Coil tapping a p90 - what do I need and how do I do it?

[_tom_]

So is this right or am I completely wrong here?



edit - just realised thats upside down but the switch would still be the same way round?

[Twinfan]

I think the one ABOVE the green wire in your pic, not below, is the one that goes to ground?  I'm going from memory though.....

[Twinfan]

My extra wire (green) went to the middle lug on the side of the push/pull.  Wiring was easier in my case as I was swaping out the original pickup in a Gordon Smith that was already tapped.

And the bottom lug of the push-pull to ground?

Yep, I think so...

[Philly Q]

I think the one ABOVE the green wire in your pic, not below, is the one that goes to ground?  I'm going from memory though.....

Soon find out - if it turns out to be tapped with the switch in the down position, just move that wire to the other lug.

[_tom_]

So that diagram is basically correct then, maybe bar the ground from the switch to the back of the pot?

[Twinfan]

Yep  :)

[WezV]

lets see if i can post from with with the quick reply option??

i think i have it wrong - been a while since i played with a tapped pickup.

the SD diagram posted by philly makes sense.

basically you should have 3 wires if its like a tapped SD,

ground wire
hot wire 1
hot wire 2

the ground wire goes to the back of the pot/ground as usual and the two hot wires go to the top and bottom of the switch - the wire going from the middle lug of the push/pull switch can be treated as a normal single hot wire for that pickup and either goes to a pickup selector  or a pickup volume

 the switch then simply selects between the two different hot wires/ two different outputs

i was getting confused with stacked humbuckers

[_tom_]

still confused haha. So does the red wire go to the 1st tag on the pot (as per my diagram), or one of the tags on the switch? 

[Philly Q]

I think if you wire it like a coil-split humbucker (in Wez's diagram), then when the switch is engaged it's shorting the green wire to ground.  The red (hot) wire stays where it is, so you've moved the ground.

In the Duncan diagram, the ground wire stays fixed and, as Wez said, the switch is choosing between the red or green wire (then connecting that wire to hot).  So in that case you've moved the hot.


Now, I'm not sure about this bit, but I think if the tap was exactly halfway through the coil you'd get the same result either way.  However, if the tap is (say) two-thirds of the way through the coil, I think one wiring option will give you two-thirds output when tapped, but the other will only give you one-third.


This isn't helping, is it Tom?  :lol:   The only thing we're sure about is that black goes to ground.  Don't know what to suggest except try it and see.  One of them will work!

[_tom_]

ah it sort of makes sense. So if I keep the red on the pots 1st tag then put the green to the switch and another ground to the switch, it'll choose between the two depending which way the switch is pushed?

[Philly Q]

Yeah, in one switch position the green is connected to ground, so only the bit of the coil between green and red is working.

In the other switch position green isn't connected to anything so the whole coil from black to red is working.

I think.  :?

[WezV]

sorry for the confusion guys, wiring doesnt always ome naturally to me so i usually end up drawing it out... like this


i know its a bit rough!!!

the first diagram is a normal pickup  with a ground connection and a hot connection... nice and straight forward

the second one is like the SD diagram: the switch basically decides between  between the first part of the coil or all the coil.  lets say you could have a vintage wind as your first output then add more winds for something hotter and that would be your second output (isnt that how most people have there tapped pickups).  both outputs go to either end of the switch and the common connection in the middle goes to your normal hot connection (volume control tab or pickup selector switch)

the 3rd diagram is like the one i suggested originally and i dont think its desirable as you are either going to have thin and weedy or full on... i can admit when i am wrong :oops:

[Philly Q]

the 3rd diagram is like the one i suggested originally and i dont think its desirable as you are either going to have thin and weedy or full on... i can admit when i am wrong :oops:

I agree (depending on where the tap is of course), but then couldn't you get round it by making Black hot and Red ground?

[WezV]

yeah - a few minutes with a multimeter should show what the difference with the taps is and which wires to put where

[_tom_]

I'm even more confused now :lol: I might just tape off the green and not bother at this rate, I have no idea whats going where at the minute :(