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Please help me understand ES coil taping schematics


Tux

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Hello,

 

I am trying to rewire a pair of Gibson Dirty Fingers humbuckers that I had in my ES-347 and drop them in a 335 copy I have.

 

The problem is, I can't understand the schematics i found on the Gibson website: http://www.gibson.com/Files/schematics/ES347wCoilTap.PDF

 

Does anyone have an illustrated diagram for this?

 

As the pickups have 2 braided wires, one for HB and one for SC, I assume, it gets even more difficult for me.

 

Thank you!

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Here's what the schematic is showing:

 

The double coil lead from both pickups wires to vol - tone - switch - jack in standard fashion of most double pickup guitars. The audio signal travels down this wire at all times and all modes.

 

The single coil lead for each pickup wires to a DPST (double pole, single throw) on/off switch which when engaged, dead shorts the single coil of each pickup to ground. Therefore removing that coil from the (above) signal path.

 

So the pickup lead from the single coil is being used only as a "shorting wire", and at no time is passing audio. The audio signal travels down the other wire at all times.

 

Stated a little differently: The coil tap switch does not switch the path of the audio, it just removes a coil from the path.

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Thanks for this. I just need to figure out how the DPST is wired then. Do you know how that is done? thanks.

 

 

 

Here's what the schematic is showing:

 

The double coil lead from both pickups wires to vol - tone - switch - jack in standard fashion of most double pickup guitars. The audio signal travels down this wire at all times and all modes.

 

The single coil lead for each pickup wires to a DPST (double pole, single throw) on/off switch which when engaged, dead shorts the single coil of each pickup to ground. Therefore removing that coil from the (above) signal path.

 

So the pickup lead from the single coil is being used only as a "shorting wire", and at no time is passing audio. The audio signal travels down the other wire at all times.

 

Stated a little differently: The coil tap switch does not switch the path of the audio, it just removes a coil from the path.

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The coil-tap switch is simply wired by connecting the single-coil "hot" wire of each pickup to one side of the switch, and the ground wire (braided shield) to the other side of the switch. When the switch is in the "on" position it connects the two wires of the pickup together. This creates what is known as a "dead short", meaning the signal from that coil is diverted directly to ground, not allowing the signal to pass any further downstream.

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  • 3 weeks later...

The coil-tap switch is simply wired by connecting the single-coil "hot" wire of each pickup to one side of the switch, and the ground wire (braided shield) to the other side of the switch. When the switch is in the "on" position it connects the two wires of the pickup together. This creates what is known as a "dead short", meaning the signal from that coil is diverted directly to ground, not allowing the signal to pass any further downstream.

 

Hi. Thanks for that. Is it possible to use a standard 3 way switch to do that? I would like to use the hole I already have and move the pickup selector to another spot. So I cannot use a mini-toggle.

 

Or will any of these work?

SPDT 1

 

Carling SPDT

 

Thanks a lot.

Edited by Tux
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Any SPST switch will work so yes, you can use a stardard gibson style SPDT 3 way switch as it is basicly two SPST switches. You will pimply have one position that dosn't do anything. You could wire that side up as a kill switch or something though.

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  • 9 years later...
  • 1 year later...
On 1/15/2021 at 2:42 PM, muzicman52 said:

On my '81 ES-347 the coil tap switch works when using the neck pickup OR the bridge pickup. The switch has no effect when using the neck/bridge(both) position. Is this normal?

No that is not how it's supposed to work. Unfortunately, nobody seems to know what kind of switch to use (one said DPST, another said SPST). My guitar is a 1984, so it has a mini toggle instead of the bigger switch on the lower bout. Either way, Gibson has no idea what they used, and the internet seems confused. I'd like to replace my switch, but it's nearly impossible to find out any information.

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