YAWQ (Yet Another Wiring Question) - HSS of sorts

In the very hypothetical situation that one had access to the following three pickups:
- Seymour Duncan Vintage Hot Stack Plus Strat - Noiseless Stacked (STK-S7) -> we shall call Bridge
- Seymour Duncan Vintage Staggered Strat (SSL-1) -> we shall call Middle
- Seymour Duncan JB Model (SH-4) -> we shall call Bridge
and wished to fit them to a Strat-type guitar, the following potential reasonable-ish configurations would be possible:

The polarities of all pickups would be assessed starting from the assumption that the SD HBs have their South pole on the screws side and their North pole on the slugs side and checking the other pickups attraction/repulsion against the HB coils.

Where two single coils are connected together, they could be connected in Series or in Parallel, e.g. 3b-2SS would have the 2 Single coils for the Neck and Bridge connected in Series, whereas 3b-2SP would have them connected in Parallel. In all cases, where two coils are connected together, their connection would be such as to make them humbucking, if feasible.

In this hypothetical scenario, which of these scenario would be worthwhile implemented in said guitar? The implementation of the scenarios is another step, which would be the outcome of this exercise, and is not a concern at this stage. Any inputs welcome.

Switching the STK-S7 between series and parallel coil interconnection is pretty pointless. The lower coil is only present for noise-cancellation reasons. The signal it generates is negligible. (For this reason, on some later STK-S models, the lower coil is of much lower resistance than the upper.) The only worthwhile trick wiring on this pickup is coil split when combined with the middle pickup.

Funkfingers said:

Switching the STK-S7 between series and parallel coil interconnection is pretty pointless. The lower coil is only present for noise-cancellation reasons. The signal it generates is negligible. (For this reason, on some later STK-S models, the lower coil is of much lower resistance than the upper.) The only worthwhile trick wiring on this pickup is coil split when combined with the middle pickup.

Thanks for that. So don't bother splitting the Neck pickup (STK-S7) unless:
- 1a-1S, maybe for a more accurate Strat neck sound?
- 2-2SS, in series with the Middle pickup, humbucking, more like a classic position 2 on a Strat?
- 3b-2SS, maybe, two single coils in series, humbucking, one from Neck and one from Bridge?

And in using the Neck pickup unsplit, one could do it:
- 1b-2SS, i.e. like a regular Neck pickup, unsplit?
- a new 3c-2HBP, i.e. like the middle switch on a Les Paul-style guiytar, Bridge and Neck, each unsplit, in parallel?

I would keep it much simpler than any of that.

I would do -

Full neck pickup
Split neck pickup + middle pickup
Split neck pickup + split bridge pickup
Middle pickup + split bridge pickup
Full bridge pickup

If the polarity of the middle is correctly chosen all combinations will be hum-cancelling. The bridge will need to split to the opposite coils in positions 3 and 4 - if possible, the neck side in 3 (more Tele-like) and the bridge side in 4 (more Strat-like) - this may need the magnet flipping.

Series settings and 3-pickup settings are rarely very good-sounding or useful.

The voice of reason, as always, @ICBM thanks a lot! For the options 2, 3, 4 you suggest then parallel connection of the pickups?

ICBM said:

I would keep it much simpler than any of that.

I would do -

Full neck pickup
Split neck pickup + middle pickup
Split neck pickup + split bridge pickup
Middle pickup + split bridge pickup
Full bridge pickup

If the polarity of the middle is correctly chosen all combinations will be hum-cancelling. The bridge will need to split to the opposite coils in positions 3 and 4 - if possible, the neck side in 3 (more Tele-like) and the bridge side in 4 (more Strat-like) - this may need the magnet flipping.

Series settings and 3-pickup settings are rarely very good-sounding or useful.

Yeah that, especially the last sentence!

I like the middle pickup on its own, especially in an HSS or HSH, as you can sort of treat it a bit like a single coil bridge pickup, since it's so much brighter than the bridge humbucker (and to my ears usually sounds better than the split bridge).

You can get all 6 (I think!) if you use a push-pull or similar to either add the neck pickup to the bridge setting or vice-versa. That'll also give you all 3 as a sort of bonus unintended setting in either position 2 or 4, depending on how you've wired the push-pull.

Dave_Mc said:

I like the middle pickup on its own, especially in an HSS or HSH, as you can sort of treat it a bit like a single coil bridge pickup, since it's so much brighter than the bridge humbucker (and to my ears usually sounds better than the split bridge).

Me too, but I know it’s not a popular sound with most Strat players . With that set of pickups, it’s also the only setting that can’t be hum-cancelling.

Amigo said:

For the options 2, 3, 4 you suggest then parallel connection of the pickups?

Yes, all parallel - unless you want to be Brian May, and then you want series and out-of-phase sounds - but that’s really the only thing they’re good for.

ICBM said:

Dave_Mc said:

I like the middle pickup on its own, especially in an HSS or HSH, as you can sort of treat it a bit like a single coil bridge pickup, since it's so much brighter than the bridge humbucker (and to my ears usually sounds better than the split bridge).

Me too, but I know it’s not a popular sound with most Strat players . With that set of pickups, it’s also the only setting that can’t be hum-cancelling.

Yeah I meant to mention the hum-cancelling thing but I forgot! 

I wouldn't say it's my favourite setting on a Strat, but I do like it and use it and would miss it if it weren't there. Even more so on an HSS or HSH superstrat, for the reason I mentioned (and even more so in an HSH, since it's the only "vintage-accurate" single coil sound in the guitar)- I had a couple of Superstrats with one of those Schaller superswitches stock which give you bridge + neck in the middle position, and I eventually took them out for a more standard switch so I could get the middle pickup alone!

Dave_Mc said:

I had a couple of Superstrats with one of those Schaller superswitches stock which give you bridge + neck in the middle position, and I eventually took them out for a more standard switch so I could get the middle pickup alone!

I just wired a Strat up for a friend, with a superswitch so position 3 is now neck+bridge not middle.

Nah… it just sounds bland, not as good as that sound on a Tele does, and not remotely as good as the middle pickup no matter what most Strat players seem to think ;).

(To be fair, it came with one of those horrible S1 switches, all it did was turn on the neck pickup in any position so you could get that bland sound and the even worse all three pickups :).)

Yeah neck + bridge on a Strat is pretty bland. I had it in one Strat (I think with a Freeway switch) but I took it out! I know @Funkfingers says using a blender pot helps so you can adjust the amount of each pickup, but I've never tried it.

There definitely does seem to be something special about the Tele neck and bridge pickups when it comes to that in-between position- I've got a Fret-King Tele-type thing but with Strat neck and middle pickups, and I wired it with a Freeway so I could get bridge and neck, and while it's better than a Strat, it's still not as good as a Tele.

Agreed about the Strat middle pickup  =) 3 pickups on can be alright for clean or cleanish tones, but it's not super-useful as you said, and probably not worth the bother of wiring up...

Many thanks for all the comments. Because this hypothetical guitar would be a Strat, then I think the best option would be to go as close as possible in sound to a bona-fide HSS with hum cancelling on position 1, such as this:

This design takes into effect the actual polarities of the pickups. The only slightly not-Strat sound would be Position 4, where, due to the actual polarities of the pickups, it's not the coil closest to the bridge that is active, if leaving the magnet polarity in the Bridge humbucker as is. Of course, Position 3 will not be hum-cancelling, but that's fine.

The coils of Seymour Duncan Stack replacement pickups are positioned vertically above one another. Thus, both coils are equidistant from the bridge. Neither coil is closer.

Some purists would argue that RPRW hum-cancellation is a "not-Strat" sound. The cancellation may take some vital frequencies away with it. 

Neck single coil and bridge humbucker on a HSS Strat is pretty good. Totally agree neck and bridge Strat single coil is far more rubbish than you'd think