[gjsmo]

I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

4.) Any opinions on:
i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)
ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)
iii.) Black Ice Overdrive (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Black_Ice_overdrive.html)

FYI, the pickups I want to use are the following:
Neck: S-D Cool Rails
Middle: S-D Li'l Screaming Demon
Bridge: Humbucker with Lace Gold Sensor in top, S-D Quarter Pound Flat
in bottom.

[PStamler]

On Mar 10, 4:26*pm, gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

I know it's been done; a few custom guitars have this setup, and I
believe a couple of production guitars as well. Whether it's worth it,
I don't know, since I haven't played one of those guitars, but it's
definitely feasible.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?

You could try it; my guess is it won't make a lot of difference, since
amp inputs aren't balanced.

Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

Might be simpler, and make for a less bulky instrument, to put that
into a stomp box and run a SHORT cord from the guitar.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

Depends, *You* have to live with it as a player. If it works for you,
fine. If not, you can decide which levels of flexibility are worth
sacrificing for simplicity.

4.) Any opinions on:
* * *i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)
* * *ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)
* * *iii.) Black Ice Overdrive (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/

Haven't tried 'em.

Oh, what style of guitar is this? Strat-ish?

Peace,
Paul

[gjsmo]

On Mar 10, 5:47*pm, PStamler wrote:
On Mar 10, 4:26*pm, gjsmo wrote:

I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

I know it's been done; a few custom guitars have this setup, and I
believe a couple of production guitars as well. Whether it's worth it,
I don't know, since I haven't played one of those guitars, but it's
definitely feasible.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?

You could try it; my guess is it won't make a lot of difference, since
amp inputs aren't balanced.

Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

Might be simpler, and make for a less bulky instrument, to put that
into a stomp box and run a SHORT cord from the guitar.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

Depends, *You* have to live with it as a player. If it works for you,
fine. If not, you can decide which levels of flexibility are worth
sacrificing for simplicity.

4.) Any opinions on:
* * *i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)
* * *ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)
* * *iii.) Black Ice Overdrive (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/

Haven't tried 'em.

Oh, what style of guitar is this? Strat-ish?

Peace,
Paul

VERY Strat-ish. Other than the HSS pickups and massive number of
switches, it's probably going to be a Strat copy.

[RD Jones]

On Mar 10, 4:26*pm, gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

Yes, Fender came up woth a more versatile switching system in '79
for "The Strat", the Walnut Strat and other limited edition Strats
that were
sometimes refered to as Super Strats. Choices included the middle and
bridge pickups in series (humbucking) as well as the usual parallel
(humbucking) and individual selections.
A similar system is still in use and now called the "S-1" switching
system.
I think this or a variation on it would do exactly what you want.

B.C. Rich and a few others also had similar single/dual switching
setups.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

There were examples of balanced out guitars such as the Les Paul
Recording
and Alembic.
This can help a bit with hum but a non-humbucking single coil is still
susceptable
to any induced field.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

Sure, ever seen a Dan Armstrong guitar ? It's a way different take on
what you suggest.

4.) Any opinions on:
* * *i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)

Nothing you can't do with pedals.

* * *ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)

A friend of mine developed such a system. I hope he's making money off
it.

FYI, the pickups I want to use are the following:
Neck: S-D Cool Rails
Middle: S-D Li'l Screaming Demon
Bridge: Humbucker with Lace Gold Sensor in top, S-D Quarter Pound Flat
in bottom.

Seriously, look at the schem for the S1 or SuperStrat and go for it.

rd

[Mike Rivers]

On 3/10/2011 5:26 PM, gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

It's been done, both as a custom modification and
commercially. See:
http://www.coil-guitars.com/#/electronics/
and
http://gamechanger.music-man.com/

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

The common mode rejection with a balanced connection
actually comes from the input (in this case the amplifier),
Balancing the output of the guitar is only half the job. You
could build a DI into the guitar, or you could just do what
Chet Atkins and Les Paul did some 40-50 years ago and make
low impedance pickups wired to XLR connectors. It took a
special amplifier that had an input stage like a mic preamp.
The Les Paul Recording model guitar and companion amplifier
was a commercial product for a while. It never really took
off, but it certainly was a good idea.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available?

I'm sure there are guitar players who would find that
absolutely astounding and inspiring. You never know until
you try, though.

4.) Any opinions on:

No



--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com - useful and
interesting audio stuff

[gjsmo]

On Mar 10, 8:21*pm, RD Jones wrote:
On Mar 10, 4:26*pm, gjsmo wrote:

I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

Yes, Fender came up woth a more versatile switching system in '79
for "The Strat", the Walnut Strat and other limited edition Strats
that were
sometimes refered to as Super Strats. Choices included the middle and
bridge pickups in series (humbucking) as well as the usual parallel
(humbucking) and individual selections.
A similar system is still in use and now called the "S-1" switching
system.
I think this or a variation on it would do exactly what you want.

B.C. Rich and a few others also had similar single/dual switching
setups.

The Super Strat isn't what I'm thinking of - bear in mind the pickup
layout is actually HHH, though it'll look (hopefully) like HSS.
S1 looks interesting. I'd need extra mods though to account for my
special "humbucker".

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

There were examples of balanced out guitars such as the Les Paul
Recording
and Alembic.
This can help a bit with hum but a non-humbucking single coil is still
susceptable
to any induced field.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

Sure, ever seen a Dan Armstrong guitar ? It's a way different take on
what you suggest.

Also interesting, but seems a bit... tame.

4.) Any opinions on:
* * *i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)

Nothing you can't do with pedals.

Then what's the point of active pickups? (not as challenge)

* * *ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)

A friend of mine developed such a system. I hope he's making money off
it.

FYI, the pickups I want to use are the following:
Neck: S-D Cool Rails
Middle: S-D Li'l Screaming Demon
Bridge: Humbucker with Lace Gold Sensor in top, S-D Quarter Pound Flat
in bottom.

Seriously, look at the schem for the S1 or SuperStrat and go for it.

rd

[david gourley[_2_]]

gjsmo put forth the notion in...news:da17f9b9-e6c4-
:

I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

Feasible, yes - you can do anything you want as long as you can route for
it. As a guitar player myself, I don't need something like that but maybe
it is right for you. That's more according to taste and what you feel is
practical.



2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

You'd likely be better off with low-impedance pickups and a transformer
(much like the Epiphone Jack Casady bass) or install a hum-cancelling (out
of phase) coil. Either way will be a lot of work in some direction, since
guitar pickups aren't typically low-impedance, and that may require custom
work.



3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

A friend did this type of thing to a Gibson SG in the 70s, and it was a god
awful mess to figure out. I'm glad it wasn't mine. Still and all, you
could get every conceivable combination out of it (split coils, series,
parallel) from both pickups.



4.) Any opinions on:
i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)

There are lots of good ones, and you can drive a cable a long way. There
was recent mention of Carvin - they have some installable preamps that are
good. I own one of their 'Nomad' amps, and it just won't quit. I'd buy
from them again, to be sure.


ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)

Don't know.

iii.) Black Ice Overdrive (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Black_Ice_overdrive.html)

This simply chains the send and receive from a typical Fender reverb
circuit to give you an overdrive effect in those amps. Personally, I
didn't like it and you could get better sounds with stomp boxes.



FYI, the pickups I want to use are the following:
Neck: S-D Cool Rails
Middle: S-D Li'l Screaming Demon
Bridge: Humbucker with Lace Gold Sensor in top, S-D Quarter Pound Flat
in bottom.

Nothing wrong with that.

Good luck,
david

[gjsmo]

On Mar 10, 9:09*pm, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/10/2011 5:26 PM, gjsmo wrote:

I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

It's been done, both as a custom modification and
commercially. See:http://www.coil-guitars.com/#/electronics/
andhttp://gamechanger.music-man.com/

I don't see anything like this... It's two completely separate pickups
combined into 1 "humbucker". The idea is to be able to get two
different sounds in the bridge position with the addition of a
humbucker type tone.
Plus, it doesn't look like I can buy those.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

The common mode rejection with a balanced connection
actually comes from the input (in this case the amplifier),
Balancing the output of the guitar is only half the job. You
could build a DI into the guitar, or you could just do what
Chet Atkins and Les Paul did some 40-50 years ago and make
low impedance pickups wired to XLR connectors. It took a
special amplifier that had an input stage like a mic preamp.
The Les Paul Recording model guitar and companion amplifier
was a commercial product for a while. It never really took
off, but it certainly was a good idea.

Would it be practical to have a switchable DI to be able to hook to an
amp or mixer/mic pre?

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available?

I'm sure there are guitar players who would find that
absolutely astounding and inspiring. You never know until
you try, though.

A typical answer.

4.) Any opinions on:

No
LOL.

[gjsmo]

Actually, apparently you can buy the Coil stuff without the guitar.
It costs WAY too much though - $99 for their custom tone knob. I might
as well wire it with silver wiring and gold-plate all the hardware.

[Mike Rivers]

On 3/10/2011 9:57 PM, david gourley wrote:

A friend did this type of thing to a Gibson SG in the 70s, and it was a god
awful mess to figure out. I'm glad it wasn't mine. Still and all, you
could get every conceivable combination out of it (split coils, series,
parallel) from both pickups.

You could mount a patchbay on the guitar, and have a
collection of normal and crossover patch cables dangling
from the strap. g



--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com - useful and
interesting audio stuff

[Mike Rivers]

On 3/10/2011 9:58 PM, gjsmo wrote:

I don't see anything like this... It's two completely separate pickups
combined into 1 "humbucker". The idea is to be able to get two
different sounds in the bridge position with the addition of a
humbucker type tone.
Plus, it doesn't look like I can buy those.

You might not be able to afford once, but you can certainly
buy one. The concept is there, it's just a matter of what
pickups you mount on the guitar and how you connect them to
the matrix switch.

"Humbucker tone" is just added inductance. The (very
simplified to give the critics something to derail this
thread with) concept behind a humbucking pickup is that you
have one coil with pole pieces that picks up the strings as
well as external magnetic field, and another coil that picks
up as closely as it can to the same external magnetic field
and as little of the sting vibration as possible. When you
sum those coils with opposite polarity, the hum, since it's
present in both coils, is suppressed. But the inductance of
the coil is either in series or in parallel with the
inductance of the coil that's picking up the strings, and
that can affect the tone. If you didn't need the hum
suppression, you could do the same thing by switching in an
inductor.

Would it be practical to have a switchable DI to be able to hook to an
amp or mixer/mic pre?

You can bolt on anything you want, but if you're going to do
that, what would the point of making it switchable? A
proper DI isn't supposed to affect the basic tone coming out
of the pickup(s) (admittedly, some, by some guitarists, are
thought to do so), so why not simply have a conventional and
a mic level, low impedance, balanced output on two
connectors? This isn't an either/or thing, it's one, the
other, or both (an amplifier and a DI).

I'm sure there are guitar players who would find that
absolutely astounding and inspiring. You never know until
you try, though.

A typical answer.

to an unanswerable question. Watch the videos on the Music
Man Game Changer web page and you'll hear heartfelt
testimonials from guitarists (most of whom I've never heard
of) bubbling over with enthusiasm about how it's changed the
way they use their guitars. Then you read articles about
guitarists who set their guitar one way, set their amplifier
one way, and play all night without touching a control. Do
you identify with either of those extremes? Or are you
somewhere in the middle?



--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com - useful and
interesting audio stuff

[gjsmo]

On Mar 11, 6:38*am, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/10/2011 9:57 PM, david gourley wrote:

A friend did this type of thing to a Gibson SG in the 70s, and it was a god
awful mess to figure out. *I'm glad it wasn't mine. *Still and all, you
could get every conceivable combination out of it (split coils, series,
parallel) from both pickups.

You could mount a patchbay on the guitar, and have a
collection of normal and crossover patch cables dangling
from the strap. * g

--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com- useful and
interesting audio stuff

Already thought of it. That's just a bit too weird. Nope, just
switches.

[Neil Gould]

gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

As others have pointed out, this isn't a new or rare idea. Both Fender and
Gibson have done this commercially, and since your design is "...very
Stratish", you may wish to take a look at Fender's version of the humbucking
Strat pickups, and use switches to select single coil mode. That was offered
in a Strat a while back.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

It's a good idea to sheild and ground the pickup and wiring cavities,
regardless of the other choices. I have some guitars with built-in preamps,
and I agree with those that suggest that the main issue in reducing hum is
dealing with the single-coil pickup. It's a trade-off, and you'll have to
decide whether you like the humbucking sound more than you dislike the hum
of single-coil pickups.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

There are other factors that will affect the sound beyond the number or type
of pickups used. A Strat with humbuckers does not sound like a Les Paul or
SG, for example (a Les Paul doesn't sound like an SG, for that matter). Only
you can decide how far you want to take things, and how beneficial the
outcome was for the cost and effort involved.

This sounds like it's your first try at building or modifying a guitar. If
so, I'd recommend that you take some baby steps rather than an everything
plus the kitchen sink approach, as you will undoubtedly learn things along
the way that can save you time and money, as well as lead you in a more
fruitful direction for your ultimate guitar.

--
best regards,

Neil

[Richard Kuschel]

On Mar 10, 3:26*pm, gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

4.) Any opinions on:
* * *i.) Integrated preamps (not active pickups, but Seymour-Duncan/
EMG onboard pre's)
* * *ii.) The N-Tune Guitar Tuner (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Electronic_tuners/N-
Tune_Onboard_Guitar_Tuner.html)
* * *iii.) Black Ice Overdrive (http://www.stewmac.com/shop/
Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Black_Ice_overdrive.html)

FYI, the pickups I want to use are the following:
Neck: S-D Cool Rails
Middle: S-D Li'l Screaming Demon
Bridge: Humbucker with Lace Gold Sensor in top, S-D Quarter Pound Flat
in bottom.

for something really interesting check out te wiring of the Peavey T60
guitar. It used two humbuckers like a Les Paul, but the individual
pickups were routed through the tone controls for a continuously
variable humbucker to single coil wiring. From 1-7 the pickup was
humbucker and from 7-10 one side was faded out until there was only
the single coil part of the pickup was working.

On top of all that, there was a "phase" switch between the neck and
bridge pickups.


Enough complication. Last Saturday I watched Eric Clapton in concert.
I was amazed at his sound and control.

He used three guitars that night, A seafoam green Stratocaster.,a
brown sunburst dot-neck 335 and a Martin- Not sure of model.

Totally amazing.

Kudos to his sound team. I was in nosebleed seats and the sound in the
MGM was absolutely crystalline at avery reasonable volume level.,
unlike the sound for the opening act, Los Lobos, who played too LOUD
with a rumbling feedback prone bass, and distorted vocals. I really
don't get the lead bass/kick drum sound. Los lobos were good
musicians, but their sound ruined the act.

[gjsmo]

On Mar 11, 9:27*am, "Neil Gould" wrote:
gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups, combined
so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by switches. Is
this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

As others have pointed out, this isn't a new or rare idea. Both Fender and
Gibson have done this commercially, and since your design is "...very
Stratish", you may wish to take a look at Fender's version of the humbucking
Strat pickups, and use switches to select single coil mode. That was offered
in a Strat a while back.

I KNOW that Fender sells HSS strats, and uses humbuckers in other
guitars. Those pickups are a humbucker to begin with, just with all
four wires available. They have one magnet, one housing. I'm talking
about 2 completely different (ok, not entirely - but different)
pickups, not already wired as a humbucker - specifically the Seymour-
Duncan Quarter Pound Flat and Lace Gold Sensor. I'm just putting them
right next to each other. Think of it like a 4 pickup guitar - 2
pickups in the bridge position, then single-size pickups in middle and
neck.

2.) I have an idea of making the jack a TRS jack, and wiring the
guitar as a balanced circuit (shielding for ground). Would this
significantly reduce hum over simply shielding the pickup cavity(ies)?
Another possibility is to build a phantom-powerable DI box in with an
XLR jack somewhere convenient - for recording only.

It's a good idea to sheild and ground the pickup and wiring cavities,
regardless of the other choices. I have some guitars with built-in preamps,
and I agree with those that suggest that the main issue in reducing hum is
dealing with the single-coil pickup. It's a trade-off, and you'll have to
decide whether you like the humbucking sound more than you dislike the hum
of single-coil pickups.

I'll take the hum. Does the pre-amp significantly help a shielded
guitar?

3.) Is it worth it to have every single possible combination (or
nearly every) of pickups available? I'm already planning for a rather
mammoth design, but I'm thinking of putting up to around 8 switches in
for various purposes.

There are other factors that will affect the sound beyond the number or type
of pickups used. A Strat with humbuckers does not sound like a Les Paul or
SG, for example (a Les Paul doesn't sound like an SG, for that matter). Only
you can decide how far you want to take things, and how beneficial the
outcome was for the cost and effort involved.

I realize this, but I'm going for Strat and superstrat a la Van
Halen's Frankenstien types of tones.

This sounds like it's your first try at building or modifying a guitar. If
so, I'd recommend that you take some baby steps rather than an everything
plus the kitchen sink approach, as you will undoubtedly learn things along
the way that can save you time and money, as well as lead you in a more
fruitful direction for your ultimate guitar.

I've modded my current guitar (a squier) rather a lot, and I think it
sounds almost as good as a typical American Strat. I'm quite capable
of wiring anything (much more knowledge in electronics than being a
luthier). I also figure that if I drill too many holes in the
pickguard, I'll just buy a new one and start from scratch. I know what
I'm doing, I just don't know when it's not worth it .

--
best regards,

Neil

[Neil Gould]

gjsmo wrote:
On Mar 11, 9:27 am, "Neil Gould" wrote:
gjsmo wrote:
I'm making a new guitar, and I'd like some opinions on the following
ideas:

1.) For my bridge pickup I would like a 2 different pickups,
combined so they act as a humbucker, or individually as chosen by
switches. Is this feasible, and more importantly, worth it?

As others have pointed out, this isn't a new or rare idea. Both
Fender and Gibson have done this commercially, and since your design
is "...very Stratish", you may wish to take a look at Fender's
version of the humbucking Strat pickups, and use switches to select
single coil mode. That was offered in a Strat a while back.

I KNOW that Fender sells HSS strats, and uses humbuckers in other
guitars. Those pickups are a humbucker to begin with, just with all
four wires available. They have one magnet, one housing. I'm talking
about 2 completely different (ok, not entirely - but different)
pickups, not already wired as a humbucker - specifically the Seymour-
Duncan Quarter Pound Flat and Lace Gold Sensor. I'm just putting them
right next to each other. Think of it like a 4 pickup guitar - 2
pickups in the bridge position, then single-size pickups in middle and
neck.

Although I wasn't referring to the HSS-style pickups, where the coils are
side-by-side, I also wasn't thinking of "making your own" humbucker from two
separate pickups as you described, above. It should work, but how it sounds
would be anybody's guess. I don't think there is any real benefit to having
separate magnets in that configuration, but, maybe you'll start a trend, who
knows?

It's a good idea to sheild and ground the pickup and wiring cavities,
regardless of the other choices. I have some guitars with built-in
preamps, and I agree with those that suggest that the main issue in
reducing hum is dealing with the single-coil pickup. It's a
trade-off, and you'll have to decide whether you like the humbucking
sound more than you dislike the hum of single-coil pickups.

I'll take the hum. Does the pre-amp significantly help a shielded
guitar?

A preamp just amplifies the end of the signal chain within the guitar, so
the best approach is to get the quitar as quiet as possible before preamping
it. That said, I did design and build a balanced preamp and parametric EQ
for my Dan Armstrong -- now I call it a "Neil Armstrong" ;-) -- and it no
longer hums to any significant extent, but that's an extreme mod that took
several tries and about a year to get right. A pre-fab unit will likely only
be unbalanced, so what goes in comes out louder.

--
best regards,

Neil

[Bill Graham]

gjsmo wrote:
On Mar 11, 6:38 am, Mike Rivers wrote:
On 3/10/2011 9:57 PM, david gourley wrote:

A friend did this type of thing to a Gibson SG in the 70s, and it
was a god awful mess to figure out. I'm glad it wasn't mine. Still
and all, you could get every conceivable combination out of it
(split coils, series, parallel) from both pickups.

You could mount a patchbay on the guitar, and have a
collection of normal and crossover patch cables dangling
from the strap. g

With the digital micro-miniaturization they have today, this is not as funny
as one would assume. There is no reason why they couldn't put an entire
studio in the side of a modern electric guitar.....

[Mike Rivers]

On 3/11/2011 9:41 PM, Bill Graham wrote:

You could mount a patchbay on the guitar

With the digital micro-miniaturization they have today, this
is not as funny as one would assume. There is no reason why
they couldn't put an entire studio in the side of a modern
electric guitar.....

Yeah, but where would the drummer set up? The Coil and
Music Man and anything else like that is essentially a
routing matrix, which is like a patchbay with switches
between every possible pair of connections instead of cables.

--
"Today's production equipment is IT based and cannot be
operated without a passing knowledge of computing, although
it seems that it can be operated without a passing knowledge
of audio." - John Watkinson

http://mikeriversaudio.wordpress.com - useful and
interesting audio stuff