DiMarzio hot wired in an Acoustic

[bobbytm]

I have a configuration that I have worked with a high frustration tolerance. There is a DiMarzio Dual and a SDHB mounted in the sound hole. Both are hot wired to their own 1/4 output jacks. What kind of electronics would get rid of noise?

Im new at this.

[David Schwab]

What noise? Do you have the hot wired as ground?

[bobbytm]

Hot Rod Acoustic

What noise? Do you have the hot wired as ground?

Thanks for the response. Im new to the forum

Noise, yes. Forgive me for being so brief in my original post.

At a glance I can say, the humbuckers - hum. No doubt I could do a bunch to cut down on the noise. Just today I cut a new saddle out of alluminum and found that the ground to strings knocked out the static, clicks and snaps outright. I will be adding the "Anti-Shock circuit" as well. So let me back-up a bit to give you a better view of my set-up.

The SDHB (bridge position) is an mid 70s model; there is no model number on the underside, and it has only two leads: one black, one white. DiMarzio of today has 4 leads, as you most likely know already. So, I suspect a problem there, though Im not certain, as I have wired the black to hot and the white to ground. Iv been all over the DiMarzio site and there's nothing in the FAQ.

The DSHB (towards the neck) is also from the 70s, yet it has 3 leads: red, white, and black. I connected red & white to output, and the black open (cut) and the braid to ground.

As for "due diligence"; my cables to amp are high grade; household wiring checks out as ok with a GFCI tester; computer monitor is off; no fluorescent
lighting; no water pouring in from the bathtub and no RFI.

I just ordered 3 rolls of copper tape, though Im hesitant to coat the inside of my D-40, (1974 Guild). First order of tasks to be wrap the coils. Once I get the output wiring right, I could run each through some sort of flex tube and wrap the tube with copper tape.

That's the bigger picture.

Firstly, I need the correct wiring out of the DiMarzios. Believe it or not Iv been gigging with this set-up since '79, the dual sound HB blends very well with the acoustic sound (though I also have a piece of foam in the body); the SDHB goes through a volume pedal (Line6 PODxt Live) for dynamics and other processing (noise gate, which has assuaged my frustration). Iv grown accustom to the noise, which can sound pretty cool through a phaser. I also run the DSHB through a PODxt. My amps are a new Crate B-100 for the DSHB and for the SDHB I use a 2-12 LAB combo Iv had since '78. Purists tell me, "You can't do that," which gets my goat and makes me more determined to get it right.

Got anything on the old DiMarzios?

Thanx agan,

Bobby Morano

[David Schwab]

The SDHB and the DSHB are exactly the same pickups. The only difference is the Dual Sound had four conductor wiring. It shouldn't have three wires.

Besides the black and white wire there is a ground wire... you need to have that connected.

I have an old 70's SDHB that I converted to a Dual Sound.

Neither of those wirings has anything to do with the humbuckers not bucking hum.

The Dual sound can be wired to be single coil.. and that would hum.

Make sure that the ground of each pickup, which should either be the shield of the cable, or a bare "drain" wire, is connected to the ground on the output jack/cable.

Also make sure you don't have that ground end of the pickup hooked up to the hot. That will make them hum.

I suspect it's a wiring error and not the pickups.

It shouldn't matter so much about shielding etc.

[bobbytm]

David - Im still working on my wiring with the DSHB. Unraveled the braid down to the coils. There are 3 wires (red, white, and black); a drain ground and about an inch and 1/2 of braid left. I need to replace the input jack with a Barrel Stereo Input Jack, which Im out the door to collect from my local friendly music store.

With no history on a 70s issue pickup from DiMarzio I'll use the scientific method to pin it down, and just leave my leads exposed and plug and play my way around it. Or, I may even need to trash the vintage for new HBs.

Either way, thanx for you input along the trail.

Bobby

[David Schwab]

That's not a real DualSound then. They have four wires... red, green, white and black, plus the drain wire. Two for each coil. That's probably a two pickup wirings, that has an extra wire to switch the pickup to single coil operation. The third wire is the series connection between the coils.

[bobbytm]

DiMarzio recommended wiring

Got an email from Steve Blucher about the vintage wiring. Thought you might like to know what he said:

RE: DSHB and SDHB recommended wiring
From: Steve Blucher (steveb@dimarzio.com) on behalf of DiMarzio Tech (tech@dimarzio.com)
Sent: Thu 1/10/08 7:57 PM
To: Bobby Morano (bobbymorano@hotmail.com)

The Super is white hot, black and shield ground. The DS is red hot, white & black soldered together and taped, shield & bar wire to ground. The DS can also be wire for series/parallel and coil splitting.



-----Original Message-----
>From: Bobby Morano [mailto:bobbymorano@hotmail.com]
>Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 1:45 PM
>To: Michael Altilio
>Subject: DSHB and SDHB recommended wiring
>
>
>
> I have 2 pick-ups that I purchased in the 70s (no model number on the >back). In an effort to reduce noise (hum, buzz, clicks, and static), I >removed the units, but discovered a wire color code I cannot identify.
>
>The Dual Sound (in the fingerboard position) has 3 wires (red, white and >black), the briaded shield and an uninsulated wire.
>
>In the bridge position there is a SDHB, which has 2 wires (black and white) >braided shield.
>
>Can you give me any information about connecting these pick-ups and >anything on the 70s history when they were made?
>
>
>Thanx for your support,
>Bobby Morano

[bobbytm]

Problem solved

Just finished wiring Pups (as directed by DiMarizo), mounted same (after coating with conductive cooper tape), restrung my guitar and tested each separately. Noise factor: nil. I couldn't have done it without this forum sending me in the right direction. Maybe this experience will help any member here who runs into a similar situation.

Thnx
Bobby

[David Schwab]

Cool!