For you guitar wiring gurus, is this scheme possible?

I'm not sure about the wiring of the Carvin pickups, but the standard 5-way switch only has the single output for the master volume control. To split the pickups to 2 volume controls I believe you would need a multi-pole super switch.

A Superswitch (EP1112) should fit wherever a 5-way standard would fit.

If not, get out the router.

Email DiMarzio and they will usually help.

Just don't tell them whose pickups you're using.

That scheme is totally doable with a superswitch, if you think of the middle and neck singles as each being one coil of a humbucker you should easily be able to figure out a wiring diagram based on others out there. If I have time on Friday I'll see if I can pull it together. Feel free to drop me an email if necessary. kevin (a) drkevguitar (.) com

I'll draw up a diagram for you...

DrKev--and anyone else--please feel free to critique this diagram; I am not an expert in this stuff. If I had a Superswitch here I'd mock it up and test to see if this is correct.  I probably left something out, so please 'murder board' this diagram for me.  I included the four-pole layout on the left to assist with your analysis of this scheme.

I drew this to be used with a two-knob scheme (master vol and master tone). The single line from the switch goes to the vol pot; wire the master tone control to the vol pot a la Tele wiring.

Note: I used Duncan color codes for the humbucker (the red and white wires are where both coils join for humbucking operation.  The black wire is coil hot, the green wire is coil ground, and the bare silver wire is shield ground).  I didn't include the green wire and bare silver shield wire as they are wired to common ground along with the ground wires from the middle and neck pups, also not shown here.

Thanks, guys! I'm thinking I really want 2 volumes and 1 tone so I can balance the bucker volume with the S/C's. But I can be persuaded otherwise since I've never owned a HSS guitar.

I drew this up for a master vol because it simplifies the issues encountered with controlling volume when you have multiple pickups and a splittable humbucker.

It won't balance at standard pickup-string distances but I have no problems with PAFs just dialing back height until it balances well with the single coils. Works great if you need clean tones all night long and must have a good balance.

The problems you might have with the wiring scheme you asked for in the first post...

1) Half a humbucker is weak. Put it in parallel with something else and the result is weaker than either of the two things. This means split humbucker plus single is lower output than either split coil HB or single coil on their own. I can't live with that volume drop so I prefer full HB in parallel with middle single. Sounds really similar to the classic strat equivalent, just a little thicker and warmer. I don't care about hum cancelling because I have noiseless singles.

2) Two single coils in series will be noticeably louder than either coil on their own, which makes worrying about humbucker volume kind of a moot point.

Diagram coming soon. Don't touch that dial!

I would only use it when paired with the middle or neck.

I missed that. I certainly don't want that tone as an option.

We can’t upload images. We ran out of space in the first month.

That's gonna be a great guitar! Beauty!

Three conductor wiring doesn't change much, you just have no green wire. I think.

Ya know, I played with the parallel and split-coil stuff and it just never worked for me. Too bright, too thin. If you love a true single coil in the bridge, YMMV.

My feeling with HSS guitars is that if you mostly play clean tones and need comparable volumes, stay full humbucker and lower it to match out with the singles. Or buy a compressor. If you play OD/distortion mostly, the volume differences will translate to gain reduction and that can be really useful. Then you can let the humbucker truly growl and roar and let the singles bring their cleaner brighter vibe.