Series / Parallel wiring diagram for 4-conductor Humbucker Pickups

Series/Parallel Wiring of a Humbucker pickup with 4

conductors

Luca Finzi Contini

Humbucker Pickup Scheme

• This is the usual schematic for a 4-conductor Humbucker pickup. North coil and South coil are depicted.

• Colour scheme here is DiMarzio’s: – North start: red

– North finish: black

– South start: white

– South end: green

• Seymour Duncan colour scheme is:– North start: Black

– North finish: White

– South start: Red

– South finish: Green

+

-

+

-

Red

Black

White

Green

New Wiring for Series / Split / Parallel wiring

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Useful colour scheme page

• http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/schematics.php?schematic=color_codes


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http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/schematics.php?schematic=color_codes

DPDT Switch

• Left: DPDT switch in the ‘push’ position: 2 -> 3; 5 -> 6

• Right: DPDT switch in the ‘pull’ position: 2 -> 1; 5 -> 4

1

2

3

4

5

6

Push

1

2

3

4

5

6

Pull


4

DPDT Switch - split• This is the connection in a on-on-on DPDT

switch , typically in the middle position.

• It is useful to achieve a series – split –parallel wiring. 1

2

3

4

5

6

Pull


5

Series Wiring

• Maximum DC Resistance

• Maximum output

• Standard wiring

• The two coils are traversed in series

+

-

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green


6

Parallel Wiring

• ‘+’’s are connectedtogether and ‘-’’s are connectedtogether

• Roughly half DC resistance

• Less Output

• More Brightnessand Trebly sound

+

-

+

-

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green


7

Standard DPDT Wiring

• This is the standard wiring as per SD and DiMarzio docs.

• Let’s see how this allows Series / Parallel switching.

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


8

Standard DPDT Wiring - Series

• Traversing from Hot to Gnd, the orange connections connect the two coils in series.

• Following the path from Hot to Gnd we traverse 1, red, black, 3, 2, white, green, 4, gnd.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Push

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


9

Standard DPDT Wiring - Parallel

• Here we notice how Red and White (+) are connected through 1 -> 2, aswell as Black and Green are connected through 4 -> 5. This demonstratesthat this is a parallel connection.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Pull

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


10

Standard DPDT Wiring – Split coil

• The same wiring allows for a Single Coil operation when using an on/on/on DPDT switch

• North coil is connected from hot to ground, while South coil has both White and Green connected to ground, so it is not used. We can check that by looking from the Gndconnection backwards:

– Gnd, 4, 5, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd.

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


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The need for new wiring

• Standard wiring is a little bit cumbersome to understand because there are crossing lines

• Needs the diagonal piece of wire solderedbetween 3 and 5

• So I came up with a new design…


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New DPDT Wiring

• This new wiring has no wire crossings. • The connection between 3 and 6 can conveniently be realized by using a piece of

condenser ‘leg’ that you cut away if replacing your tone pot with a DPDT push-pull pot, just inserting it in the holes and placing a bit of solder.

• Let’s see how this works as before.

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


13

New DPDT Wiring - Series

• By following the path from Hot to Ground we easily find all the coils:– Hot, 1, Red, Black, 5, 6, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd

1

2

3

4

5

6

Push

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


14

New DPDT Wiring - Parallel

• The crossing is not really present as the 1->2 takes place inside the switch

• +’s are connected through 1->2

• -’s are connected through 4->5

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


15

New DPDT Wiring - Split

• This new wiring was not meant to deal with Split configuration, but let’s see what happens• North coil is correctly running from hot to ground:

– Hot,1,Red,Black,5,4,Gnd.

• South coil has Green connected to ground but White (+) is actually floating– Probably not suitable – never actually tested.

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd


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Application: Telecaster Bridge Series/Parallel

• My Telecaster project features a DiMarzio The Chopper T on the bridge position and a DiMarzioTwang King Neck on the neck position

• Neck pickup is considerably lower in output thanBridge pickup

• I want to have Series/Parallel capability on the 4-conductor bridge pickup

BUT…

• Standard wiring is for series in Push mode, Parallel in Pull mode


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Application: Telecaster Bridge Series/Parallel (cont’d)

• I need to have Parallel mode in ‘push’ position and Series mode in ‘pull’ position so that the standard situation (with pot in the rest, pushposition) will feature comparable output pickup configuration


18

Solution: flipping vertically

• This allows for my desired operation: – Push: parallel– Pull: series

• Let’s check…


19

1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd

Solution: Push = Parallel

• +’s are connected through 1->2

• -’s are connected through 4->5


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1

2

3

4

5

6

Push

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd

Solution: Pull = Series

• Once again, by following the path from Hot to Ground we easily find allthe coils:– Hot, 1, Red, Black, 5, 6, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd


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1

2

3

4

5

6

DPDT

+

-

-

+

Red

Black

White

Green

+ Hot

- Gnd

Pictures (1)


22

Push/Pull pot with condenser beforesoldering the wiresand ‘bridge’NOTE: The picture shows the condensersoldered to the *WRONG* leg of the pot: if the signalis soldered to the central lug, the condenser must be soldered to the LEFT lug, and not the RIGHT as here – mymistake.

Pictures (2)


23

Here I soldered a piece of the condenser‘leg’ I had previously cut in order to create the bridge 3->6. Great move!It passed perfectly through the holes of the DPDT lugs.

Pictures (3)


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Pictures (4)


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Final Result


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Thank you!

• Thank you for looking at this presentation!

Luca Finzi Contini


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Self Improvement

Series / Parallel wiring diagram for 4-conductor Humbucker Pickups