Single humbucker wiring diagram

PopDufc · August 2023

Can you help. Looking for a wiring diagram for a single humbucker, preferably with no tone. I tried a 5 way switch diagram but was too noisy. Guitar had ni noise when it was a humbucker/single coil tele witj 3 way switch. Think I want a humbucker into a tele 8 pin, 3 way switch going into a 500k pot volume.
Thanks in anticipation

ICBM · August 2023

No need for the switch if it's just a single humbucker - connect the pickup hot to the end terminal of the pot (the one that isn't grounded - left as you look at the pot from the back with the shaft pointing down), the jack hot to the middle terminal, and both jack and pickup grounds to the back of the volume pot - that's it. Any additional wiring will introduce noise.

PopDufc · August 2023

I'm looking for multiple sounds. Humbucker, single and out of phase is my wish

ICBM · August 2023

PopDufc said:

I'm looking for multiple sounds. Humbucker, single and out of phase is my wish

A humbucker out of phase with itself doesn't usually sound very good, there's too much cancellation. If you do want it it can be done with a standard 3-way switch though.

What pickup are you using? The colour coding varies depending on the manufacturer.

PopDufc · August 2023

It's a iron gear stacked humbucker. I had it wired with a push pull and it was good. Now want it through a 3 way tele switch to give 3 sounds.

Funkfingers · August 2023

There is a schematic diagram for single humbucker and 3-way lever switch, series/single/parallel wiring on Seymour Duncan website. It may be categorised under Esquire rather than Telecaster.

There ought to be something similar in the DiMarzio website Support section. It is probably categorised under H or single humbucker.

NOTE: Different pickup manufacturers tend to use the same four insulation colours to code the output conductors of their humbucking pickups but not necessarily in the same order.

ICBM said:
A humbucker out of phase with itself doesn't usually sound very good, there's too much cancellation.

I liken the sound of the two coils of a humbucker wired in reverse to normal to an electric egg slicer. Horrid! Worse than a cheap banjo.

ICBM · August 2023

If you’re going to do out of phase, it’s probably best to do ‘partial out of phase’ with the coils in parallel and a cap in series with the reversed coil - that will maintain a usable amount of signal.

Funkfingers · August 2023

I suspect that the series, out-of-phase-with-itself option is not possible via the standard two-pole, three-way lever selector switch alone. It will require a DPDT on/on mini toggle or a push-pull pot.

CasperCaster · August 2023

PopDufc said:

It's a iron gear stacked humbucker. I had it wired with a push pull and it was good. Now want it through a 3 way tele switch to give 3 sounds.

Sorry, I may be wrong but I don't think IronGear make any stacked humbuckers. If you have the Steel Twin II then it's a tapped single coil, not a humbucker.

@ICBM has previously linked to the Dimarzio diagram for series/parallel/split which will work with any humbucker.

I have previously presented my own version which is arranged somewhat differently to Dimarzio's diagram, and includes the option for the split to be a partial split with resistors.

A similar thread (excepting the out-of-phase discussion) can be found here:

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/246108/telecaster-esquire-with-single-hb-pickup-anyone-built-one/p1

My comments, including a sketched wiring diagram for series/parallel/split, can be found half way down page two.

PopDufc · August 2023

The pickup is an old iron gear. 4 wires plus ground. Got the colours. I had it as a tapped to single coil and it worked fine. I do want the single, series,parallel thing.
Thanks

BillDL · August 2023

http://www.irongear.co.uk/1h-ser-splt-para_v02.gif

PopDufc · August 2023

Thanks. Got the wiring off the dimazio site. Solder time now!!!

steamabacus · August 2023

Make sure you have an 'on-on-on' toggle switch rather than the standard DPDT (apologies if this is obvious)

PopDufc · August 2023

Thanks

ICBM · August 2023

Funkfingers said:

I suspect that the series, out-of-phase-with-itself option is not possible via the standard two-pole, three-way lever selector switch alone.

It is, but I will need to be back home with access to pencil and paper to work it out.

Funkfingers · August 2023

For a stacked coils pickup, the lower coil - being farther from the vibrating strings - contributes considerably less signal than the upper coil. The lower coil is mainly there for hum cancellation.You wouldn't want to split to the lower coil.

The tonal difference between series and parallel modes lies largely in the midrange. The level difference between modes is insufficient to be thought of as lead and rhythm.

ICBM · August 2023

I missed the bit about stacked. Do you actually mean stacked - ie looks and sounds like a single coil - or just a mini humbucker - ie looks like a very narrow humbucker, with two rows of polepieces or ‘rails’? The term is sometimes used for the second type, but it only should be for the first. The out-of-phase and split sounds will be completely different for them - with a stack, single and especially out-of-phase are actually louder and thicker-sounding than humbucking.

Either way, it’s definitely possible to use a standard 3-way switch for all three sounds since it’s just a 2P3T switch and can be wired as an on-on-on, or any other configuration of a 2-pole toggle switch.

PopDufc · August 2023

It's definitely a stacked humbucker and not a "hot rail" type. Bought to fit a telecaster standard bridge plate

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Single humbucker wiring diagram

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