Help With Installing a Humbucker and a P90

[anunnaki]

So I'm planning on putting a Dimarzio PAF 36th anniversary into the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat into the neck of my Blacktop Telecaster.

My idea was to put in a push-pull pot for the volume, to coil split the PAF, and to still have the 3 way switch.

Is this the best idea or is there some way to do this with a 4 or a 5 way switch?

Also any comments on the pickups are appreciated, I haven't actually played them, but I've only read good things online.

I'm also planning on shielding the cavity with copper foil. good idea?

 

[Ricky Roro]

So I'm planning on putting a Dimarzio PAF 36th anniversary into the bridge and a Seymour Duncan Phat Cat into the neck of my Blacktop Telecaster.

My idea was to put in a push-pull pot for the volume, to coil split the PAF, and to still have the 3 way switch.

Is this the best idea or is there some way to do this with a 4 or a 5 way switch?

You could do effectively the same thing with either a push-pull pot or a 5-way switch, so that is up to your preference:

3-Way
Neck
Bridge & Neck, Parallel//Bridge Split & Neck, Parallel
Bridge//Bridge Split

The DPDT would split the humbucker for the second two positions, making for a total of 5.

5-Way
Neck
Bridge Split & Neck, Parallel
Bridge & Neck, Parallel
Bridge Split
Bridge

The order could also be changed.
There might be potentially more things you can do with a 5-way later, but if you just want the named options then it is up to which you would find easier and more intuitive to use.

As for your other questions, I only have experience with a Mean 90 by GFS, which is also a humbucker-sized p90. I have not tried the Phat Cat, but I have always liked this pickup since I started using it, so I would expect that you will have no major problems with that one.

 

[anunnaki]

You could do effectively the same thing with either a push-pull pot or a 5-way switch, so that is up to your preference:

3-Way
Neck
Bridge & Neck, Parallel//Bridge Split & Neck, Parallel
Bridge//Bridge Split

The DPDT would split the humbucker for the second two positions, making for a total of 5.

5-Way
Neck
Bridge Split & Neck, Parallel
Bridge & Neck, Parallel
Bridge Split
Bridge

The order could also be changed.
There might be potentially more things you can do with a 5-way later, but if you just want the named options then it is up to which you would find easier and more intuitive to use.

As for your other questions, I only have experience with a Mean 90 by GFS, which is also a humbucker-sized p90. I have not tried the Phat Cat, but I have always liked this pickup since I started using it, so I would expect that you will have no major problems with that one.

Thanks! I think I might go with the push pull pot to keep things simple (hopefully it is the simple option).
Good to hear about the P90, as I've never used one.

Now my only problem is trying to actually wire this up because I don't have much experience with wiring up a guitar (I can solder though).
I haven't found a diagram anywhere on the web for this specific set up of 1 humbucker, 1 P90, 1 push-pull vol and 1 tone, but I think if I buy my parts from WD music they might draw a diagram for me.

I really hope they do, otherwise I have no idea where each wire will go

 

[Ricky Roro]

A wiring diagram that has the same setup for one humbucker and one singlecoil should work just as well since the HSP90 is essentially just a special kind of singlecoil pickup. If you find one that lacks the split on the bridge, all you should need to do is send the 'middle' two combined wires from the humbucker to one of the middle poles of your push-pull DPDT, then send the pole on the same side above it (switched when you pull the pot) to ground.

 

[anunnaki]

A wiring diagram that has the same setup for one humbucker and one singlecoil should work just as well since the HSP90 is essentially just a special kind of singlecoil pickup. If you find one that lacks the split on the bridge, all you should need to do is send the 'middle' two combined wires from the humbucker to one of the middle poles of your push-pull DPDT, then send the pole on the same side above it (switched when you pull the pot) to ground.

Ah right that makes sense! I'll try and find one of those then, thanks for the tip!