Also, I'm dropping new pick ups in. It'll have Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and 59' in the neck. What's the difference between lets say a Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 Model Pickup and a Seymour Duncan SH-1 ’59 Model 4-Conductor Pickup? What does the 4-conductor allow me to do?
Fixed Bridges
I have an Ibanez Sa220FM w/ a SAT30S bridge. I'm looking to do some serious upgrades to this guitar. Since the Sa220FM has a fixed bridge and not thick enough to support a Floyd Rose locking system, what kind of bridge should I equip?
Also, I'm dropping new pick ups in. It'll have Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and 59' in the neck. What's the difference between lets say a Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 Model Pickup and a Seymour Duncan SH-1 ’59 Model 4-Conductor Pickup? What does the 4-conductor allow me to do?
Also, I'm dropping new pick ups in. It'll have Seymour Duncan JB in the bridge and 59' in the neck. What's the difference between lets say a Seymour Duncan SH-1 '59 Model Pickup and a Seymour Duncan SH-1 ’59 Model 4-Conductor Pickup? What does the 4-conductor allow me to do?
# 1
[font=trebuchet ms]You can get some ideas by browsing the listings at >StewMac<, one of dozens of guitar parts supply stores online.
4-wire pickups give you access to both sides of both coils in the pickup. This gives you total freedom to wire it up any way you want to. You can add switches to your control system to:
Go to the >DiMarzio< website, click on any of the humbucker links, and then click Installation to get detailed wiring diagrams. One of the reasons I like DiMarzio is the way they assume that their customers can make use of this kind of info, where the Seymor Duncan website takes the approach that their customers are clueless types who will be getting a tech to do the installation. That said, I have heard the JB - '59 setup being recommended by players who should know.[/font]
4-wire pickups give you access to both sides of both coils in the pickup. This gives you total freedom to wire it up any way you want to. You can add switches to your control system to:
- Coil Tap: This shorts-out one of the coils, leaving a single-coil pickup. It also defeats the hum-bucking characteristic, sometimes causing noise problems.
- Parallel coils: This retains the hum-bucking properties of the pickup, while reducing the output level and producing a sound that is similar to a single-coil.
- Series coils: This is the classic humbucker configuration, with high output and typical humbucker sound.
- Centre Coil Split: This connection uses one coil from each pickup of a two-humbucker setup to create additional voicings, with the coils in-phase, or out-of-phase.
Go to the >DiMarzio< website, click on any of the humbucker links, and then click Installation to get detailed wiring diagrams. One of the reasons I like DiMarzio is the way they assume that their customers can make use of this kind of info, where the Seymor Duncan website takes the approach that their customers are clueless types who will be getting a tech to do the installation. That said, I have heard the JB - '59 setup being recommended by players who should know.[/font]
# 2
LATS hit it on the nose about the pickups...
As for the bridge... I'm not familiar with your specific model of guitar... however, I would do some more research... if you already haven't... into the Floyd Roses... particularly the Ibanez brand ones. They might be adapted to your guitar better than you think. The bad thing about htat is that it requires a lot of body routing. If you're looking to go from a hard tail bridge to any kind of tremolo... you better be ready to do a lot of routing and sanding... and test fiiting... and re-fitting... and routing... and sanding... and polishing... and so on. haha.
As for the bridge... I'm not familiar with your specific model of guitar... however, I would do some more research... if you already haven't... into the Floyd Roses... particularly the Ibanez brand ones. They might be adapted to your guitar better than you think. The bad thing about htat is that it requires a lot of body routing. If you're looking to go from a hard tail bridge to any kind of tremolo... you better be ready to do a lot of routing and sanding... and test fiiting... and re-fitting... and routing... and sanding... and polishing... and so on. haha.
# 3