Page 1 of 1

The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 8:50 pm
by mttn3
Hi :wave:

I'm installing these nice Seymour Duncan pickups in my Schecter and the wire colours are different so I thought it'd be wise to ask for advice about which wire goes where before I go in guns blazing.

Here's my existing (to be removed) bridge pickup in black casing: with green&white, black&bare and red wires going places.
Image

Here's the wiring diagram for the bad boy, it looks pretty simple. For the life of me I can't find exactly the right wiring diagram but this one has the same colours going to the same things as mine so it should be a good indicator.
Image


Here's the Seymour wires which I'm installing, looking very tidy and clean, thanks. :)

Image


So my guess would be that I want to:
remove the old green&white pair and replace with the SD red&white on the [push-pull tone on the right],
remove the old black&bare pair and replace with the SD green&bare pair on the pot earth,
remove the old red wire from the pot and replace with the SD black.

What are your thoughts? :) Thanks in advance!

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 9:10 pm
by JustMatt
Is that two master volumes and a tone control with a push pull for coil splitting? It's a bit hard to see on my phone.

If so, it should be, black wire to respective hot lugs on the pots.

Green and bare wires to ground.

Red and white wire soldered together and joined to the lugs on the push pull.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Thu May 18, 2017 9:13 pm
by mttn3
Oh crap yeh i called it a switch but it's the push-pull on the right. Good spotting, 99. And thanks.

Yeh 2 master volumes and tone with push-pull split.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 12:32 am
by mttn3
Okay we're done. I had to go out for coffee and stuff :D but they sound f'kn boss, I'm pretty happy with things that work out. Thanks Matt for the correct wiring advice from a glance.

Hey how do I decide how high to set the pickups? Is it just a matter of taste? Wind them up until the strings rattle on them and that's awesomeness? :mental:
(I'll just follow a guide on that setup tomorrow actually.) I don't think I need to go about adjusting the pole pieces or anything though.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 7:07 am
by jeremyb
I usually fret at the highest fret and make sure theres still a bit of clearance under the strings and then leave them at that :lol: but yeah, playing with heights can make a difference!

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 8:00 am
by AiRdAd
jeremyb wrote:I usually fret at the highest fret and make sure theres still a bit of clearance under the strings and then leave them at that :lol: but yeah, playing with heights can make a difference!
JB!!!! :crazy:

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 8:15 am
by mttn3
AiRdAd wrote:
jeremyb wrote:I usually fret at the highest fret and make sure theres still a bit of clearance under the strings and then leave them at that :lol: but yeah, playing with heights can make a difference!
JB!!!! :crazy:
Haha is that bad advice or just a ridiculously casual attitude to setup? I don't even know :D

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 8:53 am
by Mattallica
I'd set the bridge around 5mm-ish from the strings and then set the neck so the volumes are balanced. As a starting point :) oh and dibs on these

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 9:08 am
by AiRdAd
mttn3 wrote:
AiRdAd wrote:
jeremyb wrote:I usually fret at the highest fret and make sure theres still a bit of clearance under the strings and then leave them at that :lol: but yeah, playing with heights can make a difference!
JB!!!! :crazy:
Haha is that bad advice or just a ridiculously casual attitude to setup? I don't even know :D
A ridiculously casual attitude !!!! such a legend !!!

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 10:59 am
by mttn3
Lols :D Thanks all.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:22 am
by Aquila Rossa
AiRdAd wrote:
mttn3 wrote:
AiRdAd wrote:
JB!!!! :crazy:
Haha is that bad advice or just a ridiculously casual attitude to setup? I don't even know :D
A ridiculously casual attitude !!!! such a legend !!!
So it should be. Anybody that says pups should be an exact distance from the strings is blowing it out of their ass.

Main things to be aware of are magnet pull on the strings affecting sustain if they are too close, as well as making sure the volume difference between the pups is to your liking (height will affect this). other than than set them at the height that sounds good to your ear.

p.s. Joe Walsh says he likes the pup to be set closer under the high E than the low E. Says it makes for better chord definition because all the strings ring out more evenly.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 11:41 am
by AiRdAd
It's not a matter of them having to be a set distance form the strings.... It's more a case of spending a little bit of time adjusting the pickup height to get them sounding their best for your guitar and amp. A half turn of the screw at either end of the pickup, can actually make bit of a difference.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 2:01 pm
by mttn3
Ii didn't want an argument to pop up, I'm juat asking :D
I'll start with 5-10mm at the bridge and adjust neck pup height to suit.

Unless whatever guide i find on youtube tells me something different, of course.

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 2:02 pm
by AiRdAd
Ha! - we're not arguing, it's just funny how JB does it. Let your ears decide, and you'll be sweet as :-)

Re: The inevitable pickup wiring advice question.

Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 2:14 pm
by mttn3
AiRdAd wrote:Ha! - we're not arguing, it's just funny how JB does it. Let your ears decide, and you'll be sweet as :-)
I am pretty much tone deaf but yeah I'll give it a go :)