Newb - HSS wiring questions

[iH8usrnames]

First, I am colorblind so I have no idea what the value is of the resistor in the photo.
All pots are 500k.
All pickups are from Wilkinson.
I did my best to make a functional diagram as it is.

I have four wires off the humbucker with the white and red looping back under shrink tube. No idea if they are soldered together; I'd assume so.

The resistor that I cannot read due to bad genetics.


Questions:
- Is it normal for the humbucker to not have any tone adjustment?
- Am I crazy for thinking the humbucker should have a tone adjustment?
- I would really like the option of running the humbucker as a single coil via a switch for best of both worlds; how would I do that?
- If I wanted to get ridiculous, would it be possible to have the option of humbucker/switched single coil and a tone control?

I have no fear of soldering.
I have no fear drilling additional holes or replacing a pot with push/pull if that gets me what I want.
Also, is this a totally foolish endeavor?

Did I mention I'm a newb.
This is my first strat which I built from a kit.

 

[AngelLaHash]

I think you need a multimeter
Two points resistance, I never really remember all the colours plus it can be 10% out on some types.
Second continuity,(IE you can trace a path of conductive, best done while making or looking for breaks)

As for the diagram it looks good to me

Resistor looks Brown/Green/Yellow/Gold
150'000 or 150K (Was pointed out id put a M and not a K) Ohms with 5%
142'500 to 157'500 range (5% being 7K5)
142K5 to 157K5

 

[Skinny Nitro]

Tone control on the bridge humbucker is your choice and often part of Fender Strat wiring.
Splitting the humbucker to give a single coil can be done with a push pull tone control.

This is a general wiring diagram to achieve this. The wire colors on the humbucker are the same as a Wilkinson at Amazon, they may not match yours.

 

[iH8usrnames]

I think you need a multimeter
Two points resistance, I never really remember all the colours plus it can be 10% out on some types.
Second continuity,(IE you can trace a path of conductive, best done while making or looking for breaks)

As for the diagram it looks good to me

Resistor looks Brown/Green/Yellow/Gold
150'000 or 150M Ohms with 5%
142'500 to 157'500 range (5% being 7K5)
142K5 to 157K5

I have a meter but you cannot test a resistor in circuit, especially one that is bridging with a capacitor.
I have two meters, and 4 channel O-scope, soldering station, and loads of hundreds of resistors and capacitors on hand. I build a stereo power amp for home audio and two vacuum tube phono preamps and power supplies.

 

[iH8usrnames]

Tone control on the bridge humbucker is your choice and often part of Fender Strat wiring.
Splitting the humbucker to give a single coil can be done with a push pull tone control.

This is a general wiring diagram to achieve this. The wire colors on the humbucker are the same as a Wilkinson at Amazon, they may not match yours.
View attachment 633283

The humbucker on mine has two black wires (thick one to ground, thin one to switch), one red, one white. So I need to score a push/pull pot, it appears.

Thank you

 

[Stephen James]

...


Resistor looks Brown/Green/Yellow/Gold
150'000 or 150M Ohms with 5%
142'500 to 157'500 range (5% being 7K5)
142K5 to 157K5

The yellow band means "x10k", not "x10M", so the value would be 150k (or 250k if the band is red and not brown, hard to tell), but definitely not 150M..

 

[Stephen James]

The humbucker on mine has two black wires (thick one to ground, thin one to switch), one red, one white. So I need to score a push/pull pot, it appears.

Thank you

Can you post a pic of the wires for the humbucker?

 

[iH8usrnames]

The yellow band means "x10k", not "x10M", so the value would be 150k (or 250k if the band is red and not brown, hard to tell), but definitely not 150M..

The issue is I'm colorblind.

In the photo I can make out the gold band. The one below gold, could be yellow, not sure. The bottom two are the same color to my eyes.

For example, the chart you show above.
Blue and violet are nearly identical; if they were separated by 1", I would think they are the same color.
Gold and orange above, are the same color in my eyes.
Brown and grey are barely different.
If the green were slightly darker, it would be the same as gold and orange.

Being colorblind REALLY SUCKS.

I used a tool on my phone that simulates color blindness and tool a screen shot of the chart you posted. Should give you an idea what I’m talking about.

 

[Stephen James]

The issue is I'm colorblind.

In the photo I can make out the gold band. The one below gold, could be yellow, not sure. The bottom two are the same color to my eyes.

For example, the chart you show above.
Blue and violet are nearly identical; if they were separated by 1", I would think they are the same color.
Gold and orange above, are the same color in my eyes.
Brown and grey are barely different.
If the green were slightly darker, it would be the same as gold and orange.

Being colorblind REALLY SUCKS.

I used a tool on my phone that simulates color blindness and tool a screen shot of the chart you posted. Should give you an idea what I’m talking about.
View attachment 633334

Definitely understood, I'm sorry things are like that for you. I posted that chart in response to @AngelLaHash's typo (though I am sure they have access to one), citing my source for correcting the typo (typos can kill you know [/s], not in this case, but still) that was posted, it wasn't intended to add insult to injury..

EDIT: I sound waaaaay funnier in person..

 

[iH8usrnames]

Definitely understood, I'm sorry things are like that for you. I posted that chart in response to @AngelLaHash's typo (though I am sure they have access to one), citing my source for correcting the typo (typos can kill you know, not in this case, but still) that was posted, it wasn't intended to add insult to injury..

No worries; I was not insulted. I apologize if I put you on the defensive; I was trying to be informative versus confrontational. All good.

I have tools I can use to usually figure out colors but in this case I could not.

 

[AngelLaHash]

Im Green and Red Colour Blind.
So Tomatos and Streweberrys for me

so you have ALL these wonderful tools and a Chart to help with your Color Blindness

Questions:
- Is it normal for the humbucker to not have any tone adjustment?
Well Gibson have Tone of their Humbuckers and if you had a HSH you would have Tone. Sound is a PERSONAL TOUCH.
- Am I crazy for thinking the humbucker should have a tone adjustment?
If so then we need a lot of Jackets to lock a lot of people UP
- I would really like the option of running the humbucker as a single coil via a switch for best of both worlds; how would I do that?
You would find where the Two Single Pickups in the Humbucker are Joined and Split it.
IE Ground if you want the First Pickup in the Run to be the Single or Output if you want the Second Pickup.
- If I wanted to get ridiculous, would it be possible to have the option of humbucker/switched single coil and a tone control?
you can have a Tone for Every thing if you wish, you get Dual Pots with Dual Controls.
Tend to see a 500K with a 22nF on Humbuckers as Gibsons Fav and 250K with 47nF for Strats as Fenders Fav (think maybe for cheapness they knew how to make money)

-----------------
As for me, i studied Electronics and Computer Program at Uni and Qualified as a Electrician for fun.
tend to design my own switches now
And Stephen James is a great person too, feels like he knows what he is talking about .. and i have High Respect for him.

 

[StratUp]

I color corrected your photo and I'd be 92% confident that's a red band initially, so 250K.

Another choice is to set up a master tone and master volume and then use the third pot to blend the humbucker from full to single. But, my experience is that there are really only three useful positions: full, half, and single. So a DPDT with center off will do it. If you plan to go the DPDT push-pull, then you get full and single options only.

There's no reason I can imagine that you wouldn't have a tone control on the humbucker except that you want tone on the neck and middle independently. That arrangement isn't really useful to me as I like a tone control on any bridge, so I'd set up the tone as a master on all three. But, everyone has different preferences.

 

[Stephen James]

No worries; I was not insulted. I apologize if I put you on the defensive; I was trying to be informative versus confrontational. All good.

...

...
And Stephen James is a great person too, feels like he knows what he is talking about .. and i have High Respect for him.

I know I am diverging from my avatar here but...

Awww, thanks guys!

 

[iH8usrnames]

This what I’m working with:


Close up of wires from humbucker:


I picked up a DPDT pot while at lunch.


And took dig through my electronicals parts bin and found a few DPDT and a couple single (on/off) toggle switches.




I imagine I have on hand all I would need.

So, the challenge is, what can I do with this stuff?

Dream land:
- Gilmor mod (neck and bridge pickups conbined)
- humbucker/spit single
- tone controls for each pickup, maybe?
- espresso/cappuccino machine
- the talent to actually play this damn guitar

This is becoming a Swiss Army knife.

 

[AngelLaHash]

i think the 2P2T would be better, I had some of the SMALL toggle switches and the Switch Snapped.

at least with the 2P2T you will get a clean break, i normally let them float
Humbucker is Basically
+PickUp 1 to Switch, -PickUp 1 to +PickUp 2, -PickUp 2 to Ground

1P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp1) -PickUp2 to Ground and +PickUp1 to Output
UP) Ground, COMMON) -PickUp1, DOWN)+PickUp2

1P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp2) +PickUp1 to Output, -PickUp1 to +PickUp2
UP) Output, COMMON) +PickUp2, DOWN) Not/Connected

2P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp1+PickUp2) +PickUp1 to Output, -PickUp2 to Ground
UP) Ground, COMMON) -PickUp1, DOWN) +PickUp2
UP) Output, COMMON) +PickUp2, DOWN) -PickUp1

 

[iH8usrnames]

i think the 2P2T would be better, I had some of the SMALL toggle switches and the Switch Snapped.

at least with the 2P2T you will get a clean break, i normally let them float
Humbucker is Basically
+PickUp 1 to Switch, -PickUp 1 to +PickUp 2, -PickUp 2 to Ground

1P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp1) -PickUp2 to Ground and +PickUp1 to Output
UP) Ground, COMMON) -PickUp1, DOWN)+PickUp2

1P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp2) +PickUp1 to Output, -PickUp1 to +PickUp2
UP) Output, COMMON) +PickUp2, DOWN) Not/Connected

2P2T Switch (Humbucker/PickUp1+PickUp2) +PickUp1 to Output, -PickUp2 to Ground
UP) Ground, COMMON) -PickUp1, DOWN) +PickUp2
UP) Output, COMMON) +PickUp2, DOWN) -PickUp1

While I really appreciate what you just wrote, I’d need to see a schematic or wiring diagram to execute.

This is my first ever foray into soldering anything involving guitars/pickups.

Also, to everyone who has commented on this and other posts of mine; I’m totally blown away at how nice, supportive, and helpful everyone has been.

 

[iH8usrnames]

I pealed back the heat shrink on the humbucker leads.

Found, what I think is a green wire that was sent to ground with the bare wire.

 

[StratUp]

I pealed back the heat shrink on the humbucker leads.

Found, what I think is a green wire that was sent to ground with the bare wire. View attachment 633516

If you can't find a wiring diagram for that specific pickup... it looks like the green is grounded? And the black is going to the switch?

That would suggest the black is the start of the north coil. The red or white is the end of the north coil. The red or white is the start of the south coil. The green is the end of the south coil.

To test, disconnect them from the circuit. measure the resistance of the black to red. If it's 8K ohms give or take, that's the verified north coil. If that's true, the white to green will also measure 8K ohms.

Unfortunately, it's hard to figure out start and end of a coil without unwrapping to see where the wires physically go. But if there are two bonded right now (e.g. red and white) we know one is an end and one is a start. If you get conduction from black to red, then I'd conclude red is the end of the north coil. That also would mean white is a start and green is an end.

Make sense?

What's your desire for the humbucker? Full HB and split HB? What do you want to do with the pots?

 

[Butcher_my_axe]

Questions:
- Is it normal for the humbucker to not have any tone adjustment?
- Am I crazy for thinking the humbucker should have a tone adjustment?

Yes (and quite frankly, I don't know why), and no.

I personally always have a dedicated tone control for humbuckers, at least a 500K rated value.

I pealed back the heat shrink on the humbucker leads.

Found, what I think is a green wire that was sent to ground with the bare wire. View attachment 633516

If you can't find a wiring diagram for that specific pickup... it looks like the green is grounded? And the black is going to the switch?

That would suggest the black is the start of the north coil. The red or white is the end of the north coil. The red or white is the start of the south coil. The green is the end of the south coil.

Yes, it appears that the Wilkinson M-series humbuckers use the exact colour code as Seymour Duncan. You could use a multimeter to verify both north-finish and south-finish, however for the purposes of what the intended goals are, it's best to leave the red and white wires connected as a series link.

Dream land:
- Gilmor mod (neck and bridge pickups conbined)
- humbucker/spit single
- tone controls for each pickup, maybe?
- espresso/cappuccino machine
- the talent to actually play this damn guitar

This is becoming a Swiss Army knife.

• Gilmour switch? Yep
• Humbucker coil split? Yep. I made the diagram for a north-coil split. It's possible to do a south coil split with a standard SPDT or DPDT as well, but if you want both options in the one switch, you'll need an on-off-on SPDT/DPDT switch.
• Tone controls for each pickup? Not at the individual level without drilling holes for a 3rd tone pot or using a concentric pot. Two pickups will need to share the one tone control. I made the diagram for a dedicated bridge humbucker tone control, and the single coils sharing a tone control.
• Espresso/cappuccino machine? No, put that on the wishlist for Santa.
• The talent to actually play "this damn guitar"? You can do it; I believe in you.

Good luck.

 

[iH8usrnames]

If you can't find a wiring diagram for that specific pickup... it looks like the green is grounded? And the black is going to the switch?

That would suggest the black is the start of the north coil. The red or white is the end of the north coil. The red or white is the start of the south coil. The green is the end of the south coil.

To test, disconnect them from the circuit. measure the resistance of the black to red. If it's 8K ohms give or take, that's the verified north coil. If that's true, the white to green will also measure 8K ohms.

Unfortunately, it's hard to figure out start and end of a coil without unwrapping to see where the wires physically go. But if there are two bonded right now (e.g. red and white) we know one is an end and one is a start. If you get conduction from black to red, then I'd conclude red is the end of the north coil. That also would mean white is a start and green is an end.

Make sense?

What's your desire for the humbucker? Full HB and split HB? What do you want to do with the pots?

Make sense?
Considering I am a newb when it comes to guitar pickups, yes.
I will de-solder the leads after work, check resistance, and identify which wires are for which poles and which is +/-.

Basic desire:
Ability to split the humbucker to single coil, when desired, to get closer to the classic strat sound.

Slightly more elaborate desire:
Same as above with the addition of tone control on the bridge/humbucker when in use.

Spinning bow tie and clown shoes goal:
All the above plus:
I have a toggle I could use to control the humbucker split (photos in previous post). If I use the toggle for this purpose, would it be possible to use the push/pull Pot for tone control?

Pot in down position would be neck tone.
Pot in up position would be bridge tone.
The standard pot would be middle tone.

The clown shoes part would be adding a second toggle for the "Gilmour Mod".

I have the guitar taken apart right now, I feel like I should just go for the throat and do all of these mods now.
For the record, I am not a gigging musician, I will never be a gigging musician, and this thing will very rarely ever leave my house. It is something I play around with for fun. Having these options would be purely for fun and learning. Not terribly concerned about durability - I usually just sit on the couch and annoy my wife with it.