HSS Strat with Tele combo (split bridge and neck) - help!

[famousbirds]

Hi all - Longtime lurker, first time poster.

I play a super-strat type guitar with a humbucker in the bridge. Currently it's set up with fat-strat type wiring:

1: Bridge hum
2: Bridge split + middle
3: Middle
4: Middle + neck
5: Neck

I'd like to trade that 2nd position for Bridge split + Neck - a Telecaster middle-position type sound. So it would work like this:

1: Bridge hum
2: Bridge split + neck
3: Middle
4: Middle + neck
5: Neck

How would I implement this? Would I need to use a super-switch? Don't really care about the order of the positions, if that helps, but I don't want to add any toggles/push-pulls. Thoughts?

EDIT - I'd also like to keep noise-cancelling in 2 and 4 if possible.

[newey]

Would I need to use a super-switch?

Yes.

I'd also like to keep noise-cancelling in 2 and 4 if possible.

Can do, it's simply a matter of choosing which coil is split from the bridge. If the pickups are de-mounted, see which bridge coil attracts the neck when the coils are placed face-to-face. If they're mounted, they can be tested with a magnet or with a compass needle. Remember, opposites attract- and you want opposites.

The way to implement this with a Superswitch is as follows: Two poles of the Superswitch are wired so as to give the regular Strat combinations except for position 2. The third pole of the Superswitch has the bridge HB "series junction" (i.e., the two middle wires usually wired together)wired to position 2, with the common lug of that pole wired to ground. This shorts out one bridge coil when in position 2, giving you the coil split at that position. The fourth pole is then used to add the neck at position 2.

There may be more elegant ways to wire this, you might be able to do it with only 3 poles. But hey, you've got 4 on a Superswitch anyway, might as well use them.

[famousbirds]

Oct 14, 2013 21:34:15 GMT -5 newey said:

The way to implement this with a Superswitch is as follows: Two poles of the Superswitch are wired so as to give the regular Strat combinations except for position 2. The third pole of the Superswitch has the bridge HB "series junction" (i.e., the two middle wires usually wired together)wired to position 2, with the common lug of that pole wired to ground. This shorts out one bridge coil when in position 2, giving you the coil split at that position. The fourth pole is then used to add the neck at position 2.

Ok, so something like this?

[JohnH]

Yes. But I see you are not worried about the order of combinations. And if that is the case, then you can try this using the current standard switch, just by swapping the hot wires of the N and M pickups. this will give you

B humbucker
B split + N
N
N+M
M

If that all you do, then the Bsplit + N is non humbucking. But you can reconfigure to make it split to the other B coil, either by moving the four bridge wires, or changing how the 5 way is wired to give the splits (eg, have it shunt the B series connection to hot instead of ground.

Its maybe a bit quirky to have N and M in a different order, but it could at least be a way to try it before getting the superswutch.

However, you stated that you do not want to add a push/pull or toggle. and then asked for thoughts.
So I must be honest and admit that having read that, my first thought is to offer the idea of adding exactly that! (sorry). Because then you can do this, which is my favourite wiring ever, and its for an HSS Strat:
SSM2 Strat with 15 sounds

Its a simple wiring job and uses mostly standard parts on a strat. It has the N+Bsplit that you seek.

[newey]

FB-

Your diagram is fine, and simpler than my suggestion. And I hadn't thought of swapping around on the standard 5-way, as JohnH notes. So you can use a regular Strat switch if the order doesn't matter.

[famousbirds]

Alright, thanks all! I had seen the neck/middle swap with the standard switch, maybe I'll give that a shot first.