An idea I had...

[GuitarEC]

Okay, I need someone out there to give me the pros and cons of this kind of arrangement - tell me if it sounds worthwhile, or a waste of time...  (This would be on a VIP body with the PRS control routing)

1 Volume Pot (Push / Pull to tap North (closest to fingerboard) coil on Neck Humbucker)
1 Tone Pot (Push / Pull to tap South (closest to bridge) coil in Bridge Humbucker)
1 6 Way / 4 Pole Rotary Pick-up Selector - configured as follows:
    Position 1 - Neck only
    Position 2 - Neck / Bridge (in Parallel / in Phase)
    Position 3 - Bridge Only
    Position 4 - Neck / Bridge (in Series / in Phase)
    Position 5 - Neck / Bridge (in Parallel / out of Phase)
    Position 6 - Neck / Bridge (in Series / out of Phase)

Now if my math is right, this would give me 20 different pick-up configuration / selection possibilities.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Many thanks,

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[riarojr]

overkill.....i'd be completely lost playing that thing....hell, i'm lost just thinking about it, but if it works for you that would definitely be one crazy tone demon...... arty07:

 

[GuitarEC]

Okay, I got to thinking (dangerous, I know...)

Does anyone here know what the "Standard" Neck / Bridge Pickup combo is in regards to Series or Parallel?  For some reason, I'm wanting to think it's Series, but I'm not too sure now...

Reason I ask is in regards to how I have "Position 3" set on the rotary switch - I'm wanting Positions 1 thru 3 to be the same as you would have with a standard 3-way toggle w/ 2 Humbuckers.

Many thanks,

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[riarojr]

yep....you right on that one...series is the standard.  can a rotary switch really do that?  cuz if you could set it up with the 3 standard wirings first and then the other 3 alternate wirings that wouldn't be confusing at all now that i think about it.....

 

[GuitarEC]

Sure you can...  As far as I can tell, you can mix and match what order the settings are.  I found a real good reference at http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/rotary.html.

Also, looking at some standard wiring diagrams for a Les Paul, it appears the Neck / Bridge pick-up setting with the toggle switch routes their outputs in parallel.

Based on this, my revised switch settings would be...

Position 1 - Bridge Only
Position 2 - Neck / Bridge (Parallel)
Position 3 - Neck Only
Position 4 - Neck / Bridge (Series)
Position 5 - Neck / Bridge (Parallel out of Phase)
Position 6 - Neck / Bridge (Series out of Phase)

Combined with the 2 Push / Pull Pots to tap each humbucker, I think I've got it figured out...

Of course, I sure don't want to the poor sap who has to wire it all together...

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[riarojr]

whoever ends up wiring that thing is gonna hate you for life. haha

 

[bpmorton777]

ive always liked the guitar nuts guy and his wesite. he has a bunch of mods and shielding tips.

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/triffic/index.php

this is one of his mods which works on a two pickup guitar.

Brian

 

[GuitarEC]

Cool, but I'm going with the rotary style pick-up switches versus the blade type...

Here's where I was looking:  http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/1/Rotary_Switches/Pictures.html#details

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[ibob74]

yep....you right on that one...series is the standard.  can a rotary switch really do that?  cuz if you could set it up with the 3 standard wirings first and then the other 3 alternate wirings that wouldn't be confusing at all now that i think about it.....

Parallel is standard.

 

[ibob74]

The attached diagram works as follows;

1. Neck only
2. Neck/Bridge in parallel
3. Bridge only
4. Neck/Bridge in series
5. Neck/Bridge in parallel (out of phase)
6. Neck/Bridge in series (out of phase)
(Note that the first three selections are the options on a standard 3-position switch, so they are grouped here for convenience of use.)

1, Neck +, 2. Neck - , 3. Bridge +. 4. Bridge -.

 

[-CB-]

Actually, what you want is this (in order from phat to thin)

Neck+Bridge in series
Neck
Neck+Bridge in parallel
Neck+Bridge in parallel half phased (easy to do)
Neck
Neck+Bridge in series fully phased

That, is the L6s wiring.  Very tasty tones.  A Royal Phismon playing in gigs.

My take on the same was a 3 way rotary with standard toggle.  You lose the last tone (which is very thin indeed), but gain more traditional gig time switching (with toggle).

 

[Alfang]

humbuckers are usually series wired, 2 pickups selected together are parallel

 

[GuitarEC]

ibob,

Yea, that's the way they have it diagrammed, but I just swapped the wiring configuration for position 1 and 3 to get the set-up I listed above.

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[riarojr]

yep....you right on that one...series is the standard.  can a rotary switch really do that?  cuz if you could set it up with the 3 standard wirings first and then the other 3 alternate wirings that wouldn't be confusing at all now that i think about it.....

Parallel is standard.

that's what i get for tryin to talk when i'm sober

 

[Soloshchenko]

Whats wrong with the standard PRS wiring system? Have you tried it? It gives some incredible options and versatility without making you want to keep a log book of your tones!

 

[GuitarEC]

Nothing really wrong with it - just wanting a switching system that is more in line with what I want...