This is a new wiring scheme I came up with while enjoying a DIY Tele project. It is cleaner and easier to understand than the default schemes I found over the Internet and in the documentations, and I thought I could do some good to the guitar community by sharing my experience

1. Series/Parallel Wiring of a
Humbucker pickup with 4
conductors
Luca Finzi Contini

2. Humbucker Pickup Scheme
• This is the usual schematic for a 4-conductor Humbucker pickup. North coil and South coil are depicted.
• Colour scheme here is DiMarzio’s:
– North start: red
– North finish: black
– South start: white
– South end: green
• Seymour Duncan colour scheme is:
– North start: Black
– North finish: White
– South start: Red
– South finish: Green
+
-
+
-
Red
Black
White
Green
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3. Useful colour scheme page
• http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/schematics/schematics.php?schematic=color_codes
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4. DPDT Switch
• Left: DPDT switch in the ‘push’ position: 2 -> 3; 5 -> 6
• Right: DPDT switch in the ‘pull’ position: 2 -> 1; 5 -> 4
1
2
3
4
5
6
Push
1
2
3
4
5
6
Pull
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5. DPDT Switch - split
• This is the connection in a on-on-on DPDT
switch , typically in the middle position.
• It is useful to achieve a series – split –
parallel wiring.1
2
3
4
5
6
Pull
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6. Series Wiring
• Maximum DC
Resistance
• Maximum output
• Standard wiring
• The two coils are
traversed in series
+
-
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
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7. Parallel Wiring
• ‘+’’s are connected
together and ‘-’’s
are connected
together
• Roughly half DC
resistance
• Less Output
• More Brightness
and Trebly sound
+
-
+
-
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
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8. Standard DPDT Wiring
• This is the standard wiring as per SD and DiMarzio docs.
• Let’s see how this allows Series / Parallel switching.
1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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9. Standard DPDT Wiring - Series
• Traversing from Hot to Gnd, the orange connections connect the two coils
in series.
• Following the path from Hot to Gnd we traverse 1, red, black, 3, 2, white,
green, 4, gnd.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Push
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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10. Standard DPDT Wiring - Parallel
• Here we notice how Red and White (+) are connected through 1 -> 2, as
well as Black and Green are connected through 4 -> 5. This demonstrates
that this is a parallel connection.
1
2
3
4
5
6
Pull
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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11. Standard DPDT Wiring – Split coil
• The same wiring allows for a Single Coil operation when using an on/on/on DPDT switch
• North coil is connected from hot to ground, while South coil has both White and Green
connected to ground, so it is not used. We can check that by looking from the Gnd
connection backwards:
– Gnd, 4, 5, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd.
1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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12. The need for new wiring
• Standard wiring is a little bit cumbersome to
understand because there are crossing lines
• Needs the diagonal piece of wire soldered
between 3 and 5
• So I came up with a new design…
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13. New DPDT Wiring
• This new wiring has no wire crossings.
• The connection between 3 and 6 can conveniently be realized by using a piece of
condenser ‘leg’ that you cut away if replacing your tone pot with a DPDT push-pull pot,
just inserting it in the holes and placing a bit of solder.
• Let’s see how this works as before.
1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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14. New DPDT Wiring - Series
• By following the path from Hot to Ground we easily find all the coils:
– Hot, 1, Red, Black, 5, 6, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd
1
2
3
4
5
6
Push
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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15. New DPDT Wiring - Parallel
• The crossing is not really present as the 1->2 takes place inside the switch
• +’s are connected through 1->2
• -’s are connected through 4->5
1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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wiring
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16. New DPDT Wiring - Split
• This new wiring was not meant to deal with Split configuration, but let’s see what happens
• North coil is correctly running from hot to ground:
– Hot,1,Red,Black,5,4,Gnd.
• South coil has Green connected to ground but White (+) is actually floating
– Probably not suitable – never actually tested.
1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd
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17. Application: Telecaster Bridge
Series/Parallel
• My Telecaster project features a DiMarzio The
Chopper T on the bridge position and a DiMarzio
Twang King Neck on the neck position
• Neck pickup is considerably lower in output than
Bridge pickup
• I want to have Series/Parallel capability on the 4-
conductor bridge pickup
BUT…
• Standard wiring is for series in Push mode, Parallel in
Pull mode
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18. Application: Telecaster Bridge
Series/Parallel (cont’d)
• I need to have Parallel mode in ‘push’ position
and Series mode in ‘pull’ position so that the
standard situation (with pot in the rest, push
position) will feature comparable output
pickup configuration
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19. Solution: flipping vertically
• This allows for my desired operation:
– Push: parallel
– Pull: series
• Let’s check…
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1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd

20. Solution: Push = Parallel
• +’s are connected through 1->2
• -’s are connected through 4->5
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1
2
3
4
5
6
Push
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd

21. Solution: Pull = Series
• Once again, by following the path from Hot to Ground we easily find all
the coils:
– Hot, 1, Red, Black, 5, 6, 3, 2, White, Green, 4, Gnd
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1
2
3
4
5
6
DPDT
+
-
-
+
Red
Black
White
Green
+ Hot
- Gnd

22. Pictures (1)
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Push/Pull pot with
condenser before
soldering the wires
and ‘bridge’
NOTE:
The picture shows
the condenser
soldered to the
*WRONG* leg of
the pot: if the signal
is soldered to the
central lug, the
condenser must be
soldered to the LEFT
lug, and not the
RIGHT as here – my
mistake.

23. Pictures (2)
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Here I soldered a piece of the condenser
‘leg’ I had previously cut in order to create
the bridge 3->6. Great move!
It passed perfectly through the holes of
the DPDT lugs.

24. Pictures (3)
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25. Pictures (4)
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26. Final Result
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27. Thank you!
• Thank you for looking at this presentation!
Luca Finzi Contini
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