software

Can anybody help me with a four-pickup question?

I'm going to have a custom pickguard cut for my Burns Bison reissue and install a fourth pickup to better copy the sound and look of the original '64 Burns Black Bison, which had four Trisonic pickups.

But adding a fourth pickup brings up some questions:

1. Where do I put the reverse-wound PUPs to get the most humbucking combinations and best sound? With a configuration like this -- B-M1-M2-N -- I'm thinking reverse winds go in the middle (M1) and neck (N) positions?

2. Or maybe I should stick with only one reverse wind? If so, where and why?

Pickup switching will be by individual mini-slider switch, so any pickup combination can be chosen.

The pickups are Trisonic pickups. SD will make them on special order, although I might get mine from Burns because they might be cheaper (sorry SD).

Thanks for any help you can give!

Ubehebe

mathematically, there is no correct answer to your question ... if each pickup can be turned on and off independent of the others, any two can be RW/RP to provide the same number of humcancelling combinations

that said, are there combinations that you anticpate using more often? if so, we can help guide you to the most optimal 'for your use' ...

good luck
t4d

Hi t4d:

Thanks for your reply. I am terrible at math and just couldn't get my mind around whether the location of the reverse-wound pickups would affect the number of humbucking combinations. According to you, location won't affect total number. I guess that makes sense.

The Strat knife-switch notch humbucking positions, B-M and M-N are two of my favorites, so it makes sense, as you say, to use the reverse wounds to achieve equivalent settings. With reverse wounds at M1 and at the neck (B-M1-M2-N), they would give me humbucking notch positions when combining B-M1 or M2-N. Although, I suppose I could also achieve similar results with RWs at M1 and M2, but a RW at N would also give me a humbucking combo of bridge and neck which could be way interesting.

I'm cutting a test pickguard from a plastic sign to try everything out before I commit to having the new expensive pickguard cut.

Thanks again!

Ubehebe
__________________
'68 Les Paul Gold Top stock with P-90s
'65 Hagstrom Futura bass stock
'78 Jazz bass with custom pickguard
'85 Rickenbacker 12-string 620 stock
'99 Burns Marquee reissue (star ground and cavity lined with copper)
'01 Burns Marquee customized with CR-CR-VR and coil-splitting switches
'03 Burns Bison stock
'03 Burns Bison, being customized into 4-pup model with Brian May switching
'03 Burns Steer
'03 Burns Flyte

good luck - seems like you have it sorted .. should be a fun project .. let us know what you come up with for results

cheers
t4d