Is this wiring scheme possible?

[gdw3]

I have a 2 humbucker guitar, with 2 volumes and 1 tone. I would like to make the front volume a master, and replace the 2nd volume with a blender control to blend the 2 pickups, BUT ONLY when the 3-way toggle switch is in the middle. Is this possible? At first I thought it would be, but the more I think about it, the more I'm concerned that the blender would effect the volume of the pickups no matter where the position of the switch is. What do y'all think?



Blender?

[JohnH]

hi gdw3 and welcome to GN2.

Most probably the switch on your guitar is a simple toggle, with three lugs, as would be used on other HH guitars such as LP's etc? If so, then I think you are right. It's not feasible to add the blender in a simple way without affecting the outer positions.

It could likely be done if you could add another switch to engage or disengage the blender, switching between blended and toggle switching.

Also, if you can change to a different type of 3-way such as a Telecaster switch. But it's a very different mounting arrangement on the guitar though.

The blending pot may be different too.

Do those options sound like more than you'd want to change?

[gdw3]

That's what I figured.  I realized it after I opened up the guitar and started looking at the wiring.  The whole idea was to simplify things, so adding another switch would be the opposite of that!  Thanks.

[Yogi B]

Apr 17, 2024 16:04:47 GMT -5 JohnH said:

Also, if you can change to a different type of 3-way such as a Telecaster switch.

It needn't be a DP3T, a DPDT ON/ON/ON (such as this) can work too:

gdw3, note the switch linked above has 6 terminals (7 including chassis ground), one more than is strictly necessary for Gibson's traditional 3-pickup wiring. Therefore, it's not certain that all toggle switches billed as being for 3-pickup guitars are suitable — something to be aware of.

[stevewf]

Does the guitar have a cavity large (wide) enough for this switch? It's pretty big.

It's a toggle switch meant for a two-neck Gibson-style guitar; it's a three position DPDT. Edit: Ooops, I got it confused with another switch I got a long time ago. This is not a DPDT.

---

Now I remember. It's this Switchcraft Lever Switch. It's a whopping 4PDT. I's also physically whopping, which is why I haven't used it, not to mention the unconventional knob.
There's up to 8PDT version available if your guitar is to be built for taking over the world.
Yogi's find looks like the way to go.

[stevewf]

Apr 17, 2024 18:41:27 GMT -5 Yogi B said:

It needn't be a DP3T, a DPDT ON/ON/ON (such as this) can work too:

And thanks for finding that, Yogi B. I've been harboring a couple half-cooked schemes for that switch, and have now ordered two!

[gdw3]

Ah, that's very clever.  I'll have to measure the cavity, but it's fairly deep.  Thank you Yogi B!

[gdw3]

Yogi B Can I ask you kind of a noob question?  I'm looking at the switch you linked to.  Is the ground connection the small squat terminal in the middle?

[JohnH]

That on-on-on is a usefully thing! A Gibson-style toggle is good to use, and other than that, most on-on-on's are the mini toggles which are great for tone tweaking but too fiddly for changes while playing.

[Yogi B]

Apr 18, 2024 8:11:33 GMT -5 gdw3 said:

Yogi B Can I ask you kind of a noob question?  I'm looking at the switch you linked to.  Is the ground connection the small squat terminal in the middle?

Yep.