[jkstraw]

I've gone through some of the discussion between waldo and tigerstrat over http://www.rukind.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... sebud+coil but I'll admit I am still a little lost - or maybe just looking for input from players with experience actually playing these types of guitars

Here is the control layout I have in place:

Tiger_wFront_2.jpg

As you can see I have 4 mini toggles. My builder (who works beside Gary Brawer) is recommending the following:

As far as the coil cut switching goes, we can gang two guitars on one switch. I would say do the neck and middle together. Depends on your playing style but that way you could get the full bridge humbucker on with the others or have the number two Eric Clapton position easily. So switches top to bottom could be
1. coil cut/neck and mid
2. coil cut bridge
3. effects loop on-off
4. momentary

I can see his logic (FWIW - 4th toggle is a midi patch select in this scenario). But it seems to be exactly the opposite of what waldo and tigerstrat were saying (coil tap neck+bridge together).
What do you guys - as players - see as the most valuable configuration? I've never had a guitar with this much flexibility and just want to get it as "right" as possible Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance!

[playingdead]

The "right" way is what Waldo said ... that's the way my Tiger (with three HB's) is wired.

However, I see the logic in putting the bridge on its own tap, because, to me, the most usable settings on the guitar are middle single coil, bridge humbucker, neck single coil, middle-neck single coil and middle-bridge (bridge as a humbucker). That would let you access all those tones without ever touching one of the tap switches.

I find the middle and neck pickups way too loud and bassy as humbuckers. And the bridge is too spindly and weak as a single.

I also have my effects loop switch as the first toggle (toward the neck), but that's personal preference. Too easy to fumble around trying to get switch three (and hitting switch four or switch two). The effects toggle is the one you want to be able to get to in a hurry and not miss. In fact, I'd like to put a heavier switch on that one to really discern it easily. Those little toggles are pretty delicate. Alembic does bigger ones.

[jkstraw]

Thanks Vic,

I appreciate the comments. I think I'll move forward with the 'safe' route - i.e Garcia wiring - after posting I was thinking that there are a number of ways to skin that cat but rolling the dice and going for what Garcia had seems a pretty safe bet

[JonnyBoy]

I have thought of ways and ways to set up my three humbuckers for splits and I think the tiger diagram is the most effective way to go without making a mess of things....

[Imagined Days]

With my set up, i almost always play with the bridge in humbucking, and the middle and neck in Single coil. I have a switch for each pup tough seperately, then a fourth toggle for effects loop. Why can't you just do it like that?

Chris

[jkstraw]

With my set up, i almost always play with the bridge in humbucking, and the middle and neck in Single coil. I have a switch for each pup tough seperately, then a fourth toggle for effects loop. Why can't you just do it like that?

Chris

Hehe - That was my question to my builder yesterday - that was our agreed layout....but he came back with this 'other' suggestion. I can see his logic though - it is much easier to flip one switch in a heartbeat than two.

[Imagined Days]

Yeah, but it is also nice to have 3 independent switches for more tone options. It's not that hard to switch 2 real qiock, or at once if they are close enough. I usually have it set before a song, and keep it that way.

Chris

[540EYE]

Here's some more confusion for you...............
I'm running 3 x H with coil taps pretty much the way it was posted on Dozin's site years ago...but with a twist.

As Waldo mentioned, the Neck and Bridge share one coil tap switch. In the normal 5-way switch there is no position of N+B, so it worked for me this way. (I didn't wanna put a 4th switch in). The middle has it's own coil tap switch and the last switch is for the OBEL.

Now for the twist. I used (2) Push-pulls in the tone control positions. One tone control does the N+B and the other one does the Middle.

The push pulls do the following: One will activate the Neck pickup, so you can have N+B. In HB mode, very SG sounding. In single mode, very Tele-like. You can also run all 3 at once in various combinations of HB and single coil.....kinda jazzy sounding.

The second push-pull does some real neat things. It is wired as a phase reversal when the first push-pull activates the ncek. (N+B) position. Two distinct sounds are possible and discernably different. In HB out-of-phase it is that often described "thin, nasaly sound". Think "Home to Dixie"-Kingfish. It nails that tone w/o use of a shifter in a "stopped" mode. When you switch to out-of-phase N+B in single coils, it sounds very much like an old Fender Mustang. It NAILS the Temptation's "My Girl" riff.

The most useful position of this phase reverse switch in when the Bridge pickup is on by itself. In single coil mode, my "normal" hot coil is the south one, closest to the bridge. Does Strat well. By activating the phase switch, it kills that coil and switches to the North coil....VERY tele sounding when you pick near the bridge pickup. Try some Commander Cody!! By rolling back the tone just a tad, and picking closer to the bridge it really mimmics the Jerry sound of Cumberland Blues from the Aspen Valley DVD.
When you switch to HB with the phase switch normal, it sounds like a normal Dimarzio SuperII bridge pickup, (South coil Hot). When you activate the switch, it changes the HB character (North coil Hot) just a bit by giving it a bit more presence w/o chopping highs.

Anyway, just thought I'd throw out some options for you to ponder. Nice guitar BTW. Best of luck.

Gerv*

[jkstraw]

Wow - Thanks guys! I'm trying to find the smilie with a head exploding!! Great to get a sense of how and why people have chosen different configurations.

Lots of food for thought - I will let you all know how it turns out