Series/Parallel switch benefit

[maturanesa]

HI, i was looking for a passive Musicman pickup, and wonder if the series/parallel switch is actually usefull...

The thing is... in series passives MM pickup have about 9, 10, 11, 12 k...(that is good), and parallel just the half... 4.5, 5, 6 k (too low and thin).
I believe if you wind the pickup to get a decent parallel output youll get a very strong clipping signal in series... And if you wind to get a clear series sound, the parallalel mode would be very low...

Also, you cant switch in the same song because that differences in output...

So, understanding the fact that series/parallel switch reduces the gain/tone a half, is there any real benefit???

 

[Coolhandjjl]

For me, series is just too cloudy.

 

[line6man]

The thing is... in series passives MM pickup have about 9, 10, 11, 12 k...(that is good), and parallel just the half... 4.5, 5, 6 k (too low and thin)

No, that's not how it works. The DCR of parallel-wired coils is generally about a quarter of what it would be in series, not half.
Series: RTotal​= R1​+R2​
Parallel: RTotal​= 1/([1/R1​]+[1/R2​])

 

[lug]

HI, i was looking for a passive Musicman pickup, and wonder if the series/parallel switch is actually usefull...

The thing is... in series passives MM pickup have about 9, 10, 11, 12 k...(that is good), and parallel just the half... 4.5, 5, 6 k (too low and thin).
I believe if you wind the pickup to get a decent parallel output youll get a very strong clipping signal in series... And if you wind to get a clear series sound, the parallalel mode would be very low...

Also, you cant switch in the same song because that differences in output...

So, understanding the fact that series/parallel switch reduces the gain/tone a half, is there any real benefit???

A passive pup will not put out a clipped signal. You can get clipping from the preamp if the input is too hot. And while your theory is that you may not be able to switch between series and parallel live, in real life, I certainly can!

 

[line6man]

Btw, if the difference in output bothers you this much, try wiring in a trim pot to attenuate the series volume.
It might mess with the tone, but you could see how well it works.

 

[lug]

And understand that twice or four times the level does not mean twice or four time the perceived volume.

 

[maturanesa]

Btw, if the difference in output bothers you this much, try wiring in a trim pot to attenuate the series volume.
It might mess with the tone, but you could see how well it works.

Is not the difference in output, its in tone too..

If you got a Musicman pup in series with a total of 12 k, that is hot....

But if you want to use a single coil to get a Jazz tone with the same pup, you´ll get only a 5 k single coil that would be very thin...

 

[maturanesa]

No, that's not how it works. The DCR of parallel-wired coils is generally about a quarter of what it would be in series, not half.
Series: RTotal​= R1​+R2​
Parallel: RTotal​= 1/([1/R1​]+[1/R2​])

Really?

So if you got a 12 k humbucking pup in series youll get only 3 k in parallel?
That would be like switching off the bass. 3 k is about the DC of an active bass...
sounds weird... In the bass demos around youtube i dont hear that difference at all...

 

[line6man]

Really?

So if you got a 12 k humbucking pup in series youll get only 3 k in parallel?
That would be like switching off the bass. 3 k is about the DC of an active bass...
sounds weird... In the bass demos around youtube i dont hear that difference at all...

You keep throwing around these DCR ratings, but in this context, they don't mean anything.

If you compare identical pickup designs, you can use the DCR to relate their output levels, as the resistance will increase the more wire you wind on a pickup, but other than that, DCR measurements can be all over the place. As I've noted, series/parallel coil combos can more-or-less double or half the resistance. The wire gauge has a significant effect as well. You can even change the value with temperature.

What do you mean by "3k is about the DC of an active bass?"

 

[maturanesa]

You keep throwing around these DCR ratings, but in this context, they don't mean anything.

If you compare identical pickup designs, you can use the DCR to relate their output levels, as the resistance will increase the more wire you wind on a pickup, but other than that, DCR measurements can be all over the place. As I've noted, series/parallel coil combos can more-or-less double or half the resistance. The wire gauge has a significant effect as well. You can even change the value with temperature.

What do you mean by "3k is about the DC of an active bass?"

the question is about a single passive Musicman pup that have series and parallel modes, not a comparison between different pickups. And the point was that diference (series/parallel). So the dilema is how to wind the coils of that pickup to make both modes usefull with the problem that one duplicates (or more) the gain of the other, and both extremes are no good..

i meant a 3k pickup needs a 9 volt battery..

 

[lug]

the question is about a single passive Musicman pup that have series and parallel modes, not a comparison between different pickups. And the point was that diference (series/parallel). So the dilema is how to wind the coils of that pickup to make both modes usefull with the problem that one duplicates (or more) the gain of the other, and both extremes are no good..

Lets drop theory for a second. I own, have played, and have seen several humbucker pups that were wired with a series parallel switch and all have worked with the series position being slightly louder, but both being useable with different tone envelopes. What you are not getting is that it take 10X the power to sound twice as loud, not 2X. My pups on my G&L do this, my Bart MMC on my homemade does this, the Model 1 pup in my other homemade does this, and the single coils on my Jaguar do this. For the price of a switch, it is the single best bang-for-the-buck tonal mod you can do to a bass.

 

[SGD Lutherie]

HI, i was looking for a passive Musicman pickup, and wonder if the series/parallel switch is actually usefull...

The thing is... in series passives MM pickup have about 9, 10, 11, 12 k...(that is good), and parallel just the half... 4.5, 5, 6 k (too low and thin).
I believe if you wind the pickup to get a decent parallel output youll get a very strong clipping signal in series... And if you wind to get a clear series sound, the parallalel mode would be very low...

Also, you cant switch in the same song because that differences in output...

So, understanding the fact that series/parallel switch reduces the gain/tone a half, is there any real benefit???

Stock Music Man pickups are 2k in parallel. Each coil is 4k, so in series you would have 8k. That's about average for pickups, and in my opinion a 12k humbucker can sound like mud. But DC resistance is misleading due to the difference in resistance of different gauge wires.

So 5,000 turns of 42 gauge wire might be 4k, while the same number of turns of 44 gauge might be almost 9k! The 9k pickup will not be louder.

The Stingray pickup was designed to be low impedance because it uses a preamp. You can run them in series for a fuller tone, and it won't clip anything unless you have the bass control all the way up.

MM pickups were also not wound hotter to get a strong parallel tone. It's an under wound pickup made to get a very clear hi-fi tone. Because it's under wound, it works fine in series if you want a fatter tone with less sizzle.