HH to HSH...

What's Hot
DrHankWangfordSnrDrHankWangfordSnr Frets: 26
edited January 2019 in Making & Modding
So.
I've decided to mod an old guitar.
I have an old Ibanez 7420 which was refinished in (super shiney) black by its previous owner, and a black pearl pickguard added to cover up alot of pick scratches........  

The mod I'm part way through is to add a middle pickup to make it HSH.  The existing pups are a Seymour Duncan 59 / JB, so  I'm adding an SSL5 (my christmas present to my self) a push pull pot and a 5way superswitch I have handy to get  some interesting switching options.


The routing went well - after a few practices on scrap wood.    No loss of fingers and only a couple of paint chips 



Granted it would have been neater with a template, but the scratchplate will hide it all.  If I ever revert this to  'no scratch plate - i can neaten the edges with sanding.  I did fill the wee drill marks  and sand then smooth before added a layer of paint and copper tape.     The SD pups have really long pole screws -  and the guitar has really shallow pickup routs- if you're wondering aboot the roughly drilled line of extra holes.


I'm never going to apply copper tape neatly.

... and its in.



Next job - wiring this bad boy... with the Ibanez   True duo wiring scheme.  (after watching a Tom Quayle video)
My handy pickup wire colour chart will help translate the dimarzio wire colours to SD .   If it doesn't work out..... Meh !  It gets a normal 5 way.


 

0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom

Comments

  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    Double check exactly which model of OTAX superswitch is in the original RG7420 circuit. Outwardly, they all look the same but the PCB tracks differ from version to version.

    For instance, if the original five-way HH circuit offered Bridge Only, Inside Coils, B+N, Neck Only (coils in parallel), Neck Only (coils in series), the switch is unsuitable for a HSH circuit.
    Be seeing you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • Yup - 
    The  switch in the 7420 I have is an HH only switch.     Its 'oot'.
     I'm swapping in an old superswitch (VLX-91).      We'll see how it works out. I don't like wiring this switch - its too fiddly - but its an experiment.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    On a guitar with a single tone pot, the good ol' CRL sprung five-way will do the job more reliably than anything with a PCB.
    Be seeing you.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    On a guitar with a single tone pot, the good ol' CRL sprung five-way will do the job more reliably than anything with a PCB.
    And can still be used for 'auto-splitting' in the 2 and 4 positions - the blue settings shown above, although personally I would rewire the neck pickup so it's the *neck* side coil it splits to in the 2 position, as in the pink settings. I think that sounds better and more distinct from the 4 position.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Well, I wouldn't say this got jinxed
    - but the switch broke.  Granted i was pulling on the selector lever to get screws lined up and .....'snick'  something broke inside it.

    I've ordered a CRL 5 way and will live happily with HSH and a coil split.     What was I thinking.   
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.