Hi everyone,
I'm thinking about getting one of the Oak Grigsby 6-way Strat-style lever switches, as it looks a bit handier than wiring up a push-push switch to get the neck + bridge pickup setting- and also might be a bit handier to use as well! However, the way it usually seems to be wired, the neck + bridge setting is where the neck pickup alone setting usually is, at one extreme of the switch's travel. I tried googling this but couldn't find anything- is it possible to wire it so that the neck pickup position is in its usual position at the end of the switch's travel (i.e. position 1 or position 6 depending on how you look at it- the opposite end of the switch from the bridge pickup alone) and the neck + bridge setting is at position 5 (or 2)? That would seem to me to be a more useful layout, as being quickly able to go between bridge and neck pickups alone is usually the most common pickup change I do with the selector switch.
(Don't worry, I know the pickguard slot for the switch has to be lengthened slightly- I'm probably just going to get a new custom pickguard so I can hopefully get that done at the same time.)
Thanks for your help,
Dave
Comments
Configuring the switch to select the neck pickup alone in position 6 involves shifting the pickup conductors along by one terminal. Consequently, bridge pickup alone will no longer be position 1.
1 - bridge
2 - bridge & middle
3 - middle
4 - middle
5 - middle & neck
6 - neck.
If you never use the middle pickup by itself, there are five-way switches on which position 3 selects the bridge and neck pickups, in parallel, in phase.
It used standard wiring with the addition of a small bracket and a mini toggle switch, to select the neck pickup, for bridge and neck or all three. It work vey well and cheap as chips ( bracket was 4.99, toggle switch was 4.00
Video below explain the procedure
https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/dave-gilmour-mounting-bracket-for-mini-toggle-switch/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwhsmaBhCvARIsAIbEbH6eQbMHnuHNKjQqX4QLreUgZQuhoLvRQnZCfZDRTgyNqed7xoTazswaAt0fEALw_wcB
https://www.northwestguitars.co.uk/dpdt-on-on-mini-toggle-guitar-switch-for-coil-tapping-phase-switching/
https://sixstringsupplies.co.uk/pages/gilmour-strat-wiring-mod?_pos=1&_sid=d6b858166&_ss=r
Easy to use and pretty unobtrusive
Having the bridge pickup not at the end of the travel is probably even worse than not having the neck, lol. And as you said, using that other wiring scheme would be a bit of a waste- getting a 6-way to only get 5 settings (and losing bridge + neck, which is the main reason to get a 6-way in the first place) probably doesn't make a whole heap of sense.
I've had those Schaller switches in a couple of guitars- they're great as you said if you never use the middle pickup. Unfortunately I do (especially in an HSH) so I took them out!
I guess it's either get the 6-way and put up with where the neck pickup setting is, or use a push-push or DPDT mini switch (as @paulnb57 suggested), or just use the Freeway HSH switch I already have and have to choose between neck + bridge or neck + bridge split...
Thanks again
That's a good idea, thanks! I'm not sure you even need a bracket*- I've fitted a similar (on-on-on) switch to my Patrick Eggle New York as a pickup selector, and it just fitted in (I think!) a regular hole. Although it did initially have a 2-way pickup selector which was similar, so maybe it's just that I was swapping like with like... although it did attach with the standard type of nuts and washers you use with pots.
I don't like push-pulls for that reason- even on different knobs they're a pain, but you're right, with Strat ones they're almost unusable. I prefer push-pushes.
* Just to be clear- I think you do need a bracket for the way yours is fitted. But I think you can get DPDTs which don't need a bracket and which can easily be pickguard-fitted if the hole is the correct size. EDIT: Ah I see now- the bracket is to keep it low out of the way. That makes sense.