Is it worth splitting one humbucker

[YouMa]

HI all,I have got hold of an ibanez sr600 which was a bit beat when I got it. It's been stripped and cleaned,guts removed. I have acquired a Nordstrand humbucker with wooden cover very cheaply. Question is do I just stick it in as is or have an on/on/on micro switch for series/parralel/ split. It's going in the bridge position. Is it worth drilling a hole for another switch.Any thoughts.

 

[MoonBassAlpha]

You can do series -parallel with a  push -push  pot on the volume or tone. 

[YouMa]

I quite fancied having the split as well so I can get a single coil sound. I'm more worried about drilling another little hole for the switch. Black switches are a bit of a con the on/on/on is 12 quid at stew Mac.

 

 

[Shaggy]

17 minutes ago, YouMa said:

HI all,I have got hold of an ibanez sr600 which was a bit beat when I got it. It's been stripped and cleaned,guts removed. I have acquired a Nordstrand humbucker with wooden cover very cheaply. Question is do I just stick it in as is or have an on/on/on micro switch for series/parralel/ split. It's going in the bridge position. Is it worth drilling a hole for another switch.Any thoughts.

 

I literally just fitted a Nordstrand Bigman 4 to my Warwick Streamer Jazzman, and wired via a 3 way microswitch (conveniently there anyway for the original MEC MM humbucker) for parallel / single coil / out of phase.   Very definitely worth doing; single coil (effectively a Big Single) is probably my favourite setting, although parallel gives that lovely big phat Stingray punch.   If you don't want to drill, there is the integrated switch pot option as MoonBassAlpha suggests

[Shaggy]

3 minutes ago, YouMa said:

I quite fancied having the split as well so I can get a single coil sound. I'm more worried about drilling another little hole for the switch. Black switches are a bit of a con the on/on/on is 12 quid at stew Mac.

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Guitar-Pedal-Amp-mini-micro-switch-double-pole-choice-on-on-on-on-on-on-off-on/370621677722?hash=item564ac6009a:m:m66MhJB9hRi9WyPwIyDvmmQ.  + a dab of black enamel?

[YouMa]

Appreciate this thanks all. I might just get the chrome switches as the black ones are twice as much.

 

[Shaggy]

Post some before /after pics here when done - sounds like you had a good score on the Nordstrand pickup!  

[itu]

I have a few basses with single/series/parallel option, some made by me, some by the factory. Have to say that both ends are the most usable sounds. This "something in between" is really just that. My suggestion is to use humbucker / single coil and not to drill extra holes. When you have the possibility to try all three, you will soon find out the useless one. The pickups I have are Delano (fretless, hi-Z) and bartolini (5-string, lo-Z, fretted). Single for that thin, compressed sound and humbucker for the thick and more round sound.

[YouMa]

To late ordered the switches from shaggy link thanks mate. Will be brandishing my soldering iron and diagram next week. Think I'm going to sand the body again as gunstock oil has brought out a couple of imperfections my ocd won't deal with. 

[YouMa]

6 hours ago, Shaggy said:

Post some before /after pics here when done - sounds like you had a good score on the Nordstrand pickup!  

29 quid mate shame the wood cover don't match the bass wood but heh Ho.

[Shaggy]

3 hours ago, YouMa said:

29 quid mate shame the wood cover don't match the bass wood but heh Ho.

Hell of a bargain, and they're superb p/ups.

I'd agree with itu above that it's generally only 2 of the 3 coil switching options that get used, and as far the Nordstrand Bigman goes I''d say that's certainly single coil / both coils parallel.    However,  having done a bit of searching on Talkbass etc before wiring up mine, a popular 3-position switching set up for boutique MM type pickups (especially when in a single pickup bass) is single coil 1 / single coil 2 / both coils parallel.   Apparently a noticeable difference between the 2 coils.   Might be worth trying if you're using the microswitch. 

[Doctor J]

Do you know which way the coils are orientated? Is it one over the other or one coil for E&A and one coil for D&G? There are quite a few bass humbuckers built that way and, if you go single coil, you're just turning off the coil under a pair of strings.

[YouMa]

Thanks mate but I contacted Nordstrand and I also have there diagram of how to wire to the switch so hopefully it should work.