Les Paul Jimmy Page wiring with 42 sounds

[Schwagdog]

Under Pick Gaurd switches

Here are my last upgrades to the Les Paul Jimmy Page design. Take notice that I have introduced several improvements and that there are now two different versions of this guitar with differing use of the volume and tone controls in series mode.

I'm assuming the diagram has a switch on thelower left outside the main area to be the one under the pick gaurd?

I've modified a Douglas 650N Semi-Hollow using two Push Push tone knobs, to split the coils. I have yet to try this wiring but am really looking forward to it.

[Epipaul]

Thanks for your comment. I'm sorry that my post came late for your mod. I guess we all have to make our experiences and it is a good idea not to start with your main axe. I did my first mod on my red Ibanez 345 and started regretting my errors after learning all about the benefits of my Les Paul JP 20-Dual. I took me over a year and another mod (on my DeArmond T-400), before realizing that I had in fact 42 different sounds at hand, some of which completely unknown to the guitar world.
Now I'm seriously considering rewiring my 345 (which has the serial wiring with the neck first and the bridge in second position), but unfortunately working inside a semi-acoustic is actually one of the hardest jobs you can imagine.

In the following I've posted a few arguments why my design is so much better than Jimmy original:

Here is my improved version of Jimmy Page's Les Paul. I call it the Les Paul Twenty-Dual.

It has 22 different sounds, one more than Jimmy's, since it includes also a dual sound for the bridge pickup (in my case a Duncan JB) with parallel wiring for both coils instead of serial.

Moreover I eliminated the muted positions on Gibson's reissue and I moved the push/pull controls to a more rational configuration (Jimmy's original has the coil tap switches on the volume controls). On my guitar they are moved to the tone pots while the switches on the volume pots control serial and out-of-phase switching:

Here is what the four push-pull pots do:

The bridge volume control switches both pickups in serial mode, but only when the bridge pickup is selected. With the pickup selector in the middle or on the neck you only hear the neck pu.

The neck volume control switches the neck pu out of phase. It only works with both pickups selected, that is with the pickup selector in the middle position or, when serial mode is selected, with the pickup selector in the bridge position.

The bridge tone control switches the bridge pickup from serial humbucker to parallel (Dual sound).

The neck tone control switches the neck pickup to single coil and, when the bridge tone control is pulled, it also switches the bridge pickup to single coil.


Why I recombined the push/pull pots?

I think my configuration is much more rational, because it puts each switch exactly where you would search and eventually miss it on a standard guitar. Here are my arguments for each new combination.

Tone controls and coil tap:
Usually guitarists use their tone controls to muffle their sound and that's what they do best. But almost as often you touch the same controls hoping to find some space for brightening your sound. How many times have you been frustrated, finding that the tone control was already at ten? On my Les Paul you have the solution immediately at hands: just pull your switch for dual sound or coil tap and the sound will become brighter.

Bridge volume and serial:
Serial wiring of two pickups brings the highest volume and distortion. Usually you need it when you're playing solo, that is you're already playing your bridge pickup and often you need more volume to come up against the other instruments. When you reach down to the volume knob and find you're already at ten, a little pull can now provide the ultimate boost you were looking for.

Neck volume and out-of-phase:
The out-of-phase switch should in any case be combined with a volume control, because only the latter permit to control the equilibrium between the two signals. By differentiating the volume of each pickup you can mix the signals and control how much of the lower frequencies will be cancelled. Often you will find that you pull your out-of-phase switch and that your sounds becomes much thinner than you expected. In this case you got your fingers already where it counts. Simply reduce your neck volume from ten to eight and you'll hear how your sound becomes thicker again.

Reassuming in the simplest manner, my guitar has one push/pull switch that makes the sound fatter (the bridge volume) and three push/pull switches that make it thinner. This makes it really easy to handle and if you remember these main rules it is almost impossible to get lost between the switching possibilities (which is not so improbable on many modded Stratocasters or on a Brian May Red Special).


How I got to my Twenty-Dual wiring?

I had already designed my 21 mode wiring scheme, when I decided to try and change the bridge pickup mod from single coil to parallel (Dual sound). It is not too difficult and when I finished it, I started to study hum-cancelling effects of the combined modes. So I realized that it wasn't very smart to combine a parallel humbucker with a single coil, since this would never be hum-cancelling. Then my eyes fell on the neck tone pot which had still an unused pole and I thought I could use this to switch the bridge pickup to single coil when combined with the neck single coil. That's it.

Now I got 16 two-pickup combinations (like Jimmy's), and six one-pickup modes (one more than Jimmy):

neck humbucker
neck adjustable coil
neck stud coil
bridge adjustable coil
bridge parallel coils (dual sound)
bridge humbucker

The pickup wirings in combination are always:

parallel in phase
parallel out of phase
serial in phase
serial out of phase

all four with four pickup combinations:

both humbuckers
neck single coil and bridge humbucker
neck humbucker and bridge dual (or parallel) coils
both single coils

If you do it right, three of these combinations will always be hum-cancelling and only the second one is not. That makes up for a total of 15 hum-cancelling sounds and only 7 that aren't, a much better ratio than on Jimmy's guitar which has only 10 hum-cancelling sounds.

This sound like the mod I want, great job! This is my first time doing this type setup. What materials would I need for a Les Paul? I know 4 DPDT long shaft pots, but the rest I'm not sure on.

[Borsanova]

This is the Hungarian guitarist Tom Szilagyi describing his modded guitar "Excalibur" with the Twenty-Dual wiring.
He used it to record the album "Decline" with his band Submareen. Have a look:
The Excalibur | Submareen

[tbryanh]

I have a guitar that has 3 controls, neck volume, bridge volume, and tone, and I would like to apply this mod to my guitar.

Since this mod is for a guitar that has 4 controls, I am hoping that someone will provide a modified version of this mod for me.

Thanks

[telemoxy]

Two volume one tone wiring.

I have a guitar that has 3 controls, neck volume, bridge volume, and tone, and I would like to apply this mod to my guitar.

Since this mod is for a guitar that has 4 controls, I am hoping that someone will provide a modified version of this mod for me.

Thanks

Copy the wiring of the guitar you have that is wired this way or google Gibson Flying V wiring.

[tbryanh]

Part Numbers?

Does anybody have part numbers for the potentiomers and any other parts needed for this mod?

How about some Mouser part numbers, etc.?

[makka]

Hi All,
Another newby.
Loved this thread, is there any way that I could do the same type mod into 1 volume 1 tone both push pull pots, and using the new type double wafer mega lever switch, also mini togles if needed. I would be so greatful if someone could post a diagram of this or point me to a site wher this has been done.

Thanks Martin

[Heavens Thunder]

Hello,
New to this forum.
Does anyone have the latest diagram/schematic for the Twenty Dual?
Been searching the internet and have found different layouts from 2004 to 2010.
Thanks, Tim