Misha Mansoor Style Wiring - Super 5-way Switch, Split Inner & Outer Coils. Help!!!

[StarbardGuitar]

Hey guys,

I was watching this interview with Misha Mansoor of Periphery, where he talks about his signaure models with Jackson. He says that the 5-way in the guitar is wired so that positions 1, 3, and 5 are what you'd expect with a normal 3-way switch (bridge, both, neck) and that position 2 is both inner coils, and 4 is both outer. I searched around for a schematic for this setup but I didn't find anything, so I looked at a couple different schematics from seymour duncan's website and made my own which I think should work. It makes sense to me, but I also don't really know too much about wiring guitars - I always just use schematics.

So, here's what I came up with:

Please note, this is still using SD's pickup color codes. And also, the gray wires that follow the red wires are supposed to be white, but obviously I couldn't make white wires on a white background. This was done in paint so don't mind how bad it looks

Basically, here's what I'm thinking - I used this schematic as a reference. It says that if you wire it up the way it's shown, you get one inner coil at a time. Or, if you switch that one wire, you get one outer coil at a time. So, I sort of took that idea and messed around with it a little to get what I think would give you both inners, and both outers in the 2 and 4 positions.

So, my question(s) to anyone who can help is -

Does this make sense, and will it work like I think it would?

Thanks!

 

[Konfyouzd]

No clue but have a free bump.

 

[Pav]

You just use this, though it's specific for the Dimarzio switch.

http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/2hum1vol1tone_ep1112web_flip2and4.pdf

 

[cardinal]

OP: looks good to me.

 

[fogcutter]

I tried to do something like this a few months ago but failed and had a pro do it for me.

(I know, cool story, right?)

 

[StarbardGuitar]

I tried to do something like this a few months ago but failed and had a pro do it for me.

(I know, cool story, right?)

Whenever I mess up some sort of complex wiring like this I just get pissed off and go for a simpler wiring set up instead

You just use this, though it's specific for the Dimarzio switch.

http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/2hum1vol1tone_ep1112web_flip2and4.pdf

Thank you so much for that! I always forget to check DiMarzio's site for schematics because I feel like seymour duncan's is easier to use haha. That looks just like what I'm looking for, and I'll look into their switch and see if its any different.

edit: Two things: I looked on DiMarzio's site, and this schematic is the one. The only difference between this one and the one you linked to is that positions 2 and 4 are the opposite. Just a preference really.

Also, I'm wondering if maybe the difference between what I came up with and this DiMarzio schematic is series vs parallel. Meaning, I think the Dimarzio schematic has the split coils in series with one another, and maybe mine has them in parallel which is why our diagrams are different but both (seem to) make sense.

 

[StarbardGuitar]

Though actually, there is also this diagram Which has the same switching set up, but it labels them as being in series. So I assume that means the other one I just linked to is in parallel? I'm getting confused haha. I imagine the tone I'm looking for would be the parallel version, because I would like those positions for that really clean sound like Misha explains in that interview. I'd think that putting the split coils in series with one another would have the same effect of being louder and fatter sounding vs the parallel sounding more single-coil like.

edit: I tried to see if I could find whether or not his guitars had the split coils in parallel with one another or in series, and although I didn't find that answer - I discovered that his position 4 is actually set up for the outer neck split only, not the two outer coils. I've personally never liked the tone that I've gotten from split coils on their own or from doing series/parallel switching, so I think I'd rather try the split pickups together since I've never done that before.

Just letting you guys know that now I realize that technically this isn't exactly how his guitars are wired, according to Jackson's site!

 

[Pav]

Okay. If you compare the first two Dimarzio wiring diagrams we have here (the one I posted and the first one you posted), the only difference is that the inner/outer coil positions would be flipped on your selector switch. You would get the exact same tones, just a different way of assigning the positions to your switch. Now compare those two diagrams to the third one, the last one you posted. The first two diagrams in question say at the bottom: "Both pickups should be installed with the cable exit toward the control cavity." That means your neck pickup in particular would need to be flipped, or installed in the opposite direction of what you normally would. The last diagram you posted doesn't say this, so it's meant to be wired up with both pickups in the "standard" orientation. If you were to follow one of the first two diagrams without flipping your neck pickup, positions 2 and 4 would be both front coils split or both rear coils split at the same time.

So that's the difference. All of the above diagrams are for serial wiring. The first two are just two ways of wiring it up with your neck pickup rotated inward, the third one is how you wire it up with both humbuckers installed normally. Now that I see all three of the diagrams side-by-side-by-side, you more than likely want the third one that doesn't involve rotating your neck pickup. Flipping a humbucker over like that is going to make it sound a little different, so unless you already have your neck pickup rotated (which is unlikely unless you specifically did it or had it done for you) you probably don't want to bother with that.

TL;DR: use this one, the last one you posted, unless you're in the mood to tinker and experiment with the most subtle nuances of your pickups.

 

[CaptainD00M]

Whenever I mess up some sort of complex wiring like this I just get pissed off and go for a simpler wiring set up instead

I had that once, and then it was a moment when I realised I used Coil taps precisely 2% of the time so why bother

 

[StarbardGuitar]

Okay. If you compare the first two Dimarzio wiring diagrams we have here (the one I posted and the first one you posted), the only difference is that the inner/outer coil positions would be flipped on your selector switch. You would get the exact same tones, just a different way of assigning the positions to your switch. Now compare those two diagrams to the third one, the last one you posted. The first two diagrams in question say at the bottom: "Both pickups should be installed with the cable exit toward the control cavity." That means your neck pickup in particular would need to be flipped, or installed in the opposite direction of what you normally would. The last diagram you posted doesn't say this, so it's meant to be wired up with both pickups in the "standard" orientation. If you were to follow one of the first two diagrams without flipping your neck pickup, positions 2 and 4 would be both front coils split or both rear coils split at the same time.

So that's the difference. All of the above diagrams are for serial wiring. The first two are just two ways of wiring it up with your neck pickup rotated inward, the third one is how you wire it up with both humbuckers installed normally. Now that I see all three of the diagrams side-by-side-by-side, you more than likely want the third one that doesn't involve rotating your neck pickup. Flipping a humbucker over like that is going to make it sound a little different, so unless you already have your neck pickup rotated (which is unlikely unless you specifically did it or had it done for you) you probably don't want to bother with that.

TL;DR: use this one, the last one you posted, unless you're in the mood to tinker and experiment with the most subtle nuances of your pickups.

Thanks for clarifying! Just curious, what would be the reasoning for someone flipping the neck pickup? I assume what you mean by that is that rather than the adjustable pole pieces being towards the neck on the neck pickup, that they'd be facing towards the bridge pickup instead. I've never seen someone have their pickups installed that way, so I'm just wondering why they would have diagrams for that? I'd imagine the tone difference would be subtle, maybe unless the pickup is covered.

 

[Pav]

Correct, it would mean installing the neck pickup with the screws toward the bridge instead of the neck. As far as I can tell it's nothing more than a way to coax a slightly different tone and slightly different dynamics out of the pickup. Typically, reversing the neck pickup like that is going to make it sound it a little less warm and fat and a little more bright and clear. That's a very generized statement though because different pickups will respond differently to being flipped like that, some more than others. IMO it's nothing more than another available option, just another way to experiment with wiring and extract different sounds from your pickups without having to buy and install a brand new pickup.