Help Wiring a Strat Build

[Shnidel]

Hey guys. I am currently working on a strat build, but I'm a bit stumped with the wiring. My expertise doesn't go far beyond copying diagrams, and I want something kind of unique/specific.

So what I have now is a S-S-H strat with a Pearly Gates HB in the bridge, a tap-able Quarter Pound for Strat in the middle, and a Fender Texas Special in the neck. I also have 3 On/On/On toggle switches instead of a 5 way switch. Then the 3 potentiometers for knobs.

I was hoping to have the guitar set up so that each toggle switch corresponds to a specific pickup. The Pearly Gates would have one switch to itself, and the three positions of the switch would be normal output, a coil split output, and then just having the pickup completely turned off so to speak. Same would go for the Quarter Pound, and then the Texas Special would just have an On setting and an Off setting.

As far as the knobs go I was planning to have one master tone knob, one volume knob only effecting the Pearly Gates in the bridge, and one volume knob for the Quarter Pound in the middle and the Texas Special in the neck.

I've tried to find a diagram I could use online, but I've had quite a bit of difficulty. Any help you guys could give me would be much appreciated. I know I'm asking for quite a lot, but I hoped some of the veteran wiring geniuses could help me out. If you took the time to read all of this, let alone help me out, then you're the greatest, and I love you.  :toothy10:

 

[Cagey]

Before you go running around naked and giggling with your new wiring diagram, you might want to consider a few things...

Three three-position toggle switches wired the way you describe will give you 27 pickup combinations.

The mind boggles.

Assuming that sounds desirable to you, the problem immediately becomes one of logistics. Not only do you have to remember the combination you're looking for, you have to "clear the board", so to speak. That is, unlike a blade switch where moving to another position removes the old position, you have to do it manually with toggles. That is, turn off what you don't need, then turn on what you do. This gets to be a big-time major league pain in the ass in a hurry.

I did it on a Strat with 3 two-position toggles (8 choices), and it's cost me some time and money reversing that. If I wanted to switch from the bridge to the neck pickup, I had to hit two switches - one to turn the bridge off, and one to turn the neck on. If I wanted to switch from the middle to the neck/bridge combo, I had to turn one switch off and two switches on. I cannot imagine how much more difficult that would be if each switch had three positions.

Next, if you have two volume knobs, they are going to be in parallel sometimes, depending on which pickups you have selected. When that happens, you won't know what your volume is going to be when you switch into that combo. Only one thing is sure: it won't be what either knob is set for.

So, now you have the infinite variability of interacting volume controls and 27 pickups. Good luck ever getting the same tone twice out that guitar, and let me know when you're going to start trying because I'll have time to go get a sandwich, have a smoke, maybe a little nap... <grin>

 

[Cagey]

As an addendum to the above, you should be aware that splitting noiseless pickups in an attempt to get the sound of a traditional noisy single coil rarely (if ever) works out. They bring those wires out to forestall the whining of the inconsolable about the loss of flexibility, but using them is always disappointing. Those single coils aren't meant meant to be used alone - they're too weak due to smaller coils, and they end up with imbalanced core/magnet sizes so they sound funny.

 

[line6man]

Everything Cagey said, except for this:

Next, if you have two volume knobs, they are going to be in parallel sometimes, depending on which pickups you have selected. When that happens, you won't know what your volume is going to be when you switch into that combo. Only one thing is sure: it won't be what either knob is set for.

I'm not sure what you're talking about. The disadvantage will be that the volumes must vary their impedance against the pickup coils, as opposed to the output. This means that you will get a variable impedance loading effect as the volumes are adjusted. You can get around with with a standard five-way switch, however, using one pole to select between the neck and middle, into one volume, with the bridge to a different volume, and the second pole to select between the two volume pots.

If you do still want the diagram (And/or schematic. Cagey gets mad when people use wiring diagrams... :blob7: ), give me a day or so, and I'll draw one up.

 

[mwbjr13]

If you really want to try this style of swithing, you might want to try this first.
http://www.guitarfetish.com/White-Mother-of-Pearl-Superstrat-kit_p_856.html
It has all the switches and the diagram to go along with it.