Neck On Switch

Kalcium · 2011-08-31T11:53:00+00:00

Hi guys, Im thinking of adding a neck on switch when I mod my squier sometime soon and I was just wondering whether I should get a DPDT Push Pull to change t...

Neck On Switch

Kalcium

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: It's not a neck on switch, but a phase. What makes you say the pickups will be out of phase anyway? The Tele design is good already. If it's because it's noise cancelling in the middle, that doesn't mean the pickups are OOP too - one pickup coil is reverse wound, but the magnet polarity is also reversed, so it stays in phase with the other pickup.

If you want flexibility, one thing you might consider doing is fitting a four-way switch, which gives you one extra sound - neck and bride in series, which is more powerful.

I should have been more clear, I'm talking about a neck on switch for a strat...from my understanding the neck is 1 way and the middle the other and then the bridge is the same way as the neck to get humcancelling in positions 2 and 4, but that would mean you wouldn't get hum cancelling with the neck and bridge together and Im assuming this makes them out of phase? Cause I accidentally wired the bridge and middle pickups out of phase and got a really thin sound in position 2 which im assuming is similar to what i would get if i have the neck and bridge together...

Norman86

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:neck and bride in series, which is more powerful.

Wouldnt parallel be more powerful?

Malkav

A bit of topic but when I saw the thread title I thought you were looking to install a switch that made your guitar's neck dettach and reattach...Then I thought of this:

AlanRatcliffe

Kalcium wrote: that would mean you wouldn't get hum cancelling with the neck and bridge together and Im assuming this makes them out of phase?

No it doesn't. All the pickups are in phase with respect to the signal. A RWRP middle pickup is reverse polarity, but it's reversed both electrically and magnetically, which means the signal output is in phase (because it is effectively reversed twice), but it is hum cancelling when combined with one of the other pickups (because hum only involves the coils, not the magnets, so is reversed only once and cancels).

Norman86 wrote: Wouldnt parallel be more powerful?

No. In series the power adds together. In parallel it averages out between the two. Humbucker coils are in series, if that helps.

Attila

this config might be helpfull .... works for me

I installed the pickups with a Volume DPDT switch. When the switch is pushed up, the first position of the 5 position switch plays the neck pickup in series with the bridge pickup. The next position plays the neck and middle pickups in parallel with the bridge pickup in series. Middle position plays the middle pickup in series with the bridge pickup. All pushed-up positions use the bridge tone pot, which uses a .01uf cap. The nonstandard pickup configurations are great with more presence.

slyd

So. . . .why. . . .do want this switch . ? ?

AlanRatcliffe

To get Neck + Bridge or all three pickups on a Strat. If you like switch positions 2 & 4, you'll like these two settings.

I have my strat wired so position 3 is "all three on" and I basically live on it. The "Ratocaster" I made (Strat with a Tele bridge and bridge pickup - now owned by Sean) had bridge and neck in position 3 for a more Tele like tone.

Kalcium

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Kalcium wrote: that would mean you wouldn't get hum cancelling with the neck and bridge together and Im assuming this makes them out of phase?
No it doesn't. All the pickups are in phase with respect to the signal. A RWRP middle pickup is reverse polarity, but it's reversed both electrically and magnetically, which means the signal output is in phase (because it is effectively reversed twice), but it is hum cancelling when combined with one of the other pickups (because hum only involves the coils, not the magnets, so is reversed only once and cancels).

Oh ok, so if I have neck + bridge then the coils would be the same way round and wouldn't hum cancel but as far as the sound goes the pickups will be in phase?

AlanRatcliffe

Kalcium wrote: Oh ok, so if I have neck + bridge then the coils would be the same way round and wouldn't hum cancel but as far as the sound goes the pickups will be in phase?

Exactly that. Yes. ?

Kalcium

Alan Ratcliffe wrote:
Kalcium wrote: Oh ok, so if I have neck + bridge then the coils would be the same way round and wouldn't hum cancel but as far as the sound goes the pickups will be in phase?
Exactly that. Yes. ?

Woot! Thanks Alan! I guess the only other question then would be, series or parallel? The net seems to advertise the series version as being the tele sound but teles are wired for parallel in the middle position aren't they? Must admit from the few clips I've heard i think I prefer the ~~series~~ parallel wiring... is sounds more articulate

AlanRatcliffe

Definitely parallel - series is nice if you want power a la humbucker, but parallel is brighter and yes - more articulate, just like a Tele should be. Works best if your bridge pickup is a bit hotter than the neck - just like on a Tele.

Kalcium

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Definitely parallel - series is nice if you want power a la humbucker, but parallel is brighter and yes - more articulate, just like a Tele should be. Works best if your bridge pickup is a bit hotter than the neck - just like on a Tele.

Thought so... I guess that would require a bit more wiring than just having a switch the moves the neck pickup to the always on position though.

Kalcium

Would this put the neck in parallel with all positions or in series?

AlanRatcliffe

Parallel.

Kalcium

Ah! Then I'm all set! Thanks very much ?