Humbucker Wiring: Series, Parallel and Coil Split | Guitar Tech Tips | Ep. 102 | Thomann

Let's take a look at the three most important humbucker wiring types: series, parallel and coil split.
How do they sound in comparison, pros and cons of each and how to wire it. We'll talk about all of that in this episode of Guitar Tech Tips. Enjoy!
Full Guitar Tech Tips Playlist:
• Guitar Tech Tips with ...
The Lollar article about series / parallel wiring: bit.ly/3rijfbF
Gear used: tho.mn/1qi3r
Recorded and mixed with Universal Audio: tho.mn/uadx1
Monitors optimised through Sonarworks: tho.mn/sonar
Interesting bits and pieces:
0:00 Introduction
0:39 What is the difference bertween Series / Parallel
1:20 Important terms you should know
1:42 How to wire the hum bucker
2:38 Time for a test ride | series / parallel / coil split
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[@bobbymehta1006]

series 2:45 parallel 2:58 coil split 3:11

[@countblue]

I really love Freeway switches for this. Be it Strats or Le Pauls Freeway is the way to wire/switch your guitar in so many ways its incredible.

[@RomulusIova]

I like the series connection. But those Lollar pickups sound is fascinating. Thanks to you I discovered them. Good job Kris with the tech tips. Cheers.

[@VPicksGuitarPicks]

My Epiphone BlackBack Les Paul has this wiring set up with push pulls on the volumes. I have never liked split coils. They do not sound like single coil pickups to me. I LOVE the parallel hum option. Sounds amazing with no volume loss.

[@sebasgit]

Hey Kris, awesome video! Wiring diagrams are still a bit of a mystery to me, especially how to read push-pull pots. Could you maybe do a future video explaining how to read diagrams? Keep up the good work! 🔥

[@JOE007111]

Great video!!! all is very clear and the sound is well recorded!! Thanks

[@davidmcghee660]

thanks very clear explanation

[@andrewwong6158]

two questions, how do these sound with filtertrons? and, what about a partial coil split where you wire the ground through a resistor to only partially split the coil?

[@boomerbassmeme]

Είναι όλα ελληνικά για μένα! Thanks Kris! 🤪👍

[@mindthependulum6245]

I am modding my Jem jr. I have a humbler pickup for the bridge that I want to install, it has 4 blades to it. It also has 5 wires. Can I even use a 5 way switch with this? Also, how would I wire this in?

[@SuperKomedyKing]

Does that allow the bridge pickup to be switched from series to parallel as well? I would have liked to see you demo that sound...!?

[@Heivang]

Send this video to Fender and tell them to get their act up on the humbucker front.

[@Gerhard468]

Great video thank for the info and diagrams. Actually the parallel thing is a bit of a no-brainer for 3 reason. 1. Less volume drop 2. No hum 3. Better tone (debatable) Now I’m wondering is it possible to combine 60’s wiring and parallel. That would be what I’m after for HH guitars.

[@joermnyc]

Reminds me of the ‘90s Jimmy Page model with all 4 pots doing push pull for splitting each pickup, series/parallel and in/out of phase (the last two were for the middle position though.)

[@z.z.onichi5365]

hey, nice video and i like this topic. I'm wondering have you taken measurements of the resistance at the output before and after the mods. if a single coil from the humbucker has (just example) 5kΩ then default humbucker wiring series will give it double 10kΩ hence why Humbuckers have more gain/grit/mids. but if wired in parallel means the resistance should drop in half, in this case 2.5kΩ. I'm very surprised that a single coil here by itself sounds cleaner than both of the coils in parallel. I'd like to see more sound test and measurements. Also having both of humbuckers in parallel, bridge and neck, I'm curious how the middle position would sound since that usually puts both pickups in parallel already. in which case with the new parallel wirings means all 4 single coils are in parallel and output should be very low. I'm gonna try some mods on my own soon but very curious if you already tried all these. Thank You

[@wcray3684]

Always great!!

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Thanks so much! Cheers //Kris

[@crflores76]

My guitar have from factory coil split, but more close to the single coil sound I feel it’s more like p90 punch… Thanks for share Kris

[@jameswilson3554]

Awesome. It would be hard to decide all three tones are delicious all though the first tone seems a bit more full. Great video as always..your tone is superb on all these videos. Thank you for sharing this..2thumbs up.

[@Ray5600]

So if I have a guitar with two single coils, middle position would give me parallel pickups by default right? And if I wanted to get a "beefier" tone out of them, I'd have to wire them to work in series? Is that correct? I can never get this right.

[@Jydmd]

Yes that is right.

[@Fksu]

Hi Kris, I hv a single humbucker and added the parallel wiring which I like but wonder if u know how to have the tone function only for the parallel mode… that way I can make the 2 modes more even… thx

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Hey Fabio, that'll be pretty complicated. You have to completely split the signal (with something like an A/B switch). One path is gonna be wired series without tone knob and the other path is gonna be parallel with the tone. But keep in mind, that you have to transfer all the conductors of the pickup to both paths to be able to wire them series or parallel AND those paths have to be summed at the end again for the output jack. I'm not sure if you want to do this, haha! Cheers //Kris

[@Fksu]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses you are right Kris, i was able to find a diagram for it but I had to completely split the coil... it worked great! It took a lot of tweaking but it sounds fantastic, Im not a Dimarzio guy and always go for the SD Antiquities but really happy with the Chopper T on my homemade esquire...

[@Luislazarosolana]

Interesting! I am still trying to find out a good video on soldering push-pull pots for coil-split. Is there any tutorial on that already done in this channel,or do you recommend any, Kris?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Look no further, haha! We covered that too in the series: kzbin.info/www/bejne/laGYnJ57nJJ-mpI Check out the full Guitar Tech Tips playlist, you might find other interesting videos too. Cheers //Kris

[@Luislazarosolana]

@@ThomannsGuitarsBasses best YT channel ever!!

[@McShooty_]

Can you have a Series/Parallel pot and a coil split pot at the same time or it it one or the other? For example can you make the volume a coil split and the tone a s/p?

[@Hopperesque101]

In case you haven't found out - you can, yes. I modded a guitar so it had switches for series/parallel and coil split on each pickup.

[@curtpozzi5527]

I'd like to hear the series, parallel and split tones on all three settings...bridge, neck and both. I had a Les Paul set up with series/parallel....no splitter. That's what my strat is for.

[@Anshul1614]

Bro i got a problem that i haven't got the answer to on google anywhere. I have a HH 3 way guitar which i coil split with a push pull. But the in between coil split is both north. I want to switch one to south for that teleish sound. How to do that?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

That needs to be in our next Q&A video. Stay tuned, it should be online in a few weeks. Cheers //Kris

[@Jydmd]

Keep in mind there can be a tonal difference between which coil you decide to split. This is especially noticeable in the middle position, with both pickups split together. Both inner coils will sound a bit more quackier, both outside coils would be similar to a Telecaster middle position. Some shreddy-type (Jackson, Charvel) dual humbucker-equipped guitars come with a 5-way switch with position 2 and 4 wired to these two positions. Also worth nothing that depending on the pickup you're using, you may or may not get hum in the middle position with both pickups split.

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Absolutely true! Thanks for the comment! Cheers //Kris

[@asdaven1]

Which can be another pro of the Parallel wiring because you dont have to pick which coil, both continue to work. Also is noise canceling. Not to mention that alot of humbuckers dont split well or are meant to be split. Parallel wiring avoids this. I think im going to switch mine to parallel. I think it will sound better and I cant decide whether I like the screw or slug split better. Another way is the partial split with a push pull pot like on the PRS guitars where it still runs 20% on the other coil.

[@Project25_01]

I have an HSH guitar with two on/on/on miniswitches for the Humbuckers. I used pretty hot PUs (Dimarzio Blazes), so that : Series is enough for Modern Rock / Metal Parallel for 70s Rock (sounds similar to p90s or PAFs) Split not to too weak or too shrill, I use it for cleans or overdubs. It is very versatile, with a good single channel amp one can do a lot just by using dynamic and the controls on the guitar.

[@felix9100]

I got a Harley Benton LP whith split coils from you guys. I noticed, that if i turn any one volume to zero, both humbuckers are silent. That is when the toggle switch is in mid possition and both coils are split. Is this suppose to be that way?

[@BigEdWo]

yes, that's okay. but it should not only be true in coil split mode. i think it's always the case with toggle in mid.

[@felix9100]

@@BigEdWo that is the case, you are absolutely right. Thanks a lot!

[@edgeofsanity9111]

How about a vid on restringing acoustic basses or ukes?

[@lone-wolf-1]

Good vid as always, Kris!👍🏼 I wonder if it‘s possible to wire humbuckers to push-pull pots in such way that in pulled position you have the pot working only for one coil (slug coil f ex.) having the other coil (screw coil) at full volume. My idea is to get the tone of full humbucker gradually to single coil by turning the knob. Would work like a sort of bass cut, having at maybe 5 a P90 kind of sound but still hum cancelling. Maybe a topic for the next vid… Cheers //Rudy Edit half hour later: 🤦‍♂️I realized it does not work as long as the coils are in series. If you put a pot on one coil, it effects the output of both... 🤷‍♂️

[@BigEdWo]

if you want to split a in series wired humbucker, you send the signal of one coil to ground. the other coil works perfectly still. you can change the amount of signal you want to send to ground by having a pot between the one coil and ground. i think your idea should work.

[@lone-wolf-1]

@@BigEdWo Ah, it might work. I don't know much about electrics but I suppose the pot should be between ends of coils to ground. Is then the screw coil or the slug coil adjustable? Because I think the hot wire is on the screw coil, so the pot would work for the slug coil. If so, that would be perfect! If not, how should it be wired to have the pot working for the slug coil?

[@BigEdWo]

@@lone-wolf-1 i have drawn the schematic on paper and now it doesn't look like it will work. i think you were right in the beninging. you can not do it with coils wired in series. i'm not an expert either but i have tried many special wirings over time. sorry for trying to misguide you.

[@Indierockguitarist]

Sounds like you are wanting to coil split using a pot to gradually bring the slug coil to ground. This is a common way of coil splitting besides using a push pull pot. At 5 the slug would be partially grounded giving you the half way between single coil and humbucker tone kind of P90ish.

[@TheAtheistworld]

Can all these 3 options be available via some kind of switcher for humbucker? Cool vid. Thnxx brother ❤

[@mikebarnard2689]

Yes a Humbucker with 4 wires can be wired to give series, split, parallel with a DPDT On-On-On toggle switch. Wiring diagrams easy to find with a google search.

[@insidious.92]

I think I have a favorite episode of guitar tech tips. Can I win the tele now? Just kidding :D ... I have a question: You can wire only one pickup on one push/pull pot for parallel switching. You need two pots for both pickups, one for the bridge and one for the neck, right? Or, am I wrong? B.t.w. can you make an episode for wood mounting pickups like filtertrons, P90s, humbuckers, how to mount them into the body without pickup rings? Thanks for this episode, it's very useful, as always. Just keep doing this guys.

[@Jydmd]

I've seen some very expensive 4PDT push pull pots, but basically yes, one pot per pickup is the usual way of doing things. However, if it fits the style of your guitar, the Fender S-1 switch is essentially a 4PDT switch in a different format, so that could work too.

[@carllidberg5840]

What about more setup revealed videos? those were great! Satriani, nuno, andy timmons would be great. :-) cheers

[@VanjaSpirin]

Some interesting question. I saw a guy on a KZbin who wanted to mimic a Yngwie Dimarzio HS3 stacked humbucker sound, which is usually wired in series. He took half price Chinese Donlis 15k Alnico 5 humbucker in a single coil size and wired it in parallel. Suprisingly, sound was very similar to HS3. Q: What would happen if he used not so hot 9k pickup? Would it be to weak, thin? HS3 is very low output pickup.

[@VI-rt7sh]

In my opinion, the coil split on vintage output pickups sounds really thin. Far better to opt for series/parallel on a 9k. Splitting a 15k would usually give you a 7k5 single, so splitting a vintage correct PAF would put you in really weak territory. Some people would like it, but I definitely don't.

[@arthurabbott4792]

whats about phase switching?

[@AlbertMamsto]

Is there any trick how to balance the volume drop from series to parallel?

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

I'm not sure if there is. At least I never heard of such a trick, sorry. //Kris

[@SergeiVlassov]

What pickups do you have? I usually have very minor volume difference between series and parallel, and I always liked the fact, that parallel is a bit less loud, as I use it for cleaner tones anyway.

[@haraldamsterdam1988]

Tech tip: how to solder/wire up a SSS stratocaster, to get series and parallel sounds.

[@JustRockMySoul]

There's only one coil in the Single Coils, so you can't do that within a single pickup. Not sure about soldering the individual pickups to the electronics though, there might be different options there that also count as series and parallel circuitry

[@SergeiVlassov]

@@JustRockMySoul you can wire single coils in series and parallel IN PAIRS. Like e.g. in rather popular mod for telecaster with two single coils when middle position can be switched to series for fat humbucking tone.

[@Thurgor_Supreme]

Hmm... I don't know if there's enough "it" factor to consider keeping the hum. I think I'm good with just series and parallel configurations

[@PooNinja]

So a quad bucker could be series parallel like my 412 cab? Wait what?

[@briandietrich1373]

Parallel seemed best to me.

[@2010georgian1]

Series is so much better

[@jit453]

Both parallel and coil split sound like typical single coil.

[@colinburgess7728]

great video except: why demonstrate the tone with distortion, do clean, then distortion please

[@ThomannsGuitarsBasses]

Hi, thanks for the comment! Since this "test ride" was really just about testing if the mod worked out well I didn't do a full tone comparison clean and dirty. Also there's a reason for going for this low gain drive tone. This shows perfectly the output difference between series, parallel and coil split. It's a very "reactive" setting so I chose this instead of fully clean (which is what the least amount of guitarists use anyhow). I hope that makes sense to you. Cheers //Kris

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

The thumbnail pic looks like you’ve smelled a fart 💨 😂

[@Rick_Cleland]

Mmmmmmmm... 🧐🧐🧐🤔🤔🤔