G&L 5 Wire Humbucker

[AllanAllen]

Anyone know what the 5 wires on this G&L pickup do? I'm going to remove the bridge pickup and if I can coil split or something and keep the switch, that would be cool.

[AllanAllen]

[garybaldy]

I'm guessing based on the photos that 4 of the wires would be the 4 ends of the two coils. The 5th would probably be a bare wire and is the ground. Looks like two of the wires are joined under the heat shrink. One comes from one coil and the other from the other coil. If you want a spilt coil, expose the join and either ground it or short it to hot. Each option selects only one or the other coil. My preference is the two coils in the humbucker wired in parallel rather than split.

[AllanAllen]

What’s the difference in parallel vs Humbucker vs split?

[garybaldy]

What’s the difference in parallel vs Humbucker vs split?

I can only give a simple answer.
Humbucker - doesn't hum, full thick sound.
Split - not really like a proper single coil which has slug magnets. Thin and potentially weedy sound, hums unless coupled with another if wired in a particular way.
Parallel - may be somewhere between the two, not sure if it hums, 'nicer than split'.
I have a copy LP that has all 3 with push/pulls and some other 2xHB guitars with the split. I usually stay on the HB setting.
Someone is bound to elaborate on this.

[AllanAllen]

I think I’ll pull the switch and try parallel. Easy enough to switch it back.

Thanks!

[wildschwein]

Parallel is still hum cancelling and about 30% lower in volume than a humbucker in standard or series connection. Parallel is brighter sound than series. I prefer this option to splitting coils myself, mainly because they remain hum cancelling.

[AllanAllen]

coming along, the old bridge plate is 6 saddle and the new one is 3. So I had to order some Wilkinson compensated saddles.

[AllanAllen]

that’s a wrap for now