Wrong pickups reinstallation?

[virtz]

I have 1992 Anderson Classic that is my main guitar for 25 years! nothing compared to it. I have SA1R, SA1 & H2+ (the SA’s replaced the original SL’s)
For some reasons (curiosity...) my guitar's technician took out the pickups and replaced them with SSH Fender set. I didn't like them and wanted him to put back the Anderson pickups and he did so. I have 5 way switch with master splitter and pull/push button. I know that before the replacement attempt the pull/push button was active only in the neck & neck/middle position. Now, after the reinstalling, all the positions, except the middle position, were activated by the pull mode. I have no problem with the practical aspect of it but I do worry that may be my guitar's technician did something wrong that has a bad impact on the sound….?

[pipedwho]

If it sounds the same as it did before in your normal positions, then you're good to go.

The best thing about having an H2+ is that it splits so well. That means having the 2 and 4 positions both being split is the ultimate goal, as that split position 2 (middle/bridge) does the Mark Knopfler sound.

Also, keep in mind that the SAs sound better split IMO, since stacked coils are louder in the 'split' position and softer in the hum-cancelling position (because you don't have the load of the 'dummy' coil to quieten the signal or the noise). A split SA1 combines well with a split H2+. With everything split in the 2 and 4 positions, you still get humcancelling, along with a nice 'stratty' tone.

The SAs non-split (hum-cancelling) is a softer lower output tone that doesn't hum. Whereas the H2+ in non-split is a beast (splitting the H2+ makes it thinner and quieter as it's only running at 'half power' so to speak).

It sounds like your tech did you a favour. It's worth playing with the positions available.

One other thing worth noting if you feel it sounds different, is if your guitar had the 'vintage voicing' option. The idea there is that an additional load resistor is connected into the circuit in all positions except for the bridge only. That is supposed to reduce the treble a bit and take the edge of the single coils - ie. making them sound more 'vintage'. This is primarily to allow higher value volume/tone pots to allow the bridge humbucker to breath, while taking the bright edge off the single coils - all in the same guitar.

[tom]

if the ad bridge pull pot is active all the time, it is just not quite wired correctly. if you give me the date on your guitar and an email address i can send the correct diagram.

it won't hurt to be active all the time, it just gives you redundant sounds.

[pipedwho]

I think I misunderstood which switch virtz was talking about. I assumed it was the splitter.

But, I thought pull-add-bridge was always active for all positions except the middle (which is how virtz described his current functionality)? Obviously the bridge is active in positions 1 and 2 in pushed-in-mode, but I thought 'pull-add-bridge' lets you have neck+bridge and neck+mid+bridge in the 5 and 4 positions, and left the other three positions the same (which means it doesn't appear to do anything in position 1 and 2 because bridge is already there, and it leaves out the middle position)?

[virtz]

thanks Tom for the answer. we had the diagram (I got it from you when I replaced the switcheroo system to a 5 way system) but probably he did some mistake. actually it doesn't bother me. in this way I have the option to go to the neck+bridge combination with the pull function either from position 1 and either from position 5....
I just want to be sure that it doesn't have any impact or change on the sound on the regular mode (push) and also on the pull mode. I think you already said so but I want to be sure, in case of misunderstanding…


thanks also Pipedwho. even if it was not on the subject, it was interesting to read.

[tom]

it should not affect anything in the pushed in position.

[virtz]

Thanks very much!