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Author Topic: HSH wiring and narrow SC baseplates question  (Read 709 times)

Piplodocus

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HSH wiring and narrow SC baseplates question
« on: October 18, 2024, 06:45:25 PM »
2 questions in one post...

*** UPDATE: ignore Q1, I changed my mind (although mildly curious if there is still an answer), but Q2 still valid *****

Q1.
New pickups imminent, and gonna rewire it so was thinking up wiring plans. Never rewired an HSH before so was pondering possible schemes...

Anyone know if you can wire an HSH set so you get:
1. Bridge HB
2. Bridge split with middle SC
3. Bridge HB & Neck HB*
4. Neck Split with with middle SC
5. Neck HB

* = I can't think how to do it with a standard 2-sided switch as the "standard" HSH wiring always has just the middle SC here. Any way to do it with a fancy switch or something I haven't thought of? If it's nigh on impossible, I'll probably just do it the normal way, but thought both HBs might be nice.

Full disclosure: I was going to put a pair of toggles in too which ground the coil-split short-to-grounds on the 2nd side of the switch in standard HSH wiring, so I can choose to have position 1 and 5 be SC mode on one, the other or both), so it's actually:
1. Bridge HB (or SC with toggle 1 on)
2. Bridge split with middle SC
3. Bridge & Neck (with HB or SC modes dependant on toggles)
4. Neck Split with with middle SC
5. Neck HB (or SC with toggle 2 on)

If it's impossible though I can no doubt survive with just middle in the middle. Which brings me to Q2, as I now have the Silo set for humbuckers, but only the original middle...

Q2.
Pretty much all the single coils I see have the kinda triangular baseplate. The current one in there just has straight sides. Any way to easily mod triangular baseplate ones rather than rout out the guitar body? Or do I need specifically straight-sided ones made that way in the first place? If so, who makes good ones of those that would go nice combined with a pair of Silos?

If I can get a nice SC to fit maybe I'll be more tempted to just have middle in the middle anyway in Q1.

Thanks! :)
« Last Edit: October 21, 2024, 12:47:35 PM by Piplodocus »
Fly Mojo: HD/Mule | MIDIFly (Nitefly M): Abomb/Irish/Irish | Nitefly M: Abomb/Supermassive/MMilk | Nitefly SA: Crawler/MMilk/MMilk | Southern Nitefly: Blackguard set

Piplodocus

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Re: HSH wiring and narrow SC baseplates question
« Reply #1 on: October 21, 2024, 02:19:52 AM »
Over the course of the weekend I’ve been playing some of my other HSS guitars and come to the conclusion I’m probably better off with just middle single coil in the middle position (and I should probably use just the middle mothers milk by itself more often sometimes)! So you can ignore the first question.

I’m still pondering the second question though and what options I have for a tab-less single coil with different wire attachment. Seems a lot of the 90s HSH Jacksons have middle single coils without the triangular baseplate, so I can't be the only one.

Equally if anyone knows much about the 90s Jackson "J-130" single coil, let me know. Maybe it's not bad. The wiring is a bit dodgy and the neck pickup is bust, so I'm fixing it up, putting Silos in, and figured since it was a great guitar but with more budget hardware, it's probably not great and there is probably something a lot better (if I can make it fit).
« Last Edit: October 21, 2024, 12:45:59 PM by Piplodocus »
Fly Mojo: HD/Mule | MIDIFly (Nitefly M): Abomb/Irish/Irish | Nitefly M: Abomb/Supermassive/MMilk | Nitefly SA: Crawler/MMilk/MMilk | Southern Nitefly: Blackguard set

Piplodocus

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Re: HSH wiring and narrow SC baseplates question
« Reply #2 on: October 22, 2024, 02:02:40 PM »
Back again!

Actually, I would like an answer to question 1 after all. I'd come to the conclusion it was probably going to be very tricky. But Guthrie Govan's Charvel does it, so maybe it's not that hard: https://www.charvel.com/gear/shape/san-dimas/style-1/guthrie-govan-signature-mj-san-dimas-sd24-cm/2925414588

I was looking at that "pickup switching tab" and the mini-toggle switch seems to still use the full humbuckers in position 1 & 5, but does "single coil simulation". Anyone got any idea what that is? Clearly seems to be showing the full pickup being on, so is that a weird way to put some kind of series/parallel switching or is it probably switching in a tone circuit or something? I'm curious because it's pointing towards what I was thinking of: 5-way auto-coil split, but with middle being both outer pickups (albeit those are split), and instead of whatever "single coil simulation" he was going for with his single mini-toggle, I was going to have 2 separate mini toggles to coil split each of the HBs.
Fly Mojo: HD/Mule | MIDIFly (Nitefly M): Abomb/Irish/Irish | Nitefly M: Abomb/Supermassive/MMilk | Nitefly SA: Crawler/MMilk/MMilk | Southern Nitefly: Blackguard set