Can you have series/split/out of phase all on 1 3-way toggle switch?

[gillibi]

Wondering if you can have a 3 way mini toggle switch do full humbucker series, coil split, and out of phase? Trying to get the most out of one switch. Please let me know if this is possible, thanks!

 

[Chiba]

It's easy to do series/split/parallel, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to do ser/spl/oop. You might have to use a switch with more poles on it, though.

 

[fumbler]

Is this just for the two coils of ONE humbucker pickup? I suggest you investigate the Duncan Triple-Shot rings.

 

[gillibi]

It's for a Strat bridge pickup, so I don't want to add a pickup ring on there.

 

[muddy]

http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/SWT36-17/3-Way-4-Pole-Guitar-Toggle-Switch-Chrome.html

ml

 

[gillibi]

How would you wire that switch up?

 

[Mark Robinson]

Sonically speaking, unless the pickup is real hot and built to be split, it will be underwhelming, particularly if in the bridge position. Series to parallel in my opinion is the way to go. Out of phase sounds like the south end of a northbound dog!

I'm being an ass and telling you that what you want to do is not worth doing, but honestly, it is because I have done it, series and parallel are the good, unless you're an interesting experimental guitarist with a lot wider point of view than me, which is super possible. Anyway good luck with it!

 

[gillibi]

Well the pickup is a modded Duncan JB, so it actually sounds amazing split. Pretty close to a Tele really.

The out of phase thing is just a cool trick I like having. Have the magnetic OOPhase thing on a Les Paul like Peter Green, would love having a similiar option on my Strat.

Now I just need to know how to wire it up! Help please!

 

[JeffreyET]

If you are using a JB humbucker on a Strat-style with 2 single coils, you are not going to get the 'Peter Green' OOP sound even if you could have the neck and bridge on together, You are going to get the middle PU OOP with the JB. Might be a cool sound to have anyway though.
Depending on what kind of wiring you have now, the switch might be giving you either series or parallel Middle+JB which you have to consider too.

 

[shadpeters]

If it is just a normal on/on/on switch (double pole double throw) I don't believe that is possible. The oop option takes up all six posts of a dpdt switch on its own. Unless I am mistaken I think you will need two switches to get those three options, or maybe with a bigger switch it is possible.

 

[Clorenzo]

I concur with the above comments that the oop sound won't be anything like the PG, so maybe before drilling your pickguard and buying a switch, you could temporarily reverse the phase of the JB (swap green and black) and see how you like it. It may be a cool sound, the JB is quite high output compared to a single coil so when wired together and out of phase there will be less cancellation as there would be with two similar pickups or coils, so maybe it's not so quiet and thin as to be unusable. No harm in trying.

Which coil you want to split to depends on the magnetic polarity of the middle pickup. Put it face to face with the JB: the coil that attracts it is the one you want to get hum-cancellation. Also you may want to install the JB with that coil towards the neck, the general consensus is that this gives a more authentic Strat quack in the middle + split bridge position.

You can do it with the switch mentioned by muddy. If these are the lugs and it's in the same position as in their diagram (this is important, as you can see it's not "reversible"):

1 4 7 10
2 5 8 11
3 6 9 12

To split to the slugs coil, wire as follows:

Black to 4, 9 and 12
Red + White to 6
Green to 3 and 7
Jumper 1 to 5
Jumper 8 to 10
2 to ground
11 is the output (to the pickup selector)

To split to the screws coil:

Black to 4 and 12
Red + White to 9
Green to 3, 6 and 7
Jumper 1 to 5
Jumper 8 to 10
2 to ground
11 is the output (to the pickup selector)

Note that there's a mini-toggle version of the same switch, you may prefer that one (the other one is LP-toggle-sized).

 

[Phostenix]

I've made a couple of drawings that should do what you want.

Here's one with the split being the outside coil:
https://sites.google.com/site/phostenixwiringdiagrams/custom#HB-SplitSeriesOoP

Here's one with the split being the inside coil:
https://sites.google.com/site/phostenixwiringdiagrams/custom#HB-SplitSeriesOoP2

 

[Phostenix]

Well the pickup is a modded Duncan JB, so it actually sounds amazing split. Pretty close to a Tele really.

How is it modded?

 

[Clorenzo]

I've made a couple of drawings that should do what you want.

Here's one with the split being the outside coil:
https://sites.google.com/site/phostenixwiringdiagrams/custom#HB-SplitSeriesOoP

Here's one with the split being the inside coil:
https://sites.google.com/site/phostenixwiringdiagrams/custom#HB-SplitSeriesOoP2

Hey Phostenix, as far as I can tell your diagrams are based on the DiMarzio EP1111 switch, right? OP, bear in mind that this one and the one from Guitarelectronics are different, this is how the DiMarzio works:

as you can see the connections in the middle position are different, so use Phostenix's wiring or mine depending on which switch you get.

 

[Phostenix]

Hey Phostenix, as far as I can tell your diagrams are based on the DiMarzio EP1111 switch, right?

Yep. I use the DiMarzio switch.