First set of pickups - unexpected sound in middle position

[ghobii]

So I wound my first set of humbuckers. Over-all I'm more then happy with them. They're just the basic vintage PAF formula - around 5K winds of poly 42AWG on each bobbin. I put an A2 in the neck and an UOA5 in the bridge. Both have a nice clear sound.

Now what I find strange is when I use the middle toggle position, with both pickups on, I get a lot more high-end chime and air, really nice. Doesn't sound like its out of phase, just a little more scooped and considerably brighter, but in a good way.

I've played a lot of guitars, used tons of different pickups and never heard such a pronounced change in tone like that. Is there any logical explanation for this? Could I have wired them in parallel? Don't think I've ever heard 2 humbuckers wired that way.

[Helmholtz]

What about posting a soundclip?

Middle position in a 2 HB guitar wires both PUs in parallel. This lowers total inductance, increases the resonant frequency and thus adds high end chime.
A classical example is Dickey Betts' LP sound with the Allman Bros band in the 70s.

Out-of-phase would sound thin and nasal.

[big_teee]

Each pickup wired in series.
When the two pickups are played together they would be in parallel.
Wire colors in attachment don't matter, that is dimarzio colors.
Coils should be wound in same direction and start leads are output, and ground.
And, that finish leads are tied together.
Like the layout shows.
GL,
T

[ghobii]

What about posting a soundclip?

Middle position in a 2 HB guitar wires both PUs in parallel. This lowers total inductance, increases the resonant frequency and thus adds high end chime.

Thanks for the replys.
Didn't realize normal wiring is parallel, guess I never thought about it actually. Lower inductance and higher resonant frequency is definitely what it sounds like. Just more pronounced then I'm used to. I guess I just got a lucky combination that I happen to like?
I don't remember ever coming across any discussions about this though. I know measuring pickups is a tricky complicated subject, but is there a rough description of what causes this effect? Like I assume there must be a way to predict how two humbuckers will sum together?

[big_teee]

If you want to experiment with the parallel measuring?
A simple thing you can do is without an amp, plug a guitar cord into the guitar with the volume pot on full.
Measure across the tip and sleeve of the cord, with a multi meter set on ohms, and set on auto, or 20 k-ohms.
The pickups will measure a little less than if the pickups were out of the circuit.
flip the selector switch to neck, then measure, then to the bridge and measure, then to the both pickup mode.
You will see the parallel effect, and get an idea what the DCR resistance is.
T

[Helmholtz]

PU resonance mainly depends on PU inductance and cable capacitance.
When you parallel 2 identical PUs, total inductance is halved. Half inductance results in a 40% higher resonant frequency.

But there is also another effect, which depends on PU position and their distance. As the PUs sense string vibration at different positions, their signals contain different amounts of string harmonics.
When paralleling them, some harmonics get emphasized and others are attenuated, depending on phase relations.

[ghobii]

Really interesting stuff! Thanks again for the info.