Alternative to volume/tone/tone/5 way switch

[ols1]

On a three single-coil guitar, instead of the traditional volume, tone, tone and 5 way switch, would it be possible to have one combined tone/volume control for each pickup? Do you think it would work well?

 

[willyk]

Sounds perfectly feasible, just use 3 concentric pots. You could take it a stage further and replace the 5 way switch with 3 mini toggles and access every possible pickup combination.

 

[OzziePete]

The only issue I can see is the height of the concentric pot knobs vs. the trad. Strat knobs. They might get under the fingers of some players.

But yeah, seems a decent alternative.

 

[RLW]

You could do it this way...

http://www.kummersvintage.com/images/56gibsones5.jpg

but it sure eats up a lot of real estate.

 

[ols1]

Sounds perfectly feasible, just use 3 concentric pots. You could take it a stage further and replace the 5 way switch with 3 mini toggles and access every possible pickup combination.

If I use 3 mini toggle switches with on/off/on positions, one for each pickup, would it be possible to wire them so that the pickups are in series in one on-position, and in parallel in the other on-position, so I can access every pickup combination in both series and parallel?

 

[-CB-]

My only change would be vol, tone (neck/middle), and tone (bridge).

 

[willyk]

Sounds perfectly feasible, just use 3 concentric pots. You could take it a stage further and replace the 5 way switch with 3 mini toggles and access every possible pickup combination.

If I use 3 mini toggle switches with on/off/on positions, one for each pickup, would it be possible to wire them so that the pickups are in series in one on-position, and in parallel in the other on-position, so I can access every pickup combination in both series and parallel?

I envisaged just off/on switches for three single coils from what you said in your original question.

 

[ols1]

Eeeeh.....sorry, I`m not sure I understood your answer to my last question.  :icon_scratch: Maybe I didn`t ask the question correctly: It doesn`t have anything to do with my first question about the volume/tone switches. Your suggestion on useing three mini toggles instead of the 5-way pickup selector just made me wonder if there was a way to access all possible pickup combinations AND switch between the pickups wired in series and in parallel, and if this could be accomplished by useing three on/off/on mini toggles. Or is there any other way to do this? Or isn`t it possible? (Sorry if I`m asking stupid questions, I`m just an amateur trying to learn  :help

 

[woj74]

Take a look at www.guitarnuts.com. You'll find there many mods to stock wiring, shielding etc.

 

[dbw]

Eeeeh.....sorry, I`m not sure I understood your answer to my last question.  :icon_scratch: Maybe I didn`t ask the question correctly: It doesn`t have anything to do with my first question about the volume/tone switches. Your suggestion on useing three mini toggles instead of the 5-way pickup selector just made me wonder if there was a way to access all possible pickup combinations AND switch between the pickups wired in series and in parallel, and if this could be accomplished by useing three on/off/on mini toggles. Or is there any other way to do this? Or isn`t it possible? (Sorry if I`m asking stupid questions, I`m just an amateur trying to learn  :help

Pretty sure that's not possible... you'd need more switches.

 

[Jwheeler]

Eeeeh.....sorry, I`m not sure I understood your answer to my last question.  :icon_scratch: Maybe I didn`t ask the question correctly: It doesn`t have anything to do with my first question about the volume/tone switches. Your suggestion on useing three mini toggles instead of the 5-way pickup selector just made me wonder if there was a way to access all possible pickup combinations AND switch between the pickups wired in series and in parallel, and if this could be accomplished by useing three on/off/on mini toggles. Or is there any other way to do this? Or isn`t it possible? (Sorry if I`m asking stupid questions, I`m just an amateur trying to learn  :help

I saw a schematic for this very thing.  If you didn't want a pickup on, you just turn it off.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/sw1.php

Here he has it for in phase/off/out of phase, but at the end he says that he didn't find that very useful, so he changed it to what you describe.

 

[ols1]

Thanks   I also found this page; http://www.guitarelectronics.com/category/wiringresources.1wiringdiagrams.zminiswitchusage/  with a "Mini Toggle Switch Usage Chart" that shows that an On/Off/On switch can be used to Series/Off/Parallel switching.

 

[Roundmidnight]

With enough switches you can do most anything. If you want to put two pickups in series I would recommend you combine reverse wound, reverse polarity pickups to minimize noise. This is likely neck + mid, or mid + bridge assuming you have a RWRP pickup set.

On the first couple strats I built I had a mess of toggle switches offering almost every conceivable combination of pickups in parallel, series and out of phase. I found that in live play situations the complexity was impractical. With enough fiddling when recording you could get some good sounds but after several years of ruminating have come around to feel that minor variations on the standard 5 position switch and stock wiring get you most of the tones worth having. I also fooled with blend pots on various guitars but have returned to more simple control schemes after a lot of experimentation.

If you want to explore do not forget to consider 250K pots with push/pull switches and/or the incredibly useful Super Switch (4 pole, 5 way) from StewMac or elsewhere.

Note that the concentric pot arrangements and push/pull pots sometimes run afoul of a whammy bar if you are using one.

Am just finishing a Tele with coil tapped neck and bridge pickups with a 5 way Super Switch offering hot neck, twangy neck, parallel, twangy bridge and hot bridge positions. Works really great although not exactly traditional Tele.

Have fun,

RM

 

[confederatewk]

250 pots are shit!!!!!!


i suggest if u want great tone and flexability

use

push pull 1 meg pots and dont install a volume, just use a 5 way or super switch, and use a 1 meg pot for tone only...leave it wired full on for volume

this eliminates to resistance in the circuit, and just enables to tone to trully be adjustable


im my experience eliminating the volume control is a good thing, just use a volume pedal its got more values and more adjustablity if ur a fan of the volume option, it only add tone when u do this