Pls decipher this wiring diagram

LionAquaLooper

I'm hoping the gurus on this forum can help.  I'm wiring up 2 humbuckers to a 5 way switch and I picked this up from Seymour Duncan's website.  It's nothing special but it doesn't say what configurations it gives.

https://postimg.cc/dhL5z9cK

Top of the diagram says "with coil split" and I'm assuming positions 1 and 5 are bridge and neck buckers on their own respectively.  But doesn't say what 2,3 and 4 are.

Thanks in advance! 

Sesh

It gives bridge humbucker, both humbucker, neck humbucker, both split, bridge split.
(I think) 

ICBM

Sesh said:

It gives bridge humbucker, both humbucker, neck humbucker, both split, bridge split.
(I think) 

Yes. (Going from bridge position to neck position on the switch.)

I assume that's a mistake - which is common on Duncan diagrams now - since it would obviously be far better to swap the coil-split wires from both pickups so it gives the split neck in the neck position, not the split bridge.

There's another, in my opinion better, scheme too - wire it as if it's a standard Telecaster 3-way, with the switch rotors to the pickups and the four switched terminals to the volume pot. Then connect the two unused terminals at each end to the 'opposite' humbucker coil splits - this gives:

Bridge humbucker
Bridge humbucker + split neck
Both humbuckers
Neck humbucker + split bridge
Neck humbucker

- which is more logical to use.

Sporky

I'd always go Superswitch for 5-way with two 'buckers - far more interesting combinations available then.

Neck series
Neck parallel
Inner coils series
Outer coils parallel
Bridge series

...fer instance. Though I think you have to turn one pickup around to do that.

LionAquaLooper

Thanks all for your advice.  Yes I've seen some diagrams with a superswitch but I'm trying to avoid it for now because I think I can get what I want from just a simple 5 way blade.

@ICBM - so to correct the mistake on the diagram, would I basically just need to swap the red and white wires from the humbuckers to where they're soldered on the switch?  You're right that it's more sensible to have split neck at the neck position and this is what I'd like.

Should that then result in:

1 - Bridge HB
2 - Both HB
3 - Neck HB
4 - Both Split
5 - Neck Split

ICBM

LionAquaLooper said:

@ICBM - so to correct the mistake on the diagram, would I basically just need to swap the red and white wires from the humbuckers to where they're soldered on the switch?  You're right that it's more sensible to have split neck at the neck position and this is what I'd like.

Should that then result in:

1 - Bridge HB
2 - Both HB
3 - Neck HB
4 - Both Split
5 - Neck Split

Yes, exactly.

If I'm remembering correctly about the colour coding on Duncans, that should also result in the neck-side coil of the pickups being active when split, ie the screw coil of the neck pickup and the slug coil of the bridge pickup - which is both hum-cancelling, and closer in tone to a Tele middle position than if the bridge is also split to the screw coil.

Sporky

LionAquaLooper said:

Thanks all for your advice.  Yes I've seen some diagrams with a superswitch but I'm trying to avoid it for now because I think I can get what I want from just a simple 5 way blade.

There is much wisdom in that approach.

Sesh

Am I right in thinking that taking the bridge green wire off the back of the pot and attaching it to the BO on the switch (vacant lug on to right of switch), and then bridging B1 to B2, it gives bridge and neck as single coils in series in position 5? This would be in phase, but not hum cancelling? And doesn't ruin everything else? 

Funkfingers

ICBM said:

I assume that's a mistake - which is common on Duncan diagrams now 

IMO, the SD schematic is the way they intended it to be BUT the circuit itself is ill-advised.

The only advantage of the circuit is that it offers Bridge + Neck from a basic five-way switch rather than a Superswitch.

ICBM's wiring suggestion resembles the modern PRS Custom circuit.

Sporky's suggestion is easily achieved with a 2502N selector switch. Its PCB tracks handle all of the fancy coil permutations.

andy_k

I was just looking for something like this, but in my case I only have a braided single core Gibson pickup in the neck position, with a 5 way and a 4 conductor in the bridge, on a tele plate, so I guess my options are somewhat limited here?
I was hoping to find more ideas out there - but stumbled on the same 2 SD diagrams, which aren't a lot of help if they are wrong anyway.

Funkfingers

Earlier this century, SD Inc. contracted a graphic design firm to revamp the schematic diagrams section of their website. Unfortunately, the revised diagrams were not rigorously "proof read" prior to publication. Consequently, some of them are correct whilst others include small but significant errors.

To somebody well-versed in following guitar wiring illustrations, this inconsistency is surmountable. To the average noob, it is extremely unhelpful.

andy_k said:

I only have a braided single core Gibson pickup in the neck position, with a 5 way and a 4 conductor in the bridge, on a tele plate, so I guess my options are somewhat limited here.

Schaller Megaswitch M, circuit SS3.

The neck position pickup connection is straightforward. It is the bridge position pickup cable that enables all the fancy series and phase reversal stuff.

ICBM

andy_k said:

I was just looking for something like this, but in my case I only have a braided single core Gibson pickup in the neck position, with a 5 way and a 4 conductor in the bridge, on a tele plate, so I guess my options are somewhat limited here?
I was hoping to find more ideas out there - but stumbled on the same 2 SD diagrams, which aren't a lot of help if they are wrong anyway.

I think I've got a diagram somewhere for -

Neck
Neck + split bridge
Neck + full bridge
Split bridge
Full bridge

Using a standard 5-way. It was for a single coil at the neck, but a single-conductor humbucker would be effectively the same.

I'll see if I can find it, if that sounds like what you want.

andy_k

ICBM said:

andy_k said:

I was just looking for something like this, but in my case I only have a braided single core Gibson pickup in the neck position, with a 5 way and a 4 conductor in the bridge, on a tele plate, so I guess my options are somewhat limited here?
I was hoping to find more ideas out there - but stumbled on the same 2 SD diagrams, which aren't a lot of help if they are wrong anyway.

I think I've got a diagram somewhere for -

Neck
Neck + split bridge
Neck + full bridge
Split bridge
Full bridge

Using a standard 5-way. It was for a single coil at the neck, but a single-conductor humbucker would be effectively the same.

I'll see if I can find it, if that sounds like what you want.

I'd really appreciate that, thanks.

ICBM

Found it.

Standard CRL switch, if you number the terminals like this:

 1 2 3 4
5 6 7 8

(< neck  bridge >)

Then:

1 to volume control
2 and 3 to bridge pickup hot
4 and 8 to neck pickup hot
5 to ground
6 to bridge pickup split
7 no connection (this can also be connected to terminal 1 for extra reliability, but is unnecessary)

It's slightly complicated in that the coil of the bridge pickup which is active in position 2 is the opposite one from position 4, so you may have to reverse the wiring of the bridge pickup to get the coils you want active in both positions, and the middle 'both pickups' sound has the neck pickup connected to the split of the bridge, not the hot - this works well with a single coil in the neck, but might be less good with a humbucker.

LionAquaLooper

You guys have been super helpful as usual and I've just completed wiring up my HH pickguard today. Thank you all who assisted above! 

I used this diagram in case anyone finds it useful in the future. Basically gives you split pickup configs without the need for a push switch or mega switch. Also uses bridge "inner coil" (IC) instead of outer coil that a lot of split diagrams use. I'm very happy with the results. 

Only thing I've had to sacrifice is both humbuckers together, but I prefer two singles together anyway. 

Wire colours above are the same as on Seymour Duncan diagrams except white on SD diagrams is light blue above. 

One day I'll put the treble bleed cap on there. But that's a whole different can of worms that I'm not ready to open yet  

ICBM

LionAquaLooper said:

I used this diagram in case anyone finds it useful in the future. Basically gives you split pickup configs without the need for a push switch or mega switch. Also uses bridge "inner coil" (IC) instead of outer coil that a lot of split diagrams use. I'm very happy with the results.

Ah, that's very clever. I didn't get it at first - but it's done by having the two pickups in series and the switch shorts out the unused one/coils.

Using the bridge inner and neck outer coils also makes the middle position hum-cancelling.