Curious question regarding an HHS Pickup Config - Luthiers opinions very welcome

[Eyes Wide Shut]

Excuse the long essay -

I'm really curious about what I'm about to ask. Hense asking, durrr!!! lol

Anyways...

I've been looking at options for a new guitar (Warmoth, Custom Built, Manufactured, etc) and I've been having a dilemma on whether i should go with a Neck Humbucker or a Neck Single Coil. Here's the Dilemma...

I've chosen a BKP Bridge pickup for this custom guitar, but I've spent a short while asking people on this forum about a neck pickup as well. I've come to realise that if it aint broke don't fix it. So regarding a Single Coil Neck pickup, I'll stick to the Dimarzio Cruiser I love if I decide on a Singlecoil, and for a Humbucker Neck Pickup I love the Liquifire so that vs. the Cold Sweat is still up for debates, but that's a different story.

Now...

After googling for a couple of hours/many days, I came across an idea for solving this problem...

My Dimarzio Cruiser guitar is on a 22 fret guitar and my Dimarzio Liquifre is on a 24 fret. I've learnt from personal experience that a 24 fret guitar usually positions the neck pickup a good distance nearer the bridge - normally around a coils width to a coil and a half.

Any idea where I'm going...?

Well if you don't here goes... What if I position the 2x Humbuckers as if it was a 24 Fret Guitar, but I added a single coil after the Neck Humbucker, and made the guitar a 22 fret guitar? i was thinking this for the fact that both Neck pickups would be in the exact same place as where I like them, but I get the best of both worlds.

What do people think? I'm interested to hear all opinions. Especially ways i could wire it with pots, switches, etc.

Here's some pictures I found on google after considering this idea ,showing what I mean. Although I'd prob cram the pickups closer together.

[XxpapertigerxX]

Honestly I don't care much for how it looks in those pictures, but it should do what you're looking for. I would position the single coil a little closer to the neck and the humbucker as well, though.

I was in the same position as you not too long ago. I was getting a custom guitar, and I spent hours and hours pouring over every little minutiae, trying to create a guitar that could do it all. In the end, I realized that I would never be able to accomplish that, so I went for something more simple. It's still very versatile, but it isn't my end-all guitar. It's simpler, I'm happier, and it gives me an excuse to get even more guitars  :D

That's not to say that you're doing that exactly, but it's something to think about.

[Eyes Wide Shut]

yeah you got a point with the excuse for other guitars. I'm just exploring every avenue at the moment. It really does start to wear you down when researching a guitar haha. I'll manage to get it sorted someday soon hopefully lol

[James C]

I was having the same idea regarding the HHS layout on a superstrat, as far as wiring goes, have you had a look at the Steve Morse Y2D? all depends on what options you want switching wise. I'd have thought that a 3 way switch for the standard H-H config. with a miniswitch to choose which neck pup was selected would be possible.

[Eyes Wide Shut]

I was having the same idea regarding the HHS layout on a superstrat, as far as wiring goes, have you had a look at the Steve Morse Y2D? all depends on what options you want switching wise. I'd have thought that a 3 way switch for the standard H-H config. with a miniswitch to choose which neck pup was selected would be possible.

A mini switch is actually a pretty good idea

[XxpapertigerxX]

Yeah you're right about that, I was about to go crazy after a while. I like the mini switch idea a lot. If you want to get really crazy, you could put in the S-1 Switching system that Fender uses on their deluxe guitars. If you aren't familiar, basically it's a 5-way switch with a button on the volume knob. You have 5 positions like a normal Strat switch, but when you press the button the 5 positions are all changed, giving you twice as many switching options. Then you could get into weird combinations like both neck pickups in parallel, both in series, single coil with split neck or bridge humbucker in parallel/series, humbucker wired in parallel, etc.

[Eyes Wide Shut]

Yeah you're right about that, I was about to go crazy after a while. I like the mini switch idea a lot. If you want to get really crazy, you could put in the S-1 Switching system that Fender uses on their deluxe guitars. If you aren't familiar, basically it's a 5-way switch with a button on the volume knob. You have 5 positions like a normal Strat switch, but when you press the button the 5 positions are all changed, giving you twice as many switching options. Then you could get into weird combinations like both neck pickups in parallel, both in series, single coil with split neck or bridge humbucker in parallel/series, humbucker wired in parallel, etc.

I actually went through a phase of looking into many options of pickup wiring configs, and it really started to get really out of hand. You start to have all these switches and it's like picking a pair of jeans you like, but you can only find one out of a choice of 3 lol

[XxpapertigerxX]

Yeah it can get really crazy. That's why I like the S-1 system so much; it gives you ten pickup positions with only one 5-way switch and a button that's usually in the volume knob, so that it's virtually indistinguishable from a regular Strat

[dave_mc]

don't see why not

though the bucker looks a bit further away than it'd normally be on a 24 fretter there (but that might just be where that guy positioned it on his guitar).

fwiw framus does/did a similar thing with some of their guitars (except they went with a single coil-sized humbucker instead of full-size, it looked a little more "normal"). Haven't tried that model, though. But I guess at least it shows that someone else thought of it, so it's not *that* weird an idea. Kind of thing.

I guess... are you going with a scratchplate guitar? if so there wouldn't be *that* much risk, you could always convert it to a more normal pickup layout later if you didn't like the HHS thing.

[Philly Q]

though the bucker looks a bit further away than it'd normally be on a 24 fretter there (but that might just be where that guy positioned it on his guitar).

Agreed.

I'm not sure you could place the humbucker exactly where it would be on a 24-fret guitar, I reckon the single-coil is a bit too wide for that.  Unless you can get all three coils bunched together like this:





And maybe you could trim off the end of the fretboard close to the 22nd fret so the single-coil could sit really tight to the end of the board - like Satriani's JS2400 (although of course that's got 24 frets, but it illustrates the idea):

[Eyes Wide Shut]

 yeah I'd have them that close together like the red guitar, and probably that close to the neck like the JS.

And yeah I'd get a scratchguard as it would be easier to get a custom pickguard maker what I need, and If I don't like it then i can get another :)

[dave_mc]

^ you're way ahead of me :)

Agreed.

I'm not sure you could place the humbucker exactly where it would be on a 24-fret guitar, I reckon the single-coil is a bit too wide for that.  Unless you can get all three coils bunched together like this:





And maybe you could trim off the end of the fretboard close to the 22nd fret so the single-coil could sit really tight to the end of the board - like Satriani's JS2400 (although of course that's got 24 frets, but it illustrates the idea):

yeah. plus the one in the pic has the rounded end to the neck which isn't helping. i'm guessing it could be done with a straight edge to the end of the neck.