Is Pickup mod needed?

[neverwas]

I have a GPR1-M kit, which is in the Languedoc style, and intend to use Tonerider AC2 with nickel covers.
For the wiring, have this schematic from 1728.org (their site is not working so cannot link directly, can only show a scan of the page)

The note at the top states:
"This can only be done with a guitar whose pickup covers are not permanently connected to the ground and the minus output and both pickups must have four conductor wiring".

I am going by the DiMarzio colours and I think the black from the neck pickup is the minus mentioned. Have separated the black and white wire link and tested conductivity to baseplate and cover, no connection to black wire, only bare as expected. May have answered my own question but would like someone else to have a glance. Any input would be helpful.
Have started the wiring, from the schematic the switches are rotated 90 degrees anti-clockwise for how they will fit in the guitar.

Thanks
Grant

[WeirdBits]

As long as the bare only conducts to the baseplate/cover you are good to go. The neck bare needs to be separate from the ‘colours’ so that you can switch the neck- between ground and bridge+ for parallel and series mode.

And yes, the neck black becomes your new -. By changing the neck to white+, black- and red/green as your series link you are swapping the order the coils are linked, so that the coil splitting works as intended.

Good luck with the wiring.

[McCreed]

FYI, here is Tonerider's colour code chart:

WIRE COLOURS

[Simon Barden]

I don't know of any 4-conductor pickup where the screen wire is connected to anything but the baseplate/cover. It's the whole point of having 4-conductor wiring! You'd have to have modified the pickup yourself if it was, and I can't think of a reason to do so.

[neverwas]

Thanks Weirdy for the confirmation.

Mick, I have a comparison chart already but am going to bookmark that one as well.

Simon, think you have misinterpreted my question. not looking to separate screen wire from baseplate/cover, only to confirm the black wire from neck pickup is not directly connected to the screen, as the schematic requires. Wasn't sure so asked the question.

Lots of soldering ahead.
Grant

[Simon Barden]

Simon, think you have misinterpreted my question. not looking to separate screen wire from baseplate/cover, only to confirm the black wire from neck pickup is not directly connected to the screen, as the schematic requires. Wasn't sure so asked the question.

In my mind they are one and the same thing, which was why I said what I said. The four coloured wires come from the ends of the two coil windings. The screen is there to obviously provide screening for the signal wires but also to provide a ground for the baseplate and cover (if a cover is fitted).

Whilst you want to connect at least one of the four conductor wires to ground, you would do that at the control cavity end.

And whilst manufacturers tell you what wire they think should be connected to ground and hot, there's a good chance that if you mixed the pickup with one from another manufacturer, you'd have to swap the ground and hot connections over for them to be the same polarity in the 'both on' position. They obviously don't all agree on magnet polarity and what constitutes the coil 'start' and 'finish' wires.

Which definitely means you don't want any signal wires connected to ground/baseplate/cover at the pickup end.