Question Calling Beej and other electronic wizards!

[spkirby]

OK I've got a (custom) wiring question. I have 2 humbucker equipped supersports that I love but I'm looking to mod one to get some different tones with some Bareknuckle Mississippi Queens which are P90's in a humbucker size.

I can get these pickups with an optional coil tap wired into them so is it possible to wire the coil tap wire to the pickup selector switch so that the ASS's 5 way switch has the bridge coil tap engaged in pos 2 and the neck coil tap in pos 4? If so, how!?

Maybe worth mentioning that the ASS in question also has a piezo...

Thanks!

 

[bkrumme]

Those pups are single coils. No tapping them. The only choices your'e going to get are possibly a series/parallel switch. Then you can blend in the piezo if you want...

 

[spkirby]

Yeah you can definitely tap P90's (or indeed any single coil)... i.e. you would have fewer winds in the circuit than the full pickup...

 

[bkrumme]

My mistake on the terminology. I consider that a "short" but "tap" makes sense, too. So, yeah. If you tap them, then you have a couple more possibilities.

If I'm doing the math right, it would be around 8 different possible combinations if you tap/short both pickups. Could probably achieve it with a 5 way switch and a DPDT push/pull pot.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

If you have a piezo, then you've potentially got 3 pots that can become push-pull. It would take some drawing out, but you might be able to pull off what you're looking to do. The hard part is remembering how to get to each selection.

 

[spkirby]

I was thinking of keeping it simple though, and just controlling it through the 5 way switch IF possible. I'd aim for:

Switch Pos 1 : Bridge pickup
2 : Bridge pickup tapped
3 : Bridge and Neck pickup
4 : Neck tapped
5 : Neck pickup

 

[WeeGee]

Steve,

If this what your intending to do Wiring link
(although the wiring colours are different for BKP plus I prefer to ground to a single star point rather than daisy chain the grounds)

Alternatively, speak to Tim at BKP as he's a helpful guy

 

[threeminutesboy]

If you have a piezo, then you've potentially got 3 pots that can become push-pull. It would take some drawing out, but you might be able to pull off what you're looking to do. The hard part is remembering how to get to each selection.

This touchy to achieve as the pots are mounted on the preamp board on an ASS Piezo and I would not recommand changing that

As Steve suggested the 5 way switch is the way to go. My Tom Anderson is wired this way 2 single coils but a 5 way switch and the position Steve suggested.

P90 style pickup in a Basswood/mapple guitar is a very nice combination. Had one modded with Phat cats but 3 way switch. Had to let her go when I got my bongo but this is something I will do again for sure

 

[spkirby]

Thanks 3mins, I missed out on Sandy so this is my best shot for a P90 piezo trem premium top ASS!

 

[beej]

Yep, I totally agree. Just use a 5 way lever and that combination will be easy to wire up.

Two caveats- first, before going to all of that trouble I'd find out if I liked the sound of them tapped first. Easy to wire up simply.

Second, consider if you're going to want 500k pots with them. Might not like them with the taps, but you might. You could always wire a 470k resistor across the p'ups when in the tapped positions, that would give you the effect of having 250k pots in there. Just worth experimenting with. The BK guy would probably have good advice on that.