the 3-way selector too. But I'm not familiar with the Jimmy Page wiring, so I don't know what benefits that might have. Hope you find the right wiring scheme for that one too though.

WezV

Megii said:

Re the parallel vs coil split question - just my personal experience, but I have tried both, and tbh find it hard to tell much difference at all in the tone - both very similar. I think the results do depend somewhat on the type of pickup used, having said that. I have to say I've never got a tone that could be described as very similar to a true single coil, like a strat pickup for instance, from either a coil split, or the parallel wire - more just a case of having a useful, brighter and less heavy kind of tone available. But as I say, I think the type of pickup does have a big influence, and also as you imply, the natural acoustic character of the guitar.

 

I am in agreement.  I have often wired pickups with series/split/parallel switches, but on many pickups  the series/split settings are too similar to really need both

It really does depend on the coil matching in the humbuckers.   If the coils are pretty evenly matched the series/split sounds are quite similar, when the coils are mismatched you get more difference

 

The main choice for these guitars is really whether you want to mix your single/humbucker setting or keep the seperate.

You can do a coil tap on both pickups with one switch, but will need two switches if you want to have bridge humbcuker with single neck or vice versa

you will definitely need two switches if you want parallel options on both pickups (nothing to stop this being on the volume and tone pot for the PRS).  You can't do both pickups on one switch like you can with coil splits.

 

I would get two push/pulls or push/push pots and put them in one fo your guitars.   Wire the bridge switch with the parallel option and the neck with the coil split option.  decide which you like best and then rewire the other switch to match.   then do the same in the other guitar and realise the opposite works best for that one