[Virtuoso]

Hello 

I was wondering if these switching options are possible ? I will be using a super switch and DPDT miniswitch.
Pickups I plan on using are a Titan Neck, Fast Track 1 Middle and D Sonic Bridge.
I know that the coil tap off swithing is possible, but not quite shure about the coil tap on switching. So before I go out and buy the stuff and hand it over to a luthier I want to make shure if this switching option I made are even possible 



I'd appreciate your thoughts 

[HarlowTheFish]

I dunno about the splits on the bottom, but at least the top configuration seems like it could work with a super switch. You might need a 4pdt or something more involved to handle the splits and the neck + middle position though.

[BluesJam]

Your switching system is overly complicated with several tones that would be similar anyways. In a live situation, it won’t work.  Just too much fiddling around.  Maybe you’re  better off with a traditional 5 way switch,  push/pull for series wiring/parallel wiring.  This will keep everything humbucking/noise free.  Parallel wiring simulates single coils, so you don’t lose anything.  You can do a push/pull for a blow switch mod that send the bridge humbucker directly to the jack.  That would give you instant lead tones, from any rhythm setting.  Personally, I prefer push/ push pots and find them more user friendly.  The mini switches just create more clutter and the break easily.  They are not as durable as the oak grisby/ crl types IMHO

[marcwormjim]

I want to make shure if this switching option I made are even possible

Hopefully I’m mistaken when I say “no; I don’t believe it will work.” A single DPDT switch won’t give you the switching options of 1, 2, or 3 in the bottom row. The good news is that these can be achieved, but will require additional switches:

A super switch will give you four independent combinations of the six pickup coils, with five selections of the soldering points shared between the four switch poles (determined by soldering bridge-points between two or more of the four sets of five contacts your leads will be going to). Using a DPDT to divert some of those coils to ground removes them from play - They are no longer available to the super switch unless you’re using an additional switch to toggle between which pickup coils are sent to ground by the DPDT.

Let’s review the consequences of each signal path in the bottom switching diagram, and how they affect the others:

Position 1 has the inside neck coil sent to ground by the DPDT; which makes it unavailable in position 2.

And because positions 2 and 4 without the DPDT (top diagram row) engaged sends one middle pickup coil to ground, engaging a DPDT to reverse which middle coil is sent to ground in that position requires reversing the leads of the middle humbucker. To achieve this and the coil splitting for the neck pickup as a modifier to switch position 2 requires two DPDT switches (as one DPDT is required for middle humbucker lead/“phase” reversal, and another is required to split the bridge and neck humbuckers).

Position 3 requires yet another additional switch: A SPDT to switch between two leads jumpered off from the super switch: One carrying the inside neck and bridge humbucker coils in parallel, and one carrying the middle humbucker in series. Note that any superswitch position affecting these coils only functions based on which of these two signals the SPDT is feeding it. Each switch diverts signal either to or away from the next switch in the series; and parallel switching paths containing paths to ground are pitfalls, unless you’re aware of how each switch position affects the others.

In summary: Your combinations of 6 pickup coils for the sake of humcancelling can be achieved but, as BluesJam suggests, series/parallel switching is a simplified way of achieving singlecoil tones between three humbuckers. Your diagrams are the messy alternative: Having to keep track of which of six coils are available between 13 switching combinations, with each dependent upon a particular arrangement of binary coil states, and some only possible through three or more switches being engaged.

[BluesJam]

1) traditional 5 way Switch
1) 500k push/push or push/push pot for blow switch mod (volume pot)
1) 500k push/push or push/pull pot for series/parallel wiring (tone pot)

This option would give you full output and single coil sounds.  All positions him canceling.  Blow switch mod for instant lead tones from ant rhythm setting.  Everything is quick and easy in a live setting.

10 distinct tones plus blow switch mod (can be used as a passive boost for solos)  Do you really need anything else?

[Guitar74]

I thin I would opt for the traditional switch and the push/pull pots.

[Virtuoso]

Your switching system is overly complicated with several tones that would be similar anyways. In a live situation, it won’t work.  Just too much fiddling around.

In summary: Your combinations of 6 pickup coils for the sake of humcancelling can be achieved but, as BluesJam suggests, series/parallel switching is a simplified way of achieving singlecoil tones between three humbuckers. Your diagrams are the messy alternative: Having to keep track of which of six coils are available between 13 switching combinations, with each dependent upon a particular arrangement of binary coil states, and some only possible through three or more switches being engaged.

Wow, okay I'll forget about my switching option I see now how overly complicated this would be. I appreciate the detailed answers

What kind of switching options can be made using a standard 5 switch or a super switch, a DPDT miniswitch or volum/tone pot switch ? I still want the switching option when coil tap is off. But I am open for whatever switching option can be made when coil tap is on. Would a true single coil make the installment easier ? With the cost of not being humcancelling ?

I was looking at the Ibanez EGEN and TAM series when I made my own switching options. But they use a true single coil not a pickup in the middle.

TAM

EGEN

[BluesJam]

I would forgo the split coil options.  Parallel wiring in sound uses both coils independently, so you will get hum canceling single coil tones.  But regardless, humbuckers in series will be louder, so there is going to be a compromise in output.  Unless you wire resistors into the circuit to bring the down the output of a the pickup in series to match the output in the other configurations.  But, now we’re getting into very complex wiring schemes.  You won’t need a super switch, if you wire as above.  Unfortunately, you will have 11 options and only need 4 tops.

[BluesJam]

Another option, use a (1) 3 way switch (1)  volume push/pull blow switch; (1) tone pot push/pull parallel option; and (1) blend pot for the middle pickup.

The 3-way switch controls the full size humbucker options.  The blend will give you all the 5-way tonal options, plus all pickups on together and neck and bridge together options;  plus blow switch.

This would be the optimum simple but most effective setup

[Virtuoso]

I would forgo the split coil options.  Parallel wiring in sound uses both coils independently, so you will get hum canceling single coil tones.  But regardless, humbuckers in series will be louder, so there is going to be a compromise in output.  Unless you wire resistors into the circuit to bring the down the output of a the pickup in series to match the output in the other configurations.  But, now we’re getting into very complex wiring schemes.  You won’t need a super switch, if you wire as above.  Unfortunately, you will have 11 options and only need 4 tops.

Another option, use a (1) 3 way switch (1)  volume push/pull blow switch; (1) tone pot push/pull parallel option; and (1) blend pot for the middle pickup.

The 3-way switch controls the full size humbucker options.  The blend will give you all the 5-way tonal options, plus all pickups on together and neck and bridge together options;  plus blow switch.

This would be the optimum simple but most effective setup

I only use the bridge, the middle coil and the neck when using distortion (the reason I wanted a pickup in the middle, to get rid of the hum). I only use the pos 2 and 4 on cleans on a HSH config.
I have a HH config guitar with a 3 way switch and I really like the 2 pos/bridge inner and neck inner coil on cleans. Thats why I wanted to install a coil tap/pot switch to get that split sound on a HSH config.

I am not the most techincal when it comes to wiring so pardon me if I am repeating questions
My switching option will be too dificult with a pickup in the middle (if I want to split it) If I were to use a true single coil or a pickup in the middle (without splitting it) the EGEN, TAM and my own switching would be possible ? but with the cost of not being humcanceling when using middle coil alone (when true single coil is used) and when coil tap/pot switch is on ?

I'm thinking whether I should just drop the coil tap/pot switch and be fully humcanceling in all 5 positions. Or have 10 different options but be full of noise and hum with the exception of being humcanceling in pos 1 and 5 when coil tap/pot is off.

 Did I understand it correctly ?

[BluesJam]

Your wiring scheme makes no sense.  Although J prefer single coil pickups, if I had your setup I’d do a CRL 5 way switch, (2) push/push pots for parallel wiring and blow switch .  100% hum cancelling and you have single coil like tones.  That is your best option IMHO. YMMV

[HarlowTheFish]

https://web.archive.org/web/20171209125357/http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/hshep1112_1v1t_f.pdf
I think this setup would probably give you all the sounds you want except middle on it's own, but you could add a DPDT/4PDT to go to just that with one switch. Optionally, if you're more attached to middle than neck+bridge, the standard HSH setup with autosplits will do that but with no middle hum-cancelling. I don't think there's an easy way to go about that as you'd need more poles than any switch manufacturer really works with.

[Virtuoso]

Would the EGEN setup work with a pickup in the middle instead of a single coil ? This is the closest switching option that I would like to have.



I'll just buy all kinds of switches that have been mentioned here and hand it over to a luthier I guess. I have already bought 4 pickups by DiMarzio for this guitar I didn't like until I found the ones I liked, so buyng more stuff won't make me  
I still have no idea how all these modern guitar artists pull off their split modes I even saw a guy with a SSS config with rail pickups and coil tap splitting the rail single coils But this is kind of giving me an impression that splitting pickups is kind of impossible

[BluesJam]

You’re going to have a Swiss army guitar with a lot of useless  combinations... for just because.  And many of them will almost be inaudible to the casual listener in a band setting.  Have fun and think about practicality beforehand. Maybe you should buy an Esquire or Les Paul Jr.  They’re simply the best in my book.

[HarlowTheFish]

It's not that you can't split rails or whatever, it's that the combinations you're trying to get need switches that have more contacts than anyone currently makes. If you want to pull out your electrical engineer hat and design a 5- or 6-pole 5-way switch, combined with a 4pdt for splitting, you could get there. But the parts physically don't exist.

The modern artists pulling off split modes don't have setups like this: they'll pick 5 sounds they actually use, put them on the 5-way, and then maybe have a switch for splitting. When you're wiring something, try to think about the sounds and positions you actually use regularly, and have them be the quickest to access. If there's something else you absolutely need, then add an extra switch, but if it's not necessary, leave it out. It's just gonna get in your way.

I'm not gonna tell you to get an Esquire, but I'll say this: go to a guitar store, get an HSH ibanez, a Tele, a LP, and an SSS strat. Plug them all in and try every position for at least 3 minutes. Take notes on what you liked about each one and why and what you'd use them for and whatever. Then make an informed decision about what sounds are essential for you and you need on quick access, and make those the ones available on the 5-way. If you desperately need some other position, then consider adding it to the switch, but I'd recommend giving yourself a week or so to play around with it before you do that, because you'll be able to get a feel for how you use each position and whether you're actually missing anything.