HSS custom wiring - need help

[6stringer]

I'm in the process of building an HSS Strat, and I was wondering if the following is possible, and if so, could anyone point me to (or help with) a schematic for it?
It would have 1 volume, 1 tone, and 3 mini-switches - one for each pickup. The 3 switches could then be used to blend any combination of the pickups, and even reverse-phase (I believe that's the correct term). I think I've seen this type of arrangement on a guitar before, but am at a loss where I saw it. THANKS to anyone who can help!!!

 

[stubhead]

There's at least a half-dozen credible sites, Duncan is the de-facto winner usually:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/

DiMarzio's picked up the gauntlet with verve:
http://www.dimarzio.com/support/wiring-diagrams


Ummm... see that "stickie" right above your haid?!? Sort-of our global wiring everything:

http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=281.0

If it's not there - somewhere - it can't be done. There's actually TOO much information, you end up feverishly comparing five different versions of the same diagram, trying to pick the "best" one. And THEY'RE ALL THE SAME... :laughing3:

 

[Cagey]

It can be done. You need 3 double pole 3-position switches that go on-off-on, such as p/n 7347K79 from McMaster-Carr. Then, each pickup/switch combo is wired like this...

I know the bridge is a 'bucker, but just use the one hot lead and tie together the serial link at the pickup, and you can pretend it's a single coil for wiring purposes.

The "hot" out from all three switches get tied together and run to the volume pot, and the grounds all get tied together to a convenient ground.

I'd think real hard about wiring this way, though. It's gonna be unwieldy. I've done it before, and ended up having to buy another pickguard cut for a 5-way blade switch and rewire the thing. And mine was even simpler - I just had on/off switches, no phase reversal. Figured I'd get 7 different combinations (8 if you include all off), which had to be better than the 5 you get with the blade switch, right?

But, you often end up having to switch as many as three different switches to get one tone change, which is a pain in the ass and takes too much time if you're actually playing the guitar. In the setup you're asking for, you not only may have to switch three switches at once, you're going to have to be careful to hit the right position on each switch.

 

[stubhead]

Brian May had on-off and phase switches for each pickup (six two-polers) but it's the same thing, right? It does have it's fans.....

 

[Cagey]

Brian May had on-off and phase switches for each pickup (six two-polers) but it's the same thing, right? It does have it's fans.....

Yes, he did. And Mark Knopfler has one red Strat with 3 on/off switches (no phasing) rather than a blade switch (that's the one that inspired me to do it). I don't think I've seen it done that way anywhere else, but I'm sure it has. Doesn't make it a good idea. It's a way to go, though. I just found it to have more cons than pros.

 

[line6man]

I don't have a schematic, but I've drawn a diagram for this once.

 

[6stringer]

Hey thanks for the responses! I finally remembered where I had seen this type of setup...on one of my very own guitars!!! Back in 1988 I purchased a Kramer Focus 6000. It was an HSS config with 3 on/off switches - one for each pickup. I really loved that guitar. Lost it to a fire in 1992, and replaced it with a Les Paul. Then I pretty much forgot all about it.

I just realized that this Warmoth build (my first) is essentially aimed at replacing that lost guitar.

Attached are pics of the body and neck.

Body Wood: Canary on Mahogany
Pickup Rout: Strat® (Neck), Strat® (Middle), Humbucker (Brdg)
Bridge: Recessed Original Floyd Tremolo
Jack Rout: 1/2" (13mm) Side Jack Hole
Countours: Contoured Heel / Tummy Cut / Forearm Contour

Wish me luck! And thanks for the responses! I'm still a month out from getting the neck, but it's fun to STRATegize on the other details in the meantime!

 

[6stringer]

Here's an additional question (hopefully not a dumb one):

Is there a preference for wiring the pickups in series or parallel?

I've seen some of both on this forum, and I guess I don't quite understand what the overall effect of one compared to the other would be. Is there a situation where one is preferable over the other?

 

[bagman67]

That canary-topped body is a sweetheart.  Nice choice.


Series wiring behaves like a humbucker, i.e., more lows and less highs, and higher overall output.  Positions 2 and 4 on a standard strat are usually parallel (and also humbucking, assuming an RWRP middle pup as compared with the bridge and neck pups).  If you have high output pups wiring in series may be too much of a good thing.

 

[6stringer]

Ahhh....that makes sense now. Great explanation Bagman!

I've been drooling over those canary-topped bodies for years now. I just HAD to pull the trigger eventually. Can't wait to actually hold it.

Thanks again!

 

[line6man]

Here's an additional question (hopefully not a dumb one):

Is there a preference for wiring the pickups in series or parallel?

I've seen some of both on this forum, and I guess I don't quite understand what the overall effect of one compared to the other would be. Is there a situation where one is preferable over the other?

Undoubtedly parallel. Wiring three pickups in series just tends to give you a ridiculously hot and midrangey tone that isn't good for much. Additionally, if the pickups are hardwired in series, pickup selection tends to cause large volume jumps.

Or did you mean individual coil wiring of humbuckers? 90% of humbuckers are wired series, unless there is a series/parallel switch. In general, parallel wiring is weaker, more trebley, and more single coil-ish.

 

[6stringer]

Makes sense. Thanks line6man!

 

[stubhead]

I personally find the series->parallel sound far more useful. It sounds very close to a single coil cutout, but with a bit more volume* and of course still bucks the hum. If you've ever just had to play in places where the owner did all the wiring - including the hopelessly un-grounded goddam NEON BEER SIGNS.  :icon_scratch:

One place in particular... he had a "banquet room" upstairs mostly so really drunk softball players could either celebrate or drown their sorrows without playing grabass with all the waitresses and vomiting on people other than themselves. And no, you won't throw them out, multiply 15 players times 15 full-price draft "beers"... and I ONE TIME made the mistake of LOOKING inside the hole by the junction box, and.... you know those thin little 6 ft. extension cords with a plug on one end and three outlets on the other, like $2.95 a pop at Walmart etc. And in the hole, stretching upwards into infinite darkness, was a whole SPIDERWEB of those things all plugged into each other somehow, like, at least twelve visible ones, who knows, with the ends all duck-taped together, for safety's sake I guess. Humbuckers yes'm. Marshmallows, weenies and a stick for the inevitable upcoming roast....




*(I understand not why, but it just WORKS)

 

[Cagey]

It's not that the neon signs were ungrounded - grounding them wouldn't make a difference. It's that they have some big ol' fluffy under-saturated peaking transformers running them that put out huge spikey magnetic fields. Guess what electric guitars pay attention to?

It's the same deal with florescent lights. It's not the lamps - it's the ballasts. You can ground them to de debbil and it's not far enough. Mean ol' Mr. Magnetism sets up a field, and if you have sensors looking to translate variations in magnetic fields to an amplifier, you're gonna hear power line hum + harmonics.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

It's great for a "recording" guitar, but for a live guitar, you can get fumbled up in the moment very easily, hence why so many go for much simpler wire schemes for their live instruments.

 

[6stringer]

All good points. I'm still not completely decided yet. Lots to think about!