Pickup wiring problem

dan77

Hi everyone,

Just received my Tonerider Alnico 4 Bridge pickup today and installed it with a push pull switch into a HSS Jap Strat. Once again a 24hr delivery so well done T'rider CT.

Here's my problem. When I pull the push pull switch the coil closest to the bridge becomes the active coil, yet this is not what I want. I want the inner coil to become active. When I change the red and the green wire around it works great, except that in position 2 the bridge and middle pickups are then out of phase.

What the ****?

I can't figure it out!

What am I overlooking?

AlanRatcliffe

Easy enough. Instead of shorting the two joined wires to earth, you need to short them to the hot. ? So simply remove the earth from the switch and replace it with a wire to the humbucker's output on the switch.

AlanRatcliffe

Oh... and don't swap the red and green...

dan77

Hell Alan, I don't understand you man! Can you simplify your explanation a bit?

If I read you correctly then when the push pull is activated both the Red(hot) and the tap point (middle - white and black) will be connected to the hot lug on the toggle switch? Can this work like that? ???

AlanRatcliffe

Yeah it works. ? If you short the common to earth it shorts out one coil, if you short to hot it shorts out the other coil.

Floydoid

Dan - ALL you got to do is wire the thing like you had it the first time round, then just physically turn the humbucker upside-down and screw it back onto the scratch plate. The pickup wire is more than long enough and it also doesn't care which way is up or down. Works 1000% for me! :woohoo:

AlanRatcliffe

Floydoid wrote: Dan - ALL you got to do is wire the thing like you had it the first time round, then just physically turn the humbucker upside-down and screw it back onto the scratch plate. The pickup wire is more than long enough and it also doesn't care which way is up or down. Works 1000% for me! :woohoo:

Ah, but the two coils do sound different thanks to the different polepieces and the holes in the baseplate under the screw poles. Also, by getting inner coils together, the middle switch setting is still hum cancelling. ?

tonerider

Interesting wiring technique Alan, I've never tried it like that. Got to make a note of this. One is never too old to learn a new trick hey! ?

Floydoid is right about turning the pickup around - I've done this myself on many occasions. Alan is correct though in that there will naturally be some tonal difference if you turn the humbucker upside down, however the question is whether this tiny tonal variance is really THAT important. I suppose its up to the individual to decide.

There is yet a 3rd way DAN77, and this is to return to your first wiring method, and then just to change the wires around on the 2 single coils, re-solder and you're away!

AlanRatcliffe

André Meyer wrote: Interesting wiring technique Alan, I've never tried it like that.

Never wired a 3-way mini toggle as inside coil/series/outside coil? Both pickups on my Sanox are wired like that. A very flexible setup with a possible 15 combinations and a deceptively simple switching system (pup selector and two mini toggles).

One is never too old to learn a new trick hey! ?

Absolutely - I just find they just come fewer and further between these days. ?

tonerider

Alan, I hear you with the mini-toggles and I've been there but its not for me. I prefer a clean "traditional" look on my own guitars. I like to hide all the goodies like preamps and coil-tap stuff. For anyone else I'll do whatever they want and I'll even suggest things that I won't necessarily use myself. ?

dan77

Gee, you guys HAVE been busy!

I've used Alan's method to wire back to the 5way switch. Works just fine - thanks Al! :woohoo:

AlanRatcliffe

dan77 wrote: Gee, you guys HAVE been busy!

I have been known to go on a bit. ?

Works just fine

Good, Good... That's the important bit right there.