DVM's Humbucker Wiring Mods - Page 2 of 2. So let's take a look at some of the basic "building blocks" of these humbucker modifications--the wiring for the various options mentioned on the previous page.
But before we start.... TWO IMPORTANT NOTES: Throughout the following diagrams, the pickup wire colors used are those for Seymour Duncan 4-conductor humbuckers. Be forewarned--other pickup manufacturers use DIFFERENT colors! Be sure you carefully check the color scheme used for YOUR particular brand of pickups. If you don't, chances are that you'll end up with a very odd sounding--or silent--guitar!! Guitar Wiring at 1728.org Wiring & Shielding at GuitarNuts.com GuitarElectronics.com Stewart-MacDonald "Wiring 101" Page Seymour Duncan Wiring Diagrams Stewart-MacDonald "Free Info" Page (a million links!)
Here are some helpful sites for learning how to solder properly, or for improving your current soldering skills: EPE Magazine Basic Soldering Guide Technick.Net Basic Soldering Guide Shavano Music Soldering Tips for Musicians. CRAIG'S GIUTAR TECH RESOURCE - Wiring Diagrams. 3 single coil wiring : the "Mega Strat".
This wiring allows you to get tones similar to humbucking pickups, as well as single coil combinations not normally available. You even get thin, pawn shop guitar tones! All done without permanently altering your guitar. A GUITAR TECH CRAIG FAVORITE. 3 single coil wiring : Brian May's Red Special? 3 single coil wiring : "Strat Lover's": Typical stock wiring but the flip of a push/pull or mini-toggle switch adds Rhythm/Lead and Rhythm/Middle/Lead combinations. 2 humbucker wiring: the "Humbucker Lover's": This wiring uses a 5-way switch, includes both humbuckers individually and adds tones using coils from both pickups to create other humbucker-style tones. The following diagrams are shown as wiring diagrams rather than schematics for the benefit of the novice.
CUSTOM WIRING DIAGRAM INDEX (click the Tone Control in the VIEW IT column to display the Diagram) Guitar Wiring Site. These switches are called center on or off because this third switch position is located in between 'A' and 'B'.
For example, if this were a toggle switch, this middle or 'center' position would occur when the switch lever was straight up. Even though these switches have 3 positions, they are still considered double throw because another 'throw' implies a connection to yet another terminal and as we can see, diagrams C & D have the same number of terminals as A & B. The best example of an "SPDT center on switch" is the pickup switch used on guitars with 2 pickups (the Gibson Les Paul™, the Gibson SG™, etc). Pictured above is the pickup switching diagram for a 2 pickup guitar.
On the right is a single pole double throw switch (SPDT) center on switch. DPDT Switch ALL DPDT switches have their center terminals as the common terminals and they ALL work like diagrams A and B. There are 2 special cases of DPDT switches, pictured in diagrams 'C' and 'D'. Guitar Pickups.