Strat mod: advice needed.

[rhythmthief]

I don't like the stock Strat tone control arrangement, so I've decided to modify mine using this diagram from Phostenix' guitar wiring diagrams library at sites.google.com/site/phostenixwiringdiagrams/strats. The diagram is shown below:



What I'd like to do is wire in a toggle switch ( I don't like push/pull pots!) which will put the bridge and middle pickups in series, preferably linked directly to the volume pot so that when I throw the series switch, I get the bridge and middle pickups wherever the standard five way is. While I'm capable of following a schematic, I'm not yet at the point where I can design my own diagrams, so all assistance is gratefully recieved! Thanks in advance.

[JohnH]

Its a good thought, and definately feasible. Presumably it would also want to override the blender as well?

For a toggle, not sure if it can be done with a two pole toggle, ar if it needs more. No problem either way though.

John

[newey]

RT-

Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!

I think JohnH is right, you'll need at least a 3-pole toggle switch to do this (so no way to do it with a push/pull even if you liked those). I also presume you'll want to bypass the blender in series mode and go straight to the Volume pot.

So this should do the trick. With the switch "down" (purely arbitrary designation), the 5-way switch operates normally. With the toggle "up", you have bridge in series with the mid, bypassing the 5-way:



Mouser has these switches, but check the size carefully, they're pretty big:

www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/Mountain-Switch/108-1M31T1B1M1QE-EVX/?qs=sGAEpiMZZMvudeGI7i40XO%252bnGhp8Hy%252bJe46O%2fBjy5XE%3d

[sumgai]

newey,


I was all set to say "Good Job!", but then I realized.... the Neck is never disconnected, so it'll still sound out when the 5-way is in Pos 1 or 2. Compounding that, the Blend control also remains in operation in Pos 1 & 2 - that'll make for some interesting pickup combinations, to say the least.

You'll need a 4-pole switch in order to disconnect the Neck during M*B operation. Hook that up, and you're in +1 territory. ;D

HTH




sumgai

[newey]

sg-

Good catch. Of course, if one wants to have N + (B*M), this allows for that.

I think a three pole switch could still do the trick, since the other half of the 5-way isn't being used here.

The mid +, as the output of the series chain, would go straight to the 5-way middle lug, then be jumpered over to the other side of the 5-way, connecting to 1-2-3.


Both commons then connect to the unused pole of the toggle, which selects to output one side or the other.

Since the blender is wired off of the one side of the 5-way, this would also disconnect the blender.

(I'll try to draw up what I mean later today.)

[rhythmthief]

Wow! Thanks guys ... I didn't realise it would be so complex!

[sumgai]

newey,

I had thought of that too, but for two reasons I decided to go with the 4pole switch:

1) Keep the explanation simple! Your diagram makes perfect logical sense, so why muddy the waters?

and

2) 4PDT switches are easier to find, and often as cheap or cheaper than 3PDT units.

Besides, your described method requires the use of that second 5-way pole, for the Middle pup. What if a player already has another use for that pole, and doesn't want to lose his functionality in return for your methodology?

In the end, a 4PDT doohickey can be used for either setup - one can ignore the 4th pole, after all, should one change his/her mind.

HTH

---

rhythmstealer,

Hey, no problem! ;D   If you thought this is complex, just take a gander at some of the Nutz designs found here!

And welcome to the NutzHouse!  




sumgai

[pete12345]

You should be able to get the 5-way truly disconnected with only 3 poles. I think what you'd want is:

pole 1- disconnects the 5-way switch from the volume.

pole 2- disconnects the M+ connection from the 5-way (so removing the parallel connection between pickups in positions 2 and 4) and connects it directly to to the volume

pole 3- disconnects the M- connection from ground and links it to the B+

pole 4 of a 4PDT is then unused, leaving us Nutz free to find something clever to do with it. Maybe turn the master tone control into a 'middle only' tone, which can make for some good sounds in series.

I think the blend pot would still function in series mode, blending in the neck pickup in parallel with the bridge. So you'd have a continuous variation between B*M and (N+B)*M

As an additional feature, with this setup it should be simple enough to add a further SPDT switch, switching between B*M and N*M in series mode.