Wiring Help Please!

[JaySwear]

i'm building a beater guitar while i wait for my warmoth to get here, and i've had a p-rails pickup sitting around forever. the guitar i'm building is an old charvette (under charvel, like squire under fender) and i'm a minimalist. i was thinking maybe a switch (for changing humbucker / p90 / single coil) and a volume knob. so it will only have 2 controls and one humbucker.

so my question; can i switch and coil split (and whatever it's supposed to be called that i can't think of) using a regular old 3 way switch?

or do i need the cooler looking mini toggle (my preferred)

OR should i use a Tele-style 3 way mega-switch

i'm completely new to wiring, but i'm looking to try this out before i tackle trying to wire my warmoth project by myself. right now this project has a slot for a lever-switch, and 2 holes large enough for tone/volume knobs. i've already filled in the single coil spot at the neck, and i'll be filling in either one more knob spot OR the lever switch position,depending on how i end up splitting up the pickup. i know this forum has tons of capable electricians, so i'm looking for your input! thanks in advance!

 

[line6man]

Series/Parallel switching would require a DPDT switch. That eliminates the Gibson toggle. I have seen double pole 5 way switches, but i am not sure that they make a 3 way version.

Your best bet is a DPDT mini toggle switch.

 

[line6man]

Wait, what is the "Megaswitch"?
If it's double pole, then your in business.

 

[JaySwear]

i'm not sure if it's double pole... i was asking a guitar tech how i could install the p-rails into an RG i had a while back. he told me the only way i'd be able to split it with a switch would be to get a megaswitch, but i can't find anything on stewmac about it being double pole. i think the mini toggle might be the way to go. oh, and would i need an on/on/on switch? or a on/off/on? sorry  :icon_biggrin:  like i said i really don't have any idea about wiring

EDIT: forgot the link. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/4/Megaswitches.html#details

 

[tfarny]

You can get five positions of nearly anything with the super switch: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Super_Switch.html
You could modify the diagram below just a bit and make your single p-rails go: p90, regular bucker, parallel bucker, out of phase bucker, rail. Those are five out of the six total possible combos, lacking only parallel out of phase. Lots of tones from one pup. Just erase everything to do with the tone pot, and think of the p90 as the neck pup and the rail as bridge pup (or the opposite, whatever).

Using a little dpdt like you pictured, getting p-rail, blade, and bucker would be tricky - and off the top of my head I can't picture it. Forget the gibson toggle. Hope that gives ideas.

 

[JaySwear]

thanks! it looks great, and i never thought there could be so many options for 1 pickup. i'm going to give that diagram a try i think. why not, right? and if i butcher it, it's ok. thats why i'm using a plywood guitar.

 

[Funky Phil]

How about the 4-way Tele switch...?
Just think of the two coils in the P-rails as two seperate pickups...

You will have both coils in parallel, both in series, P90 on its own, rail on its own. :headbang1:

 

[Thomas3D]

You can do this with a dpdt and just use half the switch, it just has to be on-off-on


check out the diagram i ripped from the seymour-duncan site, and edits it to show only one pickup