Author Topic: Wiring up an HSS coil-tap (Read 9311 times)

django5 · « **on:** January 13, 2006, 07:28:08 PM »

Well my Emerald arrived today but my brother was out so I'll have to collect it tomorrow. I just wondered. Is it simply a case of me matching wire colours, removing the old ones and soldering the new ones into their places?
The guitar is a Yamaha 312RGX with a coil tap on the tone pot. There's just master tone and volume.
Thanks.[/i]

PhilKing · « **Reply #1 on:** January 14, 2006, 12:50:00 PM »

Hi, there is a card in the bare knuckles giving you their wiring, compared to a SD you have to put the BK red to where the SD green was, and vice versa. I tried to find Yamaha colours for you but had no success. If you get stuck and know how your Yamaha works and can tell me the wiring, I'll work out the BK wiring for you. Cheers, Phil

django5 · « **Reply #2 on:** January 14, 2006, 08:06:01 PM »

I read the leaflet but it doesn't exactly explain what I've got.
Here is a picture of mine. Basically all thehumbucker wires come through in a brown wire. It splits (like the Emerald), but slightly differently. There's a red and a completely uncovered which go to the volume pot, a white which goes to the 5 way selector, and a yellow and blue together that go to the same part of the coil-tap tone pot.
Do I just need replace the red original and uncovered with the BKP red and uncovered? And take off the insulation on the two tied together of the BKP and take off the blue and yellow wires. And swap the white with the black BKP one?
Here are some more pics that might help

five-way switch
coil-tap pot
brown humbucker wire
Thanks. Tell me if you need any clearer pictures.

PhilKing · « **Reply #3 on:** January 14, 2006, 08:55:31 PM »

Hi, take the red to the 5 way, the black and screen (uncovered) to the ground on the volume, and replace the blue and yellow with the white and green. The coil tap is shorting out one coil to ground (I can see the other wire in the picture). If the sound is not as strong as you think it should be, or if the coil tap sounds bad, you can swap the red and black wires, but I don't hink you will need to.

django5 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 15, 2006, 12:21:08 AM »

Thanks. The white and green? But they're covered up together with plastic insulation and it says not to remove it one the instruction thing. I suppose I have to do it differently because I'm using coil-tap huh?
Thanks for your help :)

PhilKing · « **Reply #5 on:** January 15, 2006, 12:57:06 PM »

For normal humbucking use you only need the red, black and screen, but for the coil tap you need the shitee and green too.

sambo · « **Reply #6 on:** January 15, 2006, 01:13:50 PM »

haha phil said shitee

django5 · « **Reply #7 on:** January 15, 2006, 07:57:31 PM »

Ahh. Though so. Thanks.
Now I just need to find the bloody soldering iron.

django5 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 22, 2006, 06:30:51 PM »

Quote from: PhilKing

Hi, take the red to the 5 way, the black and screen (uncovered) to the ground on the volume, and replace the blue and yellow with the white and green. The coil tap is shorting out one coil to ground (I can see the other wire in the picture). If the sound is not as strong as you think it should be, or if the coil tap sounds bad, you can swap the red and black wires, but I don't hink you will need to.

Ok. I did this but I couldn't get on the computer to check what you'd said so I put the red and black the wrong way round. There was quite a hum so I looked at this again.
Oh. I thought. So I put them like you said but i'm still getting quite a lot of hum.
Here is what I've done. I sort of melted a tiny bit of insulation around some of the wires.
another closer

PhilKing · « **Reply #9 on:** January 22, 2006, 10:31:11 PM »

Check the bare wire and black are making good contact first. Then if they are, unsolder the green and white from the switch (but keep them soldered together). This should give you the full HB sound. If it is ok, can you unscrew the push pull pot so I can get a better look at the contacts on it please. It might be that you are always shorting to ground at the moment and so it is just giving you one coil.

indysmith · « **Reply #10 on:** January 22, 2006, 11:48:41 PM »

Quote from: sambo

haha phil said shitee

That statement sums you up SO well man. hehe - he did say shitee...he meant white!!! *giggles*

django5 · « **Reply #11 on:** January 23, 2006, 05:47:42 PM »

Quote from: PhilKing

Check the bare wire and black are making good contact first. Then if they are, unsolder the green and white from the switch (but keep them soldered together). This should give you the full HB sound. If it is ok, can you unscrew the push pull pot so I can get a better look at the contacts on it please. It might be that you are always shorting to ground at the moment and so it is just giving you one coil.

No, it's definately working as a coil tap. There is the difference that I would expect. This happens on all the pickups of the guitar. Including ones I wasn't supposed to have adjusted. My guitar tutor said it might be the wire from the input jack.

django5 · « **Reply #12 on:** February 12, 2006, 01:43:29 PM »

Hey, I just thought I'd tell you that my guitar tutor had a look at it and it turns out the wire on the input wasn't earthed so I got hum on all the pickups.
Thanks to everyone that helped.

It sounds great btw.