McCarty Wiring on Steroids

[Brian]

I was answer the Dragon 1 Question and I was wondering if I could do this?

I'm putting Splittable #10s into my Santana SE and was thinking of wiring like this? It'll do standard McCarty, but then when the volume pot is pulled, it'll go to the outer coils instead of the inners.




http://static.zoovy.com/img/guitarelectronics/H415-W553-BFFFFFF/wdu_hh3t11_02

Would the pickups outta the factory be wired with the correct output wires to do a diagram like this? I've never ordered a set aftermarket so I don't know. Thanks for any help.

[Andrew Chen]

This setup will work with any 4-conductor wire pickup such as Duncans or Dimarzios. It will also work with certain PRS models, such as the VB/HFS and Dragon 1. It will not work with a standard McCarty pickup set without modification.

If the #10 pickups are like the McCarty pickups (vintage style shielded wire plus a separate coil split wire), then this will not work without modifying the pickups.

[Brian]

Thanks Andrew-
Do you think I could specify how they would be wired when I put in the order?

[Jim Collins]

If the pickups are made like McCarty pickups -- shielded single conductor plus one extra lead, you can wire it so that you get the outside coils. It is slightly different from normal McCarty wiring.

Let's number the six lugs on the DPDT like this: assume the push/pull pot is oriented so that the shaft is pointing down, and the lugs are facing you. The lugs on the left are, from top to bottom, #1, #2, and #3. The lugs on the right are, from top to bottom, #4, #5, and #6.

Connect the braided shield of each pickup to ground.

Connect the main lead of the neck pickup to #1. (This is the lead this inside the braided shield.)

Connect the extra lead of the neck pickup to #3.

Connect the main lead of the bridge pickup to #4.

Connect the extra lead of the bridge pickup to #6.

Connect a new lead from #2 to the appropriate lug on the toggle switch -- the lug used to select the neck pickup.

Connect a new lead from #5 to the appropriate lug on the toggle switch -- the lug used to select the bridge pickup.

[Brian]

Thanks Jim-

But wired like that, there's no way to use two push pulls to get both inside and outside coils?

[Andrew Chen]

Brian,

What Jim is describing here are the modifications you need to make to a pickup with vintage style wiring. If you're custom ordering the pickups, it's easier to have PRS make them with their 3-conductor wiring like the HFS has.

[Brian]

Oh I get it now...thanks for all the help guys

[Jim Collins]

Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the whole thread. I thought you were asking for just the outside coils.

If you were to implement this, be aware of the limitations of a push/pull pot. These things are built on mini-pots, and the push/pull pots usually have substandard tapers. This works fine for a tone control, whre a smooth taper is less important. Many folks would find it unsatisfactory for a volume control. You might like it, though.

[Brian]

True Jim-
Any recommendation where to get a push-pull pot with a good taper?

[Jim Collins]

I've never come across a good one that had a DPDT switch on it. There is supposed to be a good one that has a SPDT switch on it, but your diagram calls for DPDT on each pot.

[Brian]

Jim -

Sounds good, thanks for the advice...
I think I'll go with standard McCarty wiring first, see how the taper is and whatnot. I'll get the pickups wired so if i don't mind the pot I can add the volume push pull later.

If I got them so they were wired like the HFS/VB...what color codes would go with what lugs?

[Jim Collins]

It depends upon how much like the HFS/VB they are. The HFS/VB pickups are made such that the two pickups have opposing magnetic polarity, requiring somewhat different wiring. I believe the #10s are not usually built that way, but if you tell them to build them "just like the HFS/VB" pickups, they might.

[Brian]

Well, what would you recommend since you're a pro at this?

How many conductors would I need to do the volume/tone pots as push pulls if I wanted to and should I get them built like HFS/VB?

[Jim Collins]

You need three conductors, plus ground.

If both pickups share the same magnetic polarity, the wiring is the same as your diagram. The parallel single coil sounds will not be hum cancelling. If the pickups have opposing magnetic polarity, the wiring will be quite a bit different, but the parallel single coil sounds will be hum cancelling.