HSS strat, MR + phase + 3xHB variable control

That sounds cool...it is a variation on the MR scheme...but adds this 'twist' which is ideal for HSS guitars...



As to the guitar, I'll do a thing in the gallery some time...

It's a "contemporary strat" in mahogany with a small back cavity...the hardware has all been upgraded and some 'hot rod' touches like everything being held down with black allen bolts and the HB picup ring being upholstered in emu leather...hmm...soft...

It also something of a Jeff Beck tribute guitar...though I doubt he'd play something like this. A JB HB in the bridge and a pair of JB Fender noiseless hot stacks in the middle and neck.

The trem features the original bridge but set floating like JB does, quite high...but is pretty stiff and loaded with a trem setter to keep things stable...roller trees and locking tuners...

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I wired the thing on cardboard so as the guitar could be played and tested...



Low end squiers give 'squiers' a bad name...you can see this has a conductive paint cavity and the original "ducan designed' pickups weren't bad...I got it new at half price...there is a darker stripe of mahogany across the body...LOL...I actually like that...$300 off, even better!



You can see there is little evidence of the amount of options in the sparse layout...volume/mode : HB split/select : Tone/neck phase

The headstock is interesting on this guitar...as it was mentioned elsewhere...the head face has a matching stain to the body...



But I will get around to drawing it up and over time tinker with the values of things like caps to get a better function if I can...

It's certainly a winner as far as ease of use and functionality...bit tricky with the wiring...however with the proper approach (cardboard, schematics, etc) it worked before installation...unlike the last few attempts that have had me put the thing away again for months...

THE SOUNDS

Parallel MODE

N
N+M (p)
N+B (p) (123)
B+M (123)
B (123)

Series Mode

N*M*B (p) (123)
N*M (P)
N*B (p) (123)
B*M (123)
B+M+N (p) (123)

All very intuitive.

The big difference in the "parallel mode" between the standard strat and the MR scheme is the middle only is replaced by the very nice and more useful N+B...like a tele's middle position

I see it as having ten basic unique selections which can be 'spiced' to taste...not sure how one would really 'count' them' though...

With the 'spin-select' control you have 3 flavours (123) of the HB on an HSS strat and this affects any position where the Bridge pickup is involved.

So...if looking at the "counting", this converts the bridge HB into three basic and quite different sounds...so that adds 12...making 22...

With the neck phase, this affects any selection that involves the neck Pup and any other...this adds another 6...so 28 selections perhaps...though many of these 'phase' sounds are kind of specialty effect

The Tone and Volume are master controls.

Parallel MODE

So...like the standard strat except the N+B middle selection...however the HB spin select really alters the "quack" factor as well as the tone and general "power" of the bridge pup.

This control gives you a sharp bridge most coil of the sweeter inner coil and the quack is similarly affected...the full HB still quacks but far more midrange and body.

Series MODE

These are more powerful darker sounds generally...except the all three parallel position...this is a great light rhythm tone with lots of variation with the HB control and phase options.

The B*M and B*N are kind of similar...but varies with the HB control...a big warm HB tone

The N*M a kind of Neck HB sound, not as powerful as it doesn't involve the bridge HB

The N*M*B is a surprise...a big warm Jazz like tone, great for Wes like octaves...the phase control lightens things up without it being "phasey" as you might expect.

The HB control will lighten things up in all but the M*N.

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All pickups are noiseless HB's in this guitar...but in a full split there is a slight SC 'hiss'...very little and avoidable if the splits are not used.

Neck Phase

Other phase sounds...generally that thin 'funky sounds" or for those Page/May layering kinds of sounds. However, not all are that thinned out...the N(p)*B for instance is just a lighter more fender-y sound.

With a generally "hot" guitar...the phase switch is useful for simulating a 'cheap' guitar LOL but also makes a great 'slide' sound...bit drobo-ish

HB Spin-select

This is a fantastic control...could still do with some tweaking...but at least it provides HB or single coil at the extremes of the dial. Down It selects the inner coil for a sweeter single coil sound and fuller "quack"...pull the control makes things lighter...alone this is a very bright thin sound.

One could consider this control to be a "midrange" control with a "bright" switch for the bridge pickup separate from other pickup controls...so great variety in mixing.

The SD JB splits very well and a very convincing single coil sound and volume match for the other Single coils...using the 'spin' function allows you to beef up the single coil sound and avoid any noise from the split...there is plenty of "quack" in all combined positions.

TWEAKING REQUIRED STILL

All pots in this guitar are 500K Audio taper...this might not be ideal.

They are fine with these all HB pickups and power...but the "HB Spin-Select" control is a bit too quick to fade from single to full HB...I suspect there are far more graduations or even a different way of setting things up to reveal more sound variations. Perhaps a lower value pot or something else might help with this...

I also read somewhere about a control that adds a cap between the series connections on the third leg of the pot giving a wider range of sounds from the full HB to the split...seems interesting to try some time...anyone know about this kind of thing?

I didn't have a decent tone cap about, I put in a tiny one that gives an extreme "wha" kind of thing at the very end of the tone control range...I am sure it could be more useful with a better value...anyone have some suggestions for a good value for this guitar?

The tiny cap only in the 'treble bleed' (not in the diagram) helped keep things bright when turned down...might even be good enough as is...but perhaps it could be tweaked with a parallel resistor too.

Because originally I got too "ambitious" and it still has a sustainer driver in it and neck piezo...I doubt these will ever get a look in...it does have a clever battery compartment behind the trem block...so perhaps I might preamp the thing...since there is power!

...

Otherwise...as a basic scheme...it's fantastic...the neck and bridge selection is so useful in comparison to the middle alone and such a good sound.

The Series mode is a bonus getting darker sounds, the "jazz" setting is wonderful for that thing, especially with a guitar like this that is so percussive and 'stratty' otherwise...such a great contrast...like a big old archtop. As it is an all three in series selection, it can be radically altered with the splits and the phase.

All positions are distinct and useful and logically set out...one exception is perhaps the all 3 parallel thing...great sound with lots of variations with this set up...but "light" and lower in volume.

However, it can be good to use the mode switch to go quickly from this say as a rhythm sound to the full HB by simply knocking it back into parallel mode from it!

The whole mod is 'invisible' and clean on the outside other than the push pulls...a better bridge pickup control separate from other settings for mixing...a more versatile B+N sound as standard.

Overall, this guitar is all stratocaster despite it's modern leanings and HSS set up. Very quacky and percussive, sweet sounding compared to a tele and has the bridge HB thing (still sounds like a strat clean) which gives a warm HB sound, a sweet single coil sound, a super bright spiky bridge Pup or any graduation between...controls the midrange or "body" of the pickup as well as allowing for the HB to be matched in volume or as a bit of a boost.

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The pickups btw are the older Noiseless Fender Jeff Beck models from his signature strat...a little hotter than average and dead quiet but still very strat like in sound...A good match with the SD JB which is reasonably powerful but still has a lot of harmonics and not as thick as many high powered Hb pups...the split sound is great, I tried parallel but the splits are much better and with this control more versatile.



I like the way that the 'zebra' HB matches the SC's as if it were three SC's +1 back one...LOL...they look a bit "white" in the pic but are in fact a nice cream and all match...fashion is so important!

I like 'tele' style knobs...these are the originals and "push on" so got to watch the things don't pop off with the push pulls...you could better use the grub screw versions perhaps...with push pulls, they are easier to grab than a standard fender dial.

They don't allow you to 'dial in sounds' which can be a pain in a way...but it is all very intuitive and easy to grab and swell...and I like a bit of chrome!

I really like the strats control layout and the close master volume. I know many complain that they hit the thing, but I don't seem to have that problem. I guess my hand doesn't 'flail' about so much...but also, with these knobs and the slight added neck tilt and high bridge. When I say "high"...the actual strings are sitting 18mm from the face of the guitar...so the actual strings are almost level with the top of the volume knob...so plenty out of the way.

There is a real "trick" to setting up a strats trem in this way...this guitar I installed a tremsetter...it does work (especially for those country and blues oblique bends) but I'm not totally convinced. The whole trem is kind of stiff but then perhaps I have been 'spoiled' by the smooth floating kahler things...but there is something unique and special about the strat's bridge set up

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On the whole squier 'issue'...not all squiers are 'equal' clearly...and the models change often, this one is no longer available. Standard it came with decent "duncan designed" HB pickup and sounded decent and the control cavity is well shielded with paint and cover foil covered. The nut is well cut and seems perhaps to be lubed...at least there is no sticking or need to replace. Machine heads were decent enough...I replaced them with locking shallers...the 2 point bridge is the original squier.

Perhaps it might not be worth doing expensive mods like pickups with a more average 'budget' squier...this really is solid mahogany (albeit in 6 seamless 'strips') but not 'top grade' (splintery when routed)...I can't vouch for the cheaper standard squiers.

However, if you like the feel of a guitar, a trick wiring like this is cheap enough and will add a lot to it...not sure if it would be worth spending this much on high end pickups on a completely budget guitar.

Things can get expensive in a hurry with these kinds of projects...I got the guitar new, but half price at about $300...the pickups were on auction and the SD HB secondhand, far cheaper than new and allowed me to mix and match...but still...not cheap. The locking tuners similar...over $100 right there. The added parts then outstrip the cost of the entire guitar!

However, the pickups, tuners and set up are exactly the same as the highest end fender (as is my tele) and plays as well...this trick wiring is more versatile and invisible than the new S-1 switching scheme with far more sounds available...so say the whole thing cost $600...for a similar quality, you have a guitar that plays like one that costs $1400+ for the most basic fender here in the shops...something like $5K for a real JB signature...so the maths works out well and the result unique.

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I'm sure this will be my #1 guitar even with my new LP with trick wiring and trem or my fabulous sustainer tele...all three have their own vibe and cover most of the bases...but this guitar feels so comfortable to play, versatile in sound and unique in look while being familiar...still, I'm sure I will come up with a few more 'projects' in time. Maybe a pedal board next...hmmm

No SG...didn't know who MR was and before my time...but I think he was right on the money on the N+B option...be interesting to read that discussion...was that on the old forum perhaps?

The diagram worked perfectly and I found it easier to understand than the newer one "MR with phase" to follow...not sure about my drawing...basically the super-switch is correct and you can add modules to taste as I think MR intended in his sketch.

Here's the link to Chris K's "MR with phase" version...



guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=display&thread=3140

Not sure the reason why people would want the middle only as a selection...perhaps for tradition.

Especially on an HSS strat I find the combination of the bridge HB and the neck SC to be a real winner (it is similar to my HB tele and skinny tele neck pup)...combining dissimilar pickups is good and you get a combined sound with a different kind of strat flavour..."not quite quack". Plus with this "HB spin-selector" and neck phase, it has a heap of variations in both series and parallel.

I've generally favoured the N+B setting on all my guitars...get a nice round neck tone plus the bridge pups harmonics.

I've often heard that people don't like the "all 3" sounds but I like it in parallel and that "jazz box" sound in series is great.

Some of the series sounds do sound a bit bass heavy for my taste, maybe there is a tweak for that...I noticed that CK added some caps to his phase switches...that might tone the effect down a little...perhaps something similar could be done with the mode switch to tame the bass in the series settings.

If MR is lurking...a big thank you...this is a very clever scheme, logical, great selections and out does the fender S-1 thing with less switching power...well done!

...

The Spin-Select control I think has a lot more potential...thought I ought to get things going in the most basic form and tweak it.

Some further development...well...I have been interested in this kind of thing perhaps...

I found this here...

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=wiring&action=display&thread=701

which linked to this here...

www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?t=54434

the idea is to separate the series connected wires and add a tiny cap...getting a result with the pot like this...



You still get the full HB or full split...my version also allows for which one is split...but also adds in an interesting cap/resistor divider filter...between the extremes you get this kind of effect...



Cenulab describes it thus..."My favorite spot is at about halfway between full HB and full split; from my PG+ bridge (Strat) I get a very warm, cutting-but-not-harsh tone, maybe p-90-ish"...and...



Couldn't find the actual diagram...but was described thus..."I see the red and white (coil junction) wires are on two separate lugs instead of together on the middle lug, plus a .001 mf cap across the two non-ground lugs. "

so mashing a bunch of ideas together might create something cool and almost 'new'...

I also saw this on testing split pots...

www.seymourduncan.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1683174#post1683174

He seems to think a 100K possibly linear pot might be more effective...mine are 500K but being a push-pull...hmmm...I do have a spare 250K here or perhaps a resistor across it would help...where's john when you need him!

Someone else on that thread said..."I ended up using a 500k pot with a 470k resistor across the outer terminals. Very smooth and I can see the resistance go up or down as I rotate the pot."...so it might be as easy as that to "fix it and get more usable travel from the pot that's in there.

I think there is a version of the spin a split that also ranges through to a traditional tone control...but I suspect that would affect the whole guitar if selected....with this "control" it only affects the bridge so gives some nice mixing options and control over the bridge pups sound and balance...splitting also really clears up the series sounds effectively...

So...all works and happy...but I think there is room for a lot more tweaking...for an HSS strat that is a bit of a compromise...it really can tone down the bridge Hb and get it back into standard SC strat sounds and balance with more choice and better than a bridge tone control on such guitars where you already have a good midrange from the HB and actually want more treble and quack like a real strat.

Once the tweaking is done and components sorted and diagram checked or redrawn...I'll clean up a drawing and set it out perhaps for a nutzoid scheme

Absolutely...very happy with the concept...but there will be inevitable tinkering I'm sure...the ideas here and the general MR thing as a template could generate all kinds of idea...I'd really like to explore that spin-select idea and get more out of it...

Tone cap for 500K pots on an HSS strat...any preferences in value and or type?

Tinkering again with it this morning...I discovered that the treble bleed cap was causing havoc with the volume pot taper, removing it has the preferable reverse effect (good for volume swells) and seemed to improve the SC balance, go figure...

The tone pot...well, there is still an extreme wah between 1 and 2 on the dial...so not a lot of use there.

The "Spin Select" version 2 is as shown above in the diagram but the cap is marked "103" (so tiny it is hard to see). The affect on the HB at 10 when selected is a really nice bright sound...almost as loud than the full Hb when the switch is down, but without the midrange honk of an HB...nice...

The result then so far is that with a 250K pot you get a fair range of sounds with the 'sweeter' inner split and full HB at the extremes of travel when push pull down...the 'edgier' treble-y bridge coil split when up and a different range to a kind of 'parallel' sound perhaps to a different HB sound. The push pull allows you to switch quickly between sounds on the fly...

I'm sure there are a lot of different combinations and sounds you could get from this control...different caps or possibly even inductors perhaps...and I imagine you might want to tweak to taste for different pickups and options...go nutz!

So, been a successful control...

I'm still not entirely happy with a few things with the guitar. Better control, perhaps something more versatile in the tone control and maybe a better volume control.

Can't quite decide to go to just better quality pots and caps...or go active. I've tended to avoid the former but the guitar does have a battery in it from the abandoned piezo and sustainer systems devised originally.

I have been considering some commercial units such as the GFS "SRV exciter" or their neovin pre's that seem to replace the tone control.

However, I'd lose the phase switch thing...not sure if that is such a loss as it is a more of a novelty in many respects though on some settings it is pretty cool...and I could tinker with some of those 'half phase' ideas perhaps.

Anyone have experience with these kinds of active systems?

I'm suspecting that I might find that I'd like it and it might work well in my LP to give it some sparkle.

4real-



No surprise there. With the phase switch "on" and neck pickup alone, the phase swap doesn't matter- it can't be "OOP with itself". But in this case, it is nonetheless connected in series with the cap, and so sounds different than when the cap is out of circuit.

Mind you, I won't begin to pretend to understand the theory here. Suffice it to say that the pickup coil has a certain inductance ("L", measured in "henries"). Capacitance and inductance are related, and adding the cap into the circuit changes the overall inductance of the circuit as a whole (I think).

ChrisK's post on "pickup coil response tuning" (in the Reference section) is now largely useless since his graphs and images have disappeared, but this was the essence of the idea- using a cap to "fine-tune" the response of a given coil.

In the OOP combination with another coil, the cap prevents a certain amount of cancellation of frequencies- some of the waves no longer "line up", so to speak, thus giving the so-called "half out of phase" thing. But simply putting a cap in series with the coil will effect the output of that coil, as you have found.

Hey - what happened to the main diagram? I was just about to start soldering but it is gone?
Please repost!

It's back now! Thanks!

I am digging into my 2006 MIM strat.
I got my super switch and 3 push pulls.

I experimented on a very cheap Austin Bazaar strat copy.
I am ready to step up to this one, I hope.
Wish me luck!

Welcome

This project worked out great for me, I sent you a PM and a diagram of this guitar, but I can see all the images, so I hope that helps.

I and I am sure many others here will be able to provide support in this scheme, hugely based on the MR scheme and in the process of it all.

Slow and steady is best and if at all possible, wire and test it before dropping in to the guitar. With a strat with scratchplate makes this tricky, wire up the scratchplate and test as best you can there are no 'dead settings' and that the controls work in the direction expected...as much as you can. With my strat, there is a rear cavity that made access a bit easier while the guitar was fully playable.

I used 500k pots for the volume and tone and a 250k for the spin-select that seemed to be a decent value. Different pickups will provide different responses, but with the pickups I used, the 500k's seemed best. I turn down the volume a touch to take off the 'zing' generally.

Best of luck...it is a great scheme. The neck/bridge is great with a lot of variety with the spin select which is a really useful control. I confess I don't use the series functions that much for the music I play, but they all sound good and have their uses. There is another thread on this guitar in the gallery section which as I recall has some basic sound demo...

This is a complicated wiring so slow and steady as you do it as it will take some time.

There may be other wirings that have the kind of thing you are listing above.

However the Mike Richardson and mine that is a mod of it's main 'feature' over stock is the neck and bridge in the middle position rather than middle alone. 'M' alone is not a selection.

So, with all pots down it is kind of 'stock' otherwise. Use the spin select on 10 for the HB sound and 0 for a more typical single coil sound, pull it for an even brighter bridge pup...kind of a bridge tone control.

With the volume control pulled, you get darker in series sounds except for the '1' position that gives you an airier all three in parallel. The '5' selector gives you a very dark and thick 'jazz' like sound. The phase switch in the tone control is particularly effective in these series positions to take out a bit of this 'darkness'.

There should be no need for any drilling kinds of mods, but watch that superswitch as it is quite thick and may touch the bottom of the cavity and short out against the shielding. Test it will fit in their, mod a little more depth if required, if shielded, cover with some tape so it wont short out.

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The reality of playing a guitar like this which has about 30 different 'selections' is that one tends to stick to a basic 'sound' for any particular song or style of play, at least for me. You also tend to have your favorite sounds. For me those are the n and n+m which are available on any stock strat, at least for the things I am playing at the moment that needs a full sound. While I was playing with a bass player, I used a tele and would favour the n+b I would think.

A guitar with all these potions hidden in it is useful though to be inspired for ideas and to get a 'new guitar' with some switch flipping. A bit like trying out a new guitar at a store. It would make for a good recording tool for versatility and for keeping your sound fresh while practising. It makes for something that is useful in a lot of different situations. All the selections have their uses though for me the series positions are kind of wasted perhaps, they are good but I just don't play in situations perhaps where those 'gibson=esque' tones are needed generally.

One of the great things about the spin-select thing is that it solves the HB bridge pickup thing on HSS guitars. This guitar with it's old stock pups lost a lot of it's 'stratiness' with pos 2 being zingy like a cheap tele bridge at best and the bridge alone darker and too powerful for the other pups. With the spin select down and near zero you are getting a decent strat sound and balance, not overly bright like many strat 1st positions (for that, pull the knob).

I consider the series modes a bonus really for me, though both 'all three on' has it's uses. The parallel for a nice strumming kind of thing, the series for a kind of Wes like 'jazz box' sound.

No wiring is going to make you a better player of course and this is a complicated scheme.

An intermediary approach could be to simply install the 'spin select' module into the standard setup to 'tame' or get a bit more out of the the bridge pickup as described above, it is an easy mod.

Best of luck regardless, pete

Yes, the blue dotted lines is to indicate that all the pots and grounds are connected, I generally start with that and then solder all these to a brass washer that is screwed into the cavity of the guitar ("star grounding") and so to the shielding. Don't forget to ground the bridge/strings (usually the trem spring claw) to this also.


Yep, starting with the superswitch is a good plan, worth checking it will fit and that you have the wiring around the right way so the switch works as selected. If it does not fit, it may mean shaving off a tiny bit of the cavity below it, be careful as it is not thick there and some guitars like my squier are thinner than a real fender. Make sure you have no protruding terminals or connections that might move when you put the plate back on, nothing more frustrating with these things to have it all sorted then mysteriously not work when you screw the scratch plate down.

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I prefer the SC sound myself, depends on the music you play or sound you want. I have several guitars, but played a real Les Paul (now under the bed unplayed for over a decade) for 25 years.

What this wiring scheme does offer though are some passable gibson-ish sounds in the series mode. Postion 2 for instance is NxB so a wide twin coil sound, position 4 is a triple coil HB effectively, but one could use the spin control to get various physical widths to that sensing. Position three is the NxB for another super wide HB sound.

These tend to be bassier and louder than parallel modes, this is where the phase switch on the neck pickup can help a bit in moderating these things...of course, different pickups, different results.

Brian May of course is a player that makes gret use of such series and phase switching I believe...I like a guitar that has it's own familiar flavour but still have it's own voice.

If you dabble in recording, this scheme offers a lot, but try and make everything in their as quiet as possible. All my guitars are dead quiet because of noiseless pickups all round and generally shielded cable as much as possible.

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There is a lot of history in my old LP, but as they get older (mine is probably about 69 balck custom) their value gets so high you dare not take it out, in fact my insurance wont cover it if it leaves the house...not to mention it weighs like two house bricks.

I started modding things on cheap copies in my teens through to now in various phases and at various times. I like having a few guitars and the process of designing and building things that are unique. However, I really, really can't afford much and if I am going to use it, as long as it is a good guitar to play, there are advantages to a decent cheap guitar that you are not going to be too precious about.

Over the years, I have accumulated quite a few parts (I serius need to get rid of stuff) from these projects and picking up parts here and there. I could likely make several guitars from them alone.

I am working on a new guitar now (usually make one a year) which could cost me almost nothing. The neck is from one of my first project strats, labeled 'legend' you can find them out here in pawn shops all the time (I even have a left hand one LOL) but the necks and fretwork seemed quite impressive.

Be aware that one can get carried away with this wiring thing, mine all tend to have some wiring twist, but a nice playing instrument is the most important thing to create. These days, I try and hide all the mods as much as possible and have the 'go to' sounds as the default settings, everything else is a bonus. Earlier things had switches like a porcupine. Many times a toggle switch is more appropriate than a pull or even a selector. There was an old wiring mod that was done to strats of replacing the 5way with three toggles that was really practical (Knophler used it on his tunnel of love era shecter strat).

There is also something super cool about a single pickup guitar some times, look at someone like EVH or even a Pat Metheny. If you know 'your sound' and how to work with it, there can be plenty of variety, plus if you are into modeling stomp boxes and presets, these can be tailored to make your guitar sound like anything, or close to, with a little programming.

Thank you - do you actually attach the pots cans with wire to the ring or let the connection to the metal shield and attach the shield to the ring. I need to go read that article again.



I hope I don't have to do this, as the MIM 2006 has conductive paint...



Man, I want quack! This is new for me... I used to love the just humbucker sound and did not like that "fender" sound.
I am a convert.
Actually had me thinking about selling the paul...



Still no pots in the mail, perhaps today... I can't wait to hear it.



Yup and it's a forgiving place to experiment.



That was my first experiment with guitar wiring. I did the 3 on off on dpdt switches from the guitar nutz webpage to my harmony strat clone. I put a 14k bridge pu into it, old sd i think, along with the two that came on the guitar (cheap cheap...) I liked the sound. It was a bit frustrating wiring all those little jumpers on those switches. I had to drill holes in the pickguard to get them to fit too.
It is pretty easy to know where you are on that one as well. It still wired that way, but it never had that quack i have grown to love on the mim.

Fun stuff.
Nice to have a place to discuss it.

Well, the spin select will bring back the quack and balance in the HSS strat. Typically the HB at the bridge is a little overpowered for the other pickups, one that sounds good split like my SD JB will have close to the typical strat quack in position 4 and a slightly warmer bridge pup sound, pull it and you get a different thinner quack and bright strat 5 position.

With the original pickups and 5 way wiring on this squier, position 4 was this odd thin sound, the middle and close by bridge HB I think was being slightly phased. Not a bad sound but thin and lacking bass and volume.

Of course without any splitting of the HB position 5 was loud and thick overpowering the other pups.

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I think when people start messing with these kinds of mods they start off putting in everything but the kitchen sink. I remember seeing the covers of my Ted Greene books and seeing his guitars sprouting switches everytwhere...


It's something that I've done a bit of and can get different reactions from, there is some psychology in it depending on the audience...I have been finding this in spaces lately with fingerpicking things I am attempting, people seem to look down on the strat even though it is great for that style, hence making something that looks 'acoustic/jazzy' while having more electronics in it than anything. If people see a lot of switches, they expect you to use them it seems, or that the guitar will do something astonishing, not just 30+ flavours of strat. The same goes for guitars and different genres of music, I used to play surf music on my original LP, but it would have looked more convincing if it were a strat, or better yet a jazzmaster or mosright and damn the tuning problems lol.

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Sometimes you might want to work out your wiring interests and experiments on a test guitar...I replaced my old one with a decent copy that plays without a scratchplate so I can drop in different pickups
and cardboard control plates with double sided tape and such before I hack up a decent instrument with a lot of 'what ifs'...

My old one was the 'phase-o-caster'...



This $50 pawnshop-prize was played and modded to death. Remember that wiring is only a part of the mods one can work with. I used plumbing washers behind the tuners to stagger them, replaced the bridge, virtually hollowed out the whole body, sanding and refinishing, tkaing the gloos off the back of the neck...wiring wise, three phase switches, the original sustainer, you can just see a wire from the neck pocket for piezo, a back cavity around the jack socket for circuitry...so many things in there...a socket and plug so that that scratchplate could be taken out without having to cut the grounds.

It was a lot of fun for quite a few years and taught me a lot...

These days though, I want a little of both, I like a guitar with a distinct character and looks good, has the versatility but does not offer up unreasonable audience (this could be just a fellow guitar player) anticipation. I have been enamoured to the tremolo bar a bit in the last decade and that subtle 'shimmer' has become a part of my 'sound'.

The trem on my tele gives that, but in quizzing people why they like me playing that guitar over the LP or this strat, invariably it comes down to that they like the "colour"!!!

Guitar players can fall for the look of a bigsby (never felt they were practical myself, but they have retro mojo) or a particular shape (I have an unhealthy attraction to the Iceman...hmmm...in korina, but not the newer versions....hmmm, iceman). Audience too to an extent. I'm betting that seeing me play an 'archtop', even if significantly plastic and chock full of preamps, will allow some to accept it as some kind of acoustic guitar...even though most of the sound is coming out of a full on HB from an LP.

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I wouldn't be drilling into even a MIM strat, but that's me...but, there are plenty of replacement pickguards around to go nuts with, if you don't alter the wood, no harm is done. I would explore things that make it play better and feel good to you, string gauges, trem adjustments, all those kinds of things make a huge difference and might even make you play better, who knows...

With some screwing around with guitars, you will start to get a feel for what 'you' really want in an instrument...then you can create it...and then you will soon be thinking...you know, I want...

I wired mine onto a cardboard forma above, I used green wires for ground but it might be ricky to see. I use a file to scratch off a small section on the back side of the pot itself and presolder it nice and shinny, then tin the wire and melt the two together. I avoid wiring to the switch box section as it is thin and the inside block is plastic and could potentially melt or effect it's working...

Also could be easier before fitting parts to wire as necessary the components so there are wires hanging off of everything connected if that makes sense, then you only need to connect the other end as required.

If you do need to take out a bit of wood below the switch, it will hardly be much, perhaps a mill, it won't effect the shileding too bad. If it just touches, and as a precaution anyway, put some PVC tape or similar over that part of the shileding or the switch itself just in case. I will ofeten do this anyway, but with a strat, it is so easy for things to get moved or squashed when the guard is screwed down and troubleshooting can be a pain. Any connected wires should also be taped up so they wont touch something and short out.

It is easy to get pickup wires around the wrong way, typically these days, I take a short multiwire or several wires from the connection points on pots and such and bring them to one place...you can just see a multicoloured 'ribbon wire' of 5 coming out of the thick black shielded pickup wire above, the 4 HB connections and the separate shielding ground. Best to do this at least for the sheilded cable rather than try and solder that braid to a pot, again heat risk and neatness...plus easier!

On my giutar, all the pickups are noiseless or effectively Humbucking...the singles are fender noiseless from a jeff beck strat from 'stratosphere'. The original MR scheme might better indicate which selections are humbucking. On mine, only the split HB makes any noise and it is slight, using the spin-select reduces it by bring in the other coil a little.

The Cap...O.01...I used one on the spin-select to add a different flavour to that control...0.001 which is even smaller...



This is not necessary, adds just a little more to the control, work fine without the cap....hmmm



Ahhh...the half phase thing, this makes the phase thing a little less dramatic and thin, use a jumper wire instead and it will be full phase, in use, swap that wire for a cap next time you change strings.

You might luck out getting something that works in your guitar by mixing pots and the like, but it is hit and miss. With my guitar, I could wire it and play everything before I had to even get it in the guitar.

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BTW...someone here split a pickguard on a strat for easier access, so only the lower half removes to get at the wiring, that's an option instead of a back routed guitar. I have even used the cardboard thing in such guitars, extending the wires from the pickups under the guards edges...that ribbon wire is pretty thin for instance, once you know it works, cut the wires shorter and use the colour codes to put things back together. Being able to work outside the guitar till things need connecting is so much easier than trying to wire inside a small cavity (that is why Leo wired up scratchplates) and being able to know everything is working as expected, or to play around with different caps while being able to play the guitar saves a lot of heartache when schemes like this have so many connections and things that can go wrong.

Well, I would say you've captured the manic depressive cycle that almost everyone here has gone through on their first guitar modification.

+1 to you for sticking it out and finishing with a "new" guitar. And another +1 to 4Real for helping a brother out...which is the kind of thing that puts this forum head an shoulders above the rest.

Pictures are cool...but sound files are really cool. Makes a nice reference for future victims candidates who might want to try this mod...

Be advised, this sort of behavior does become addictive.

Happy Trails -

Cynical One