Wiring diagram for a 3-position mini switch (on/on/on)?

[MiLo26]

Hello everyone, I need the wiring diagram for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard equipped with 81/85 EMG pickups connected without soldering, which will be routed through a DiMarzio EP1108 DPDT 3-position mini-switch (on/on/on). My goal is to have a kill / normal / boost position (the boost position simply bypasses the potentiometers).

Does anyone happen to have this lying around, please?

 

[Floyd_Argus]

Hello everyone, I need the wiring diagram for an Epiphone Les Paul Standard equipped with 81/85 EMG pickups connected without soldering, which will be routed through a DiMarzio EP1108 DPDT 3-position mini-switch (on/on/on). My goal is to have a kill / normal / boost position (the boost position simply bypasses the potentiometers).

Does anyone happen to have this lying around, please?

Does your guitar have separate Volume and Tone controls for the two pickups, or just a Master Volume and Master Tone?

 

[MiLo26]

Hi, thks for your answer.
i have 2 volume + 2 tones like this wiring diagram:

 

[Floyd_Argus]

Your guitar having individual Volume and Tone pots makes this unlikely to be feasible. Granted, this is my gut feel without me sitting down to formally try and figure out the wiring circuit for this, but the reason I say this is I think there's too many wire connections involved when you have individual Volume and Tone pots vs just Master Volume and Master Tone, to do BOTH Kill Switch functionality AND Post Bypass functionality (a.k.a. "Blower Switch") in a SINGLE switch of this type, i.e. 3 way DPDT, which only has six lugs.

Let me break that down to show you what I mean:

A) Kill Switch functionality: 3 wires involved: Wire 1: hot wire from 3 way Toggle Switch that gets re-routed from going to the "Tip" of the Output Jack, to the Kill Switch. Wire 2: when Kill Switch is not active, wire connecting Hot Signal to Output Jack "tip" lug. Wire 3: when Kill Switch is active, wire connecting Hot Signal to Ground.

B) Bypass Pots functionality (a.k.a. "Blower Switch"): 4 OTHER wires minimally involved: Wire 4: Neck pickup hot signal that normally goes to the Neck Volume pot, now gets routed to this Switch, Wire 5: Wire from this Switch to the Neck Volume pot when this switch's Blower mode is Not Active, Wire 6: Bridge pickup hot signal that normally goes to the Bridge Volume pot, now gets routed to this Switch, Wire 7: Wire from this Switch to the Bridge Volume pot when this switch's Blower mode is Not Active.

Total of 7 distinct connections needed, but a 3 way DPDT switch only has six lugs. If you must use a 3 way DPDT switch, you can get one of the two functionalities, but not both. Or, be willing to change your current circuit configuration so you only have Master Volume and Master Tone.

 

[Floyd_Argus]

MIGHT be feasible using a FOUR pole two way switch. such switches do exist. Dimarzio makes one. EP1111: https://www.dimarzio.com/hardware/switches/4pdt-pickup-selector-switch-3-position-ononon

 

[MiLo26]

Thank you for your responses.

I could also use just one volume control and one tone control for both pickups; that’s fine with me, especially if it makes it easier to wire my mini on/on/on switch.

What do you think?

 

[stratamania]

The obvious place to put a kill switch would be in the path of the output cable before the output jack. However then you cannot bypass the volume and tone, but given it is an active setup such a bypass won't give you a boost in any case.

You would be better off using an EMG Kill switch they have a toggle or button variety. And for a boost using one of EMGs boost accessories.

You can find them at this link.

EMG Pickups / Accessories for Guitar / Guitar / Electric Guitar Pickups, Bass Guitar Pickups, Acoustic Guitar Pickups

Electric Guitar Pickups, Bass Guitar Pickups, Acoustic Guitar Pickups and Accessories - EMG Active & Passive Pickups - over 25 Years of Active Pickup Technology - The original active pickup.

www.emgpickups.com

 

[Floyd_Argus]

The obvious place to put a kill switch would be in the path of the output cable before the output jack. However then you cannot bypass the volume and tone, but given it is an active setup such a bypass won't give you a boost in any case.

You would be better off using an EMG Kill switch they have a toggle or button variety. And for a boost using one of EMGs boost accessories.

You can find them at this link.

EMG Pickups / Accessories for Guitar / Guitar / Electric Guitar Pickups, Bass Guitar Pickups, Acoustic Guitar Pickups

Electric Guitar Pickups, Bass Guitar Pickups, Acoustic Guitar Pickups and Accessories - EMG Active & Passive Pickups - over 25 Years of Active Pickup Technology - The original active pickup.

www.emgpickups.com

Great point @stratamania that active pickups aren't loaded down by their pots like passive pickups are, so there really shouldn't any discernible difference in volume if the pots are bypassed, to justify bothering to implement blower switch functionality on a guitar with active pickups.

@MiLo26. Unfortunately now that you don't have a 2nd functionality to use with your 3 way switch (i.e. blower/pots bypass isn't worth pursuing as described above), that means you do **NOT** want to use a 3 way switch if you still wire it up as a kill switch only. You want to use a 2 way switch only. The reason you don't want to use a 3 way switch, is that the middle position of the switch will be very noisy, because the output from the pickups is still active in the circuit and making its way to your amp via the output jack. The signal also getting routed to ground at the same time isn't enough to quiet the guitar fully because the connection to the pickups is still active. That's why proper blower switch wiring ensures to do both things (route the output jack's tip to Ground AND disconnect the pickups output from the rest of the circuit)..Due to another type of noise problem noted in the Premier Guitar article below, using a 3 way on-OFF-on switch is also not a workaround either. You'll have to save your Dimarzio 3 way on-on-on switch for something other project.

Following is an article from Premier Guitar that discusses kill switches and why annoying noise would be present if the signal from the pickups is kept active instead of disconnected from the circuit (in addition to sending the outpack's tip to Ground):

The (In)famous Stratocaster Kill Switch

How to install the kill switch made famous by EVH, Buckethead and many others

www.premierguitar.com

 

[stratamania]

Great point @stratamania that active pickups aren't loaded down by their pots like passive pickups are, so there really shouldn't any discernible difference in volume if the pots are bypassed, to justify bothering to implement blower switch functionality on a guitar with active pickups.

@MiLo26. Unfortunately now that you don't have a 2nd functionality to use with your 3 way switch (i.e. blower/pots bypass isn't worth pursuing as described above), that means you do **NOT** want to use a 3 way switch if you still wire it up as a kill switch only. You want to use a 2 way switch only. The reason you don't want to use a 3 way switch, is that the middle position of the switch will be very noisy, because the output from the pickups is still active in the circuit and making its way to your amp via the output jack. The signal also getting routed to ground at the same time isn't enough to quiet the guitar because the connection to the pickups is still active. Due to another type of noise problem noted in the Premier Guitar article below, using a 3 way on-OFF-on switch is also not a workaround either. You'll have to save your Dimarzio 3 way on-on-on switch for something other project.

Following is an article from Premier Guitar that discusses kill switches and why annoying noise would be present if the signal from the pickups is kept active instead of disconnected from the circuit (in addition to sending the outpack's tip to Ground):

The (In)famous Stratocaster Kill Switch

How to install the kill switch made famous by EVH, Buckethead and many others

www.premierguitar.com

All of that leads one to just use EMGs accessories which are plug and play.

 

[Rick]

Furthest I've gone down this rabbithole is on/on. I'd love to see what you come up with.