wiring help required

axisus

As a follow on from my strat thread .....

I'm getting a tapped SC pickup to replace the current bridge pickup in my strat as I like the idea of some extra power. I'd like to wire it up so that position 2 (of the 5-way) is the tapped wiring but position 1 is always bridge SC full balls. 

1) is that possible with a regular 5 way switch?
2) if so, anyone got a wiring diagram? (can't seem to find one online)

Funkfingers

axisus said:

1) is that possible with a regular 5 way switch?

Only if you connect the tone pots to the same selector switch pole as the pickups.

One of your pickups - probably the centre - will no longer be connected to a tone control. The alternatives are to change to a master tone control or the G&L PTB system.

ICBM

You can do it if you use separate tone caps for the two pickups so the second side of the switch is not needed for the tone controls. (This also has the advantage of being able to use different cap values, if you want.)

You then connect the full output of the pickup to the bridge position contact, the tap to the middle position contact, and nothing to the rotor or the neck position contact.

axisus

ICBM said:

You can do it if you use separate tone caps for the two pickups so the second side of the switch is not needed for the tone controls. (This also has the advantage of being able to use different cap values, if you want.)

You then connect the full output of the pickup to the bridge position contact, the tap to the middle position contact, and nothing to the rotor or the neck position contact.

This sounds really interesting but, my simple brain does not comprehend. Tone caps for the pickups? I'm not sure which contact is which either - wiring really isn't my thing without a nice diagram! Having thought about this I think I may just go for the easy option of push-push pot to engage. I know what I'm doing with them!

ICBM

axisus said:

ICBM said:

You can do it if you use separate tone caps for the two pickups so the second side of the switch is not needed for the tone controls. (This also has the advantage of being able to use different cap values, if you want.)

You then connect the full output of the pickup to the bridge position contact, the tap to the middle position contact, and nothing to the rotor or the neck position contact.

This sounds really interesting but, my simple brain does not comprehend. Tone caps for the pickups? I'm not sure which contact is which either - wiring really isn't my thing without a nice diagram! Having thought about this I think I may just go for the easy option of push-push pot to engage. I know what I'm doing with them!

Wiring it the way I suggested is far easier . All you need is one extra cap.

First, remove the link wire between the two tone controls (cut it at the neck pickup tone control end and unsolder the other end). Then fit the new cap to the middle tone control, between the casing and where the link went. (I would use a .022uF, even if the cap on the neck tone control is .047uF.)

Now you have a separate tone cap for each control. At the switch, move the wire that goes to the neck tone control to the same terminal as the neck pickup. Move the wire that goes to the middle tone control to either the terminal for the middle pickup or the one for the bridge pickup, depending on which you want the control to work on. Now you have a separate tone control for each pickup.

Finally, remove the link wire between the two sides of the switch and connect the wire to the volume control directly to the pickup side of the switch. Now the (former) tone control side of the switch is free to be used for the auto coil split.

Does that make sense?

axisus

@ICBM many thanks for that. I neglected to mention before but my strat is wired differently, so would that make a difference to the alterations? I have first tone pot as a master tone on all pickups and second tone as a blend to add the bridge pickup to position 4 or 5, or add the neck pickup to position 1 or 2.

ICBM

axisus said:

@ICBM many thanks for that. I neglected to mention before but my strat is wired differently, so would that make a difference to the alterations? I have first tone pot as a master tone on all pickups and second tone as a blend to add the bridge pickup to position 4 or 5, or add the neck pickup to position 1 or 2.

That makes things much easier. Only one side of the switch should be in use anyway, so you can skip everything I wrote about the tone controls .

axisus

ICBM said:

axisus said:

@ICBM many thanks for that. I neglected to mention before but my strat is wired differently, so would that make a difference to the alterations? I have first tone pot as a master tone on all pickups and second tone as a blend to add the bridge pickup to position 4 or 5, or add the neck pickup to position 1 or 2.

That makes things much easier. Only one side of the switch should be in use anyway, so you can skip everything I wrote about the tone controls .

Many thanks!