Hello...

I'm about to change out the pick ups in my HSS hwy 1 for the Following Dimarzio Pick ups:
Super 3 - Bridge
Fast track1 - Middle
Chopper - Neck

My question relates to the wiring of the middle pick up...should this humbucker be wired in series or in parallel?

OR

should I just switch the red and green wire when connecting? In the install instructions, this is an option if the pick ups are out of phase.

I plan to wire the chopper and super 3 in series...but am curious how the pick ups will act when the 5 way switch is in position 2 and 4....and that's my general question...when two pick ups are selected...should they both be wired the same (in series )or one in series and one in parallel, or just switch the red and green wire on the middle pick up?

I plan on shooting the DiMarzio tech an e-mail monday...But thought this forum and the wealth of experience would be a good place to check over the weekend.

As always...advice and opinons are appreciated.

PB

I'll bite.

As your questions (and reasoning thereof) are kind of scattered around, I'll try answering them as I best I can comprehend them.

There should be no need to reverse wire (the red and green leads) of any of the DiMarzios due to the fact that they are made by the same manufacturer and unless you know for a fact that one of the pickups are RW/RP to the other two, there should be no phase issues. Now if you are talking about series linking two pickups, this is covered in my second to last paragraph.

A humbucker of itself, wired for full strength is series wired. If you want a crisper, more trebly sound out of the pickup with less output instead of what would be full strength, you would then wire it in parallel. Either mode is still humbucking.

Depending on how you wire the entire circuit, you may or may not have a dead spot on the toggle on one of the pickup selections where you've engaged that pickup with another in a series wiring.

This part: "...when two pick ups are selected...should they both be wired the same (in series )or one in series and one in parallel, or just switch the red and green wire on the middle pick up?", I'm guessing what you're getting at. All I can say is, when a pickup is wired in series to another, the opposite colored leads are the link which joins them. In this case, it would be the red to the green. Of themselves, it makes no difference whether they are wired in series or parallel but like I said in the third paragraph, output and tonality will be affected.

I hope this helps you out somewhat.

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Thanks Martian...

Your input is very helpful...thank you. I'm just trying to gather as much info as I can before I change the pups so I don't have to strip the guitar down more times than I actually need. I would like to do it right the first time.

thanks again.

Glad to be of service and I wholeheartedly agree with you.

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