Anyone have a dual HB guitar with parallel switching?

guitarnerdswe

Fractal Fanatic
I have a HH guitar that I'm going to rewire. I have never been a fan of the standard middle position on a Les Paul, just too muddy. So I'm doing something different. I'm already going to have the option of the inside coils in parallel on the 5-way, so going for the outside coils is just not unique enough.

So I came up with brilliant idea to wire one of the humbuckers in parallel for the middle position, to get a more tele-like tone. I'm not sure of which humbucker though. On paper, it should be the bridge, to simulate a Keith Richards tele-tone.

Could somebody who has a HH guitar with individual series/parallel switches, record a quick clip for me? Just something like:

Neck series - bridge series (for reference)
Neck parallel - bridge series
Neck series - bridge parallel

Cheerios!
 
I have a HHH guitar with 3 series/parallell switches and a 3 'both/half/off' switches

I don't think Lawrence Petros is still here/a fractal guy/in this group but he installed it for me
 
I have a HHH guitar with 3 series/parallell switches and a 3 'both/half/off' switches

I don't think Lawrence Petros is still here/a fractal guy/in this group but he installed it for me

How do you even keep track of which setting is on for which pickup? :grimacing: I always found that I had my switches on at the wrong setting, which is why I desoldered all my coil splitting switches and no longer bother with them.
 
I have a HHH guitar with 3 series/parallell switches and a 3 'both/half/off' switches

I don't think Lawrence Petros is still here/a fractal guy/in this group but he installed it for me

Would you mind just making a short clip? Just something clean. Could be something funky, country, or even just a scale up and down ;)
 
How do you even keep track of which setting is on for which pickup? :grimacing: I always found that I had my switches on at the wrong setting, which is why I desoldered all my coil splitting switches and no longer bother with them.
I kinda agree. I used to be like "ALL THE SOUNDS ARE MINE", but I try to keep it simpler nowadays. A 5-way and a switch or P/P with a sixth sound is just right IMHO, usually switching a bridge humbucker from series to parallel/split.
 
One of my guitars has pretty interesting switching. 3 old Dimarzio PAFs, with 3 series-off-parallel mini-toggles and a 5-way. There are 76 electrically different coil combinations. Some are similar to others, but they're actually all different, and all nominally humbucking

And yes it can do the combinations you want :)
I'm not super well set up to record these days, and I've been playing my strat more lately, so my presets are mostly built for that, but I'll see what I can do.
 
One of my guitars has pretty interesting switching. 3 old Dimarzio PAFs, with 3 series-off-parallel mini-toggles and a 5-way. There are 76 electrically different coil combinations. Some are similar to others, but they're actually all different, and all nominally humbucking

And yes it can do the combinations you want :)
I'm not super well set up to record these days, and I've been playing my strat more lately, so my presets are mostly built for that, but I'll see what I can do.
Hi!

Thanks a bunch :) The preset doesn't have to be anything special. Heck, you can even just do a DI track instead. Then I can just reamp it :cool:
 
One more idea. Split both humbuckers and put the them in series.
To me that's like another bridge humbucker with a different flavor.

PRS Custom 24 with 5 way switching have that. It's not on all models.
But you might find youtube clips to listen what it sounds like.

For schematics search PRS Megaswitch P Schaller online.
 
I like HBs in parallel quite a bit. I often prefer it to splitting coils. I went through a phase of wiring a few of my cheaper guitars with 3 way on-on-on switches to afford total flexibility of HB in series, HB in parallel, and split. To many choices in the end. :blush:
 
I didn't get it recorded but I spent a while in this neighborhood today.

None of this is unexpected, but at least with these pickups...
  • Both in series is noticeably louder than any of the parallel combos
  • Whichever pickup is in parallel somewhat dominates the tone
  • All these combos were fun
 
Just to clarify are you talking about series switching? Standard guitar wiring is parallel. Series couples both pickups and makes them one big pickup. I have several humbucker guitars that have a series/parallel switch. Honestly, I don't use it that much but it causes a bump in volume and increases the bass response. These guitars also have a switch that taps the humbuckers so only the outer coils are on. My favorite tone is the tapped humbuckers in series. It is a single coil-ish sound without the hum. I think this is position 3 on PRS guitars with the 5 position rotary switch.
 
Just to clarify are you talking about series switching? Standard guitar wiring is parallel. Series couples both pickups and makes them one big pickup. I have several humbucker guitars that have a series/parallel switch. Honestly, I don't use it that much but it causes a bump in volume and increases the bass response. These guitars also have a switch that taps the humbuckers so only the outer coils are on. My favorite tone is the tapped humbuckers in series. It is a single coil-ish sound without the hum. I think this is position 3 on PRS guitars with the 5 position rotary switch.
As stated in the OP, I'm talking about series/parallel for individual pickups. Running 2 humbuckers in series always sounds like snot hanky :tearsofjoy: IMHO. I don't think I've liked any style of pickup for running 2 separate pickups in series with each other. Works for Brian May though.

The PRS thing isn't actually taps. Taps and splitting are 2 different things. A tap is a secondary output that has partial the amount of winding compared to the primary.
 
I recently switched my push pull pot from coil split to parallel and am MUCH happier. I always liked the idea of coil splitting, but when playing with the band, I almost always switched back to full humbucking mode within moments. I play multiple songs now (rock cover band 70's - current) with my bridge pickup in parallel mode.
 
I had one with the triple shots. So you had every possible option.
I have a strat model with hot rails that I also switch Series/single/parallel.
One knob for outer pickups, and one for the middle.
This gives me lots of combinations.
I've also been experimenting with a freeway switch on a HH-guitar.
You can have lots of combinations.

I like this:
1. Bridge Hum Parallel
2. Both Hum Parallel
3. Neck Hum Parallel
4. Bridge South coil single coil (the one most inwards)
5. Outer coils - neck is flipped so I get humbucking parallel
6. Neck south (outer) single coil

I've done the same on my Anderson Cobra T with a 5-way switch
 
I recently switched my push pull pot from coil split to parallel and am MUCH happier. I always liked the idea of coil splitting, but when playing with the band, I almost always switched back to full humbucking mode within moments. I play multiple songs now (rock cover band 70's - current) with my bridge pickup in parallel mode.
Do you happen to have it in a guitar with 2 humbuckers? :D
 
I have a Ibanez RG652 AHM.. this is the wiring. There is no Series/Parallel switch but I'm thinking of adding it..
It sounds ok but I'm not crazy about the Tones...

I like the sounds better in my RG655's with the HSH Combination.

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