Fender American Standard Dimension Bass PU Wiring

[Meypelnek]

Hi there. I just grapped a beautiful Fender Am Std Dimension Bass 5-string (HH-configuration). I looked into it, because I would like to split the coils similar to the American Elite HH version with the 5-way toggle switch.

From each coils comes one wire plus one for the ground. So three in total. Currently the two hot wires are soldered to the corresponding Volume pot (it is VVT).

Does anyone know whether this is series or parallel in its current configuration?

Thanks!

 

[line6man]

From each coils comes one wire plus one for the ground. So three in total.

You listed only two wires. Do you have two grounds and one hot, or two hots and one ground, or something else?

 

[Growlmonkee]

if there are 2 hot wires from each pickup, and one ground, and both hot wires from each pickup go to the same middle lug on a volume pot, that humbucker is wired in parallel, but the ground wires from the 2 coils are summed to one wire. In order to wire in series, each coil would have to have one hot, and one ground, so there would be 4 wires from each humbucker, then one hot and one ground would be soldered together, and heatshrinked, (insulated), leaving one hot, (to a volume pot) , and one ground (series), of course, that could be done with swtiches, (series/parallel), but , each coil would need it's own ground, and it's own hot, so that they would be as 2 separate pickups, in order to be switched series/parallel. Not to confuse, but if the pickups were already in series, there would only be one hot, and one ground going to the control cavity, from that pickup.

 

[Growlmonkee]

I just looked at the wiring diagrams for the standard, and the deluxe, it looks to me like they give options on the deluxe as to which coils are on, and which are off, but all in parallel, as far as I can tell, which can be done with your bass, though you would need a diagram from someone with more knowledge than me, as the wiring on the deluxe is more complex, due to the preamp. I know it's hard to tell from videos, but, I just watched Ed Friedland on the American Standard, ..wow, does that bass sound good.

 

[two fingers]

Hi there. I just grapped a beautiful Fender Am Std Dimension Bass 5-string (HH-configuration). I looked into it, because I would like to split the coils similar to the American Elite HH version with the 5-way toggle switch.

From each coils comes one wire plus one for the ground. So three in total. Currently the two hot wires are soldered to the corresponding Volume pot (it is VVT).

Does anyone know whether this is series or parallel in its current configuration?

Thanks!

Making our own Roscoe Beck, are we?

 

[Meypelnek]

Making our own Roscoe Beck, are we?

Exactly! And it works quite well.

I just looked at the wiring diagrams for the standard, and the deluxe, it looks to me like they give options on the deluxe as to which coils are on, and which are off, but all in parallel, as far as I can tell, which can be done with your bass, though you would need a diagram from someone with more knowledge than me, as the wiring on the deluxe is more complex, due to the preamp. I know it's hard to tell from videos, but, I just watched Ed Friedland on the American Standard, ..wow, does that bass sound good.

Thanks so much! I double-checked and it seems the coils can only be wired in parallel just as you mentioned. I installed two switches now that enable me to run each PU in parallel, front or back coil only. Since I do not hear any hum I assume that the PUs are quadcoils. It is very nice having now the options of the Deluxe/Elite plus the additional Volume pots to dial out a PU or coil just by decreasing the volume.

This bass model is really good, sounds and feels very well - even without the mods I did to it. What a shame it did not have the success in stores it should have had. So if you see one NOS or in the classifieds ... ;-)

 

[Pedullist]

I'm now in the process of doing the same thing: converting my Standard Dimension into a DeLuxe Deluxe.

For future projects of other people maybe it's good to mention that the pickups in an American Standard are the same as a DeLuxe (for Mexican models I heard there are only two wires, so no coil split):

- black is the outer coil of the pickup (facing towards the bridge )
- red (neck) or blue (bridge) is the inner coil of the pickup (facing towards the neck)
- green is the combined ground

Hence, the pickups are wired in parallel. I just cut the black wires to test and emulate one of your switch options and what I got was indeed the inner coils of both pickups without hum.

I'll add a 5 way rotary switch to give me the same coil options as a DeLuxe. Further I will add an Aguilar OBP3 with volume/volume (making it possible to dial in and out individual pickup volumes) and an active/passive toggle.

 

[Meypelnek]

Sounds like a good plan! Let me know how it worked out!
I favour the two 3-way switches since they allow a little more flexibility as compared to the 5-way rotary switch. My favourite setting for instance is currently neck coil of the neck PU plus both coils of the bridge PU. If you dial out the bridge PU slightly it reminds me of a Sandberg VM5 (but with a stronger B-string ;-) )

 

[Pedullist]

This will be an option too, as I have two volume pots too. Hence, with my 5 way wiring I'm able to blend in a single coil of one pickup with the humbucker of another.

 

[bassifier]

Hi @Pedullist and @Meypelnek - I found this thread because I also have a Fender American Standard Dimension - for which I want to be able to split the the humbuckers for a more traditional Jazz sound. It's less critical for me to also be able to blend in a humbucker bridge with a single coil neck --- so would be interested in installing toggles vs. a 5 way.

Would simply installing toggle switches to break the circuit on the black wires work (essentially killing the outer coils? I'm looking at the circuit diagram here (http://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/019-160A_SISD.pdf) but still a little confused about the actual mods you each performed. I can solder - but pickup wiring is still a bit new to me.

 

[Burgoo-Bob]

I have recently purchased a Standard Dimension V HH, and have been trying to install an Audere Classic preamp with 3 pots Volume|Balance, High|Low, Mid|Mid. The instructions say to connect the "pickup commons" to one of the preamp wires, and I am unclear which set of pickup wires it is talking about since there are 3 wires.

Installation Instructions http://www.audereaudio.com/assets/classic_install.pdf

This is how I previously wired it, NOTE: makes sound but the balance cannot be changed and volume is always full on, as far as I can tell...

- Connected the neck pickup red and black wires to the instructed "neck" preamp wire
- Connected the bridge pickup blue and black wires to the instructed "bridge" preamp wire
- Connected the bridge and neck green wire to the preamp "Pickup Common" wire

Thanks @Pedullist for the following explanation of the pickup wires. I have also verified with my multimeter, which is slightly different than the wiring schematic from fender, http://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/Original/10001/019-170A_SISD.pdf

- black is the outer coil of the pickup (facing towards the bridge )
- red (neck) or blue (bridge) is the inner coil of the pickup (facing towards the neck)
- green is the combined ground

Any help would be greatly appreciated

 

[studio848]

I'm now in the process of doing the same thing: converting my Standard Dimension into a DeLuxe Deluxe.

For future projects of other people maybe it's good to mention that the pickups in an American Standard are the same as a DeLuxe (for Mexican models I heard there are only two wires, so no coil split):

- black is the outer coil of the pickup (facing towards the bridge )
- red (neck) or blue (bridge) is the inner coil of the pickup (facing towards the neck)
- green is the combined ground

Hence, the pickups are wired in parallel. I just cut the black wires to test and emulate one of your switch options and what I got was indeed the inner coils of both pickups without hum.

I'll add a 5 way rotary switch to give me the same coil options as a DeLuxe. Further I will add an Aguilar OBP3 with volume/volume (making it possible to dial in and out individual pickup volumes) and an active/passive toggle.

Resurrecting this one - I'm getting ready to do the same thing.

A Fender wiring diagram for the Am Std dimension is attached; not sure if it agrees with this your description (for the black/green wires; black is connected to common ground in the diagram).

Also, I'm only going to use one push/pull switch on one of the pots (probably the tone pot) to switch both pickups from parallel to single coil. That's good enough for me (gives me the jazz singles), and simpler than the other wiring.

See the attached switch wiring diagram. I think that will work.

Thoughts? Thanks ...

 

[jim nielsen]

Is anyone messing with the capacitor? I just tried a Bill and Becky Wilde Q filter and I think it does nothing.

I would like a tone styler but it seems the wiring is complex