Series and Parallel Circuit wiring

[MattSA]

Im still working on my Washburn WM100 with Seymour Duncan pickups. I have searched your wiring diagrams as well as diagrams on the Internet. Im looking for a schematic for 2 humbuckers (neck series-circuit and bridge parallel-circuit), 1 volume pot, 1 coil-tap tone pot. The schematics I have seen have two parallel-circuits with Red, Green, Black, and White leads. Am I to assume red and green are both live leads? Also, can I split the single live lead from the series humbucker to act as the red and green leads like a parallel-circuit?

Thanks,
MattSA

[idsnowdog]

If I am reading you correctly you want to convert a 2-conductor pickup to 4-conductor? All humbuckers have a beginning and end for each coil, so you just solder replacement leads rather than connecting them together to make 2-conductor. As for the diagram you need to be clear what you want each position to do.

[MattSA]

I have a series humbucker (a live lead and a ground lead) in the neck position and a parallel humbucker in the bridge position (four leads). The set up also includes a volume pot and a coil-tap tone pot and a three-way toggle switch. I've checked for diagrams for this type of setup and have found nothing. There are plenty of schemtics for two parallel humbuckers but none for a series and a parallel. Perhaps someone has a link to such a schematic?

MattSA

[AlexR]

You will need to replace the cable of the pickup that has the 2-conductor (centre and braid) if you want to do any splitting or parallel, as it is soldered in series inside the pickup.

I'm a little confused with your wishes. Do you want to have the option of having both pickups having their coils in series/parallel, or the option of having both pickups in series or parallel when the selector switch is in that position (default is parallel)

[ItsaBass]

To clarify:

- You have one pickup with two leads, with the coils wired permanently in series (i.e. normal)?
- The other pickup has four leads, and has the coils wired permanently in parallel (i.e. you don't want series/parallel switching; you just want to leave the coils in parallel all the time)?
- You want the push/pull to split both pickups? Or just the four-lead one?

[MattSA]

I think its the tone coil-tap that is confusing me. I would wire both pickups to the three way toggle - neck humbuker to one position, both humbuckers to one position, and the bridge humbucker to one position. From the switch to the tone pot (which is a coil-tap), and from the tone pot to the volume pot, and volume pot to jack. Does this sound right?

How does the coil-tap affect the sound? I understand how a normal pot regulates the signal - what does the coil-tap do differently?

Thanks,
MattSA

[ItsaBass]

I think its the tone coil-tap that is confusing me. I would wire both pickups to the three way toggle - neck humbuker to one position, both humbuckers to one position, and the bridge humbucker to one position. From the switch to the tone pot (which is a coil-tap), and from the tone pot to the volume pot, and volume pot to jack. Does this sound right?

How does the coil-tap affect the sound? I understand how a normal pot regulates the signal - what does the coil-tap do differently?

Thanks,
MattSA

I still don't know what the heck you are talking about. Just check out those questions I asked above so I can figure out what exactly you are asking. We need a crystal clear idea of what it is you want if we are expected to try and help.

You are coil splitting, not coil tapping, BTW.

[MattSA]

Again:

1. I have a series-circuit humbucker in the neck position - two leads a live and a ground.
2. I have a parallel-circuit humbucker in the bridge position - four leads.

Questions:

1. Should I wire the humbuckers directly to the three-way toggle switch, then the switch to the tone pot, tone pot to volume pot, volume pot to jack?

2. Where do all those leads from the parallel-circuit humbucker go? Obviously one goes to the three-way toggle switch and one is a ground. Are the other two also a live lead and a ground lead that go directly to the tone pot?

3. If the above is correct, what exactly does the dual coil-tap do to affect the signal and how should it be wired?

4. Does anyone have a schemtic for this design? I have checked the popular websites and cannot find one for a series humbucker, parallel humbucker, 1 volume pot, 1 dual coil-tap tone pot, and a three way toggle switch?

Thanks for all the help,
MattSA

[timhatimay]

I think you might be over-thinking this. All humbuckers (including the two you have) have four wires. However, depending on the pickup, they may only bring out a certain combination of leads for you to work with. Example: your neck (wired in series, which is the traditional humbucker wiring) has four wires at the humbucker, but they connected two of the wires internally to the PU, and only brought out 2 leads for you. Your bridge humbucker is the same thing, except they brought all four leads out for you to utilize. You can wire the coils of the pickup anyway you want. You can wire it in parallel or in series. You can also split the coils if you wish. You will not be able to split the coils of your neck humbucker, so if you wish to coil-split it will only work on the bridge PU.

Since you say they are Seymour Duncan PU's then solder the white and red leads together of the bridge. If you want to split then connect the white/red leads to a switch which will ground them in one of the switch positions. If you want to switch the bridge humbucker between parallel and series wiring you can do this as well, but it will be different wiring.

Forget about the PU's wires at the moment, and say exactly what you want. (1 volume, 1 tone, with a switch to split coils?) Then everyone can tell you exactly how to wire it, or tell you that what you want is not possible, etc.

Hope this helps,

Tim

[ItsaBass]

I still have no clear idea what it is that you want. Your descriptions and sentence structures are not making sense to me, and you have not directly answered the questions that were asked in order to clarify what you want. Do you understand the questions? Is there something preventing you from answering them simply and directly?

You are referring to something as a "parallel circuit humbucker" as if it is somehow inherent to the design of the pickup, but it isn't until you wire it to be that way.

You want your push/pull to be a coil split (again, a coil "split" not a coil "tap"). Do you want it to split one or both pickups? If you want it to split both, you need to first convert the neck pickup to a four lead – or at least a three lead – pickup.

Nobody can answer **** about what wire goes where until you state CLEARLY and SIMPLY what it is you want in the end. Don't tell us about this wire or that wire, or how to hook up the pickup switch, or whatever. Just tell us what you want the controls to do.

For example:

- 2xHB
- 1V/1T
- 3-way toggle

Those three I can gather, but the following are cloudy:

- bridge pickup coils wired permanently in parallel, not switchable to series. (I still don't know if this is what you want or not.)
- push/pull tone pot for _________? Splitting both pickups, or just the four wire pickup?

Just take a deep breath and tell us the raw-ass basics of what you want.

[Myaccount876]

I still have no clear idea what it is that you want. Your descriptions and sentence structures are not making sense to me, and you have not directly answered the questions that were asked in order to clarify what you want. Do you understand the questions? Is there something preventing you from answering them simply and directly?

You are referring to something as a "parallel circuit humbucker" as if it is somehow inherent to the design of the pickup, but it isn't until you wire it to be that way.

You want your push/pull to be a coil split (again, a coil "split" not a coil "tap"). Do you want it to split one or both pickups? If you want it to split both, you need to first convert the neck pickup to a four lead – or at least a three lead – pickup.

Nobody can answer **** about what wire goes where until you state CLEARLY and SIMPLY what it is you want in the end. Don't tell us about this wire or that wire, or how to hook up the pickup switch, or whatever. Just tell us what you want the controls to do.

For example:

- 2xHB
- 1V/1T
- 3-way toggle

Those three I can gather, but the following are cloudy:

- bridge pickup coils wired permanently in parallel, not switchable to series. (I still don't know if this is what you want or not.)
- push/pull tone pot for _________? Splitting both pickups, or just the four wire pickup?

Just take a deep breath and tell us the raw-ass basics of what you want.

Lols, exactly.

I think what the person wants is a regular neck pickup, 3 way switch, one master volume, one master tone, and a push-pull on the master tone for the bridge to be split. That would be very simple. To the OP:



Ok, see this? Those red and white wires for the neck pickup are already soldered and taped together in the pickup, so disregard those. Now wire the neck pickup exactly as shown, but ignore the red and white wires.

Now here is what you do for the bridge pickup:



Difference is the black wire from the bridge goes to the switch. Make sense? If not, here is your diagram:



Now if this isn't what you want, don't make us waste our time trying to guess what you want.

[MattSA]

Things are now making more sense. As you can guess I have very little experience working in electronics and wiring and guitar schemtics. Im sorry for the waste of time and confusion.

It looks as if the above schematics will satisfy my needs. When I looked for schematics previously they never connected - taped off - the two middle leads. I actually thought these four external leads were connecter to either the toggle switch or tone pot.

Also when I called the two humbuckers series and parallel I thought I was refering too the number of leads external to the humbucker. I thought a series humbucker was like a single coil pickup, not knowing internal to the humbucker there were four leads in there!

I believe it is the 'splitting' that confused me. This means it will take the leads from a humbucking pickup and allow me to use only one of the coils dependant on position of push/pull tone pot?

Thanks Much!
MattSA