1 hb (4 wire), 1 v, 1 t, 6-way 2-pole rotary options?

[xardoz]

Hi again,

In a previous thread, I asked about HHH (2 conductor) with a rotary switch. Unfortunately, the body on the guitar (Gretsch CVT-III) is too thin for a 2-pole rotary switch, much less a 4-pole, so I'm sticking with the stock wiring for now.

So now I have a spare 2-pole/6-way rotary switch and thought maybe I can use on what is my first "from scratch" build. I can squeeze it into the control cavity with 1 vol. and 1 tone, no problem, and if need be I can add a 3-way toggle. One thing I don't want to do is add more pickups. It's currently routed for a 4-wire mini hb in the bridge.

Does anyone have any suggestions and/or diagrams?

Thanks!

[newey]

Xardoz-

A few years ago, I was working out a scheme called "Single HB to the max"; In the thread, I was trying to wring all of the useable tones out of a single humbucker, using a 5-way Superswitch plus a separate toggle switch.

While I never got as far as a finalized diagram, something similar could work for you, although the 2-pole rotary is a bit more limited than a 4-pole superswitch, even though you have an extra 6th position. Still, you should be able to do series, parallel and single coil settings, and probably one or more cap bypass settings.

I used the separate toggle switch to disconnect the V and T controls, to give a direct-out "solo" setting, but that could easily be omitted.

[ashcatlt]

What you should probably do is stick the pickup in, extend all four wires out where the jack is, grab a handful of caps, and try various combinations through your rig. Might need some alligator clips... Take notes - even if just mental - and choose 6 that you think you can use.

Be warned, though - anything with more than 2 or 3 throws starts to get real fiddly real fast. I try to lay mine out so that their effect has some correlation to the normal operation of a Volume or Tone pot, but sometimes you have to squint. Also, I seem to be rotationally dyslexic.