ESP LTD...

Rollin_Hand

I haven't had this guitar very long barely 2 months, second hand off a friendly Ebay fellow & was a bargain.
Anyways there's a mini switch pictured below.

http://i63.tinypic.com/1zmgg12.jpg

Excuse me for being a bit dim but I think it splits the pup from humbucker to single coil but I'm not sure?
Please could someone tell me what each switch position does & to which pickup?
If this is true it will make this guitar incredibly versatile, I mean humbucker & single coil in one wow!!!
Btw, I don't intend to go out & sell my Fender Telecaster... just yet. Ha ha
So for now I'll leave it with you guys & thanks.

I forgot to say, it's a PB401 if that needs to be known?

RH;

hassleham

The specs on google say that it switches between p90, humbucker or singlecoil modes.

DiscoStu

Your guitar has Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickups. Each pickup has a P90 and a Rail single coil in it, the mini switch is for toggling between them as @hassleham pointed out. So you can choose the P90, both (humbucking mode), or the Rail.
It's a great pickup.

usedtobe

Cool! I like it!

Rollin_Hand

That all sounds great, but errr...how do I know which position is which, if you catch my drift?

darthed1981

DiscoStu said:

Your guitar has Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickups. Each pickup has a P90 and a Rail single coil in it, the mini switch is for toggling between them as @hassleham pointed out. So you can choose the P90, both (humbucking mode), or the Rail.
It's a great pickup.

Does one have to do surgery to route for the switch if fitting these on an LP?  I'd assume yes?

Rollin_Hand

The thing is I don't know what a P90 sounds like compared to a humbucker I've only ever had
  single coil guitars. What I'm trying to say is "when the switch is down, is that P90?" "when in the middle, is that
  humbucker?" & so on.

DiscoStu

Rollin_Hand said:

The thing is I don't know what a P90 sounds like compared to a humbucker I've only ever had
  single coil guitars. What I'm trying to say is "when the switch is down, is that P90?" "when in the middle, is that
  humbucker?" & so on.

Try tapping the coils with a plectrum with the switch in each position. If you get a loud tap through your amp, that part of the pickup is on. If you get a quiet or silent signal in comparison, the pickup is off. Your neck pickup is reversed compared to the bridge. 

DiscoStu

darthed1981 said:

DiscoStu said:

Your guitar has Seymour Duncan P-Rails pickups. Each pickup has a P90 and a Rail single coil in it, the mini switch is for toggling between them as @hassleham pointed out. So you can choose the P90, both (humbucking mode), or the Rail.
It's a great pickup.

Does one have to do surgery to route for the switch if fitting these on an LP?  I'd assume yes?

If you want a switch then yes you'll need to drill a hole for it somewhere. 
The alternative - and the way I did it - is to buy the matching Triple Shot mounting ring which contains microswitches for toggling between the options.

https://www.seymourduncan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/P-Rails-with-Triple-Shot-arched-Set-Black.png

Funkfingers

DiscoStu said:
you can choose the P90, both (humbucking mode), or the Rail.

There is a fourth permutation; both coils in parallel. I prefer this to the sound of the Rail coil.

Rollin_Hand said:

how do I know which position is which?

The mode switch on the ESP/LTD Potbelly guitar offers single/series/single. The Rail coil is the one that sounds a bit thin and weedy.

darthed1981 said:

Does one have to do surgery to route for the switch if fitting these on an LP?

It is possible to flip between all four coil permutations per P-Rails pickup by using push-pull pots. 

One option is to use two push-pull pots to govern the mode status of both P-Rails pickups simultaneously. The other option is to have independent control via four push-pull pots.

The alternative is the Seymour Duncan Triple Shot humbucker mounting surrounds, as illustrated in DiscoStu's post above.

Installing the surrounds requires great care. There is a computer-type ribbon connector between the two PCBs in the Triple Shot. Rough handling can result in breakages at the ends of these connectors. Resoldering repairs would require they patience of several saints.

darthed1981

Thanks for the info love the idea of having these in a guitar