I never use the tone control on this guitar, but it's already there and I'm just changing up the wiring. The guitar in question has an HSH configuration, but I never use the middle pickup. I really never use the middle pickup on any guitar that has one, and I keep it down low so I can clear it with my picking. Instead of the stock 5-way switch that devotes three positions to middle-pickup options I never use, I'd like to be able to get the neck + bridge together as an option instead. Hence the 3-way switch, which will give me the two options I use a lot (bridge, neck) plus a new one that I use a lot on my HH guitars (neck + bridge). For me, the 3-way will actually be more versatile than the 5-way.
While I'm in there, I'm going to swap out the push-pull volume pot that enables a high-pass filter when pulled. I leave that engaged all the time, so I'd rather not have to have the knob pulled. I suppose I could reverse the settings so that it's engaged when pushed, but I also don't like the volume sensitivity. It's one of those pots that does virtually nothing above or below about a 3, works more like an on/off switch for all practical purposes. I'll use a DiMarzio volume pot that has a more useful taper plus a full-time high-pass filter.
Provided I can get the wiring + soldering correct, these should be pretty minor tweaks that I can reverse if I change my mind. I'll leave the middle (S) pickup and tone control in place purely for cosmetic reasons. The guitar will still look "right", as originally produced. I've been wanting to do this since I got the guitar last July, but didn't want to make even minor mods to something fairly valuable (it's an Ibanez PIA) until I knew for sure I was keeping it.
