Strat middle + neck in series

[damnfarang]

Hi, glad I found this forum!
I'm experimenting with a strat wiring with the middle and neck positions swapped so that
Position 1 = bridge
Position 2 = bridge + neck
Position 3 = neck
Position 4 = neck + middle
Position 5 = middle

So far, so easy, but currently I have the middle pickup wired out of phase (I've no desire for the standard in-between sounds. I call it my anti-stratic wiring), but I'm trying to figure out how to wire position 4 so that the middle and neck are out of phase but also in series. I've seen variations that use switches to select series or parallel, so therefore it must be possible to wire the in-series-out-of-phase wiring permanently?

If anyone can figure this out it would be greatly appreciated 🙏. Cheers

[reTrEaD]

Jul 1, 2024 18:35:13 GMT -5 damnfarang said:

I'm trying to figure out how to wire position 4 so that the middle and neck are out of phase but also in series.

I don't see a way of making that happen with a standard Stratocaster 5-way selector. If someone else does, I will give them a huge attaboy. However, with a 4P5T selector (either Superswitch or Megaswitch-M) it would be very easy.

[damnfarang]

Thanks for the reply. I guess a superswitch is on the to do list, although "easy" is a relative term - those things are baffling to me! That's why I was hoping to find a way with the stock switch. At least I know it can be done, cheers!

[JohnH]

Given those tones, and with the swap of N with a reversed M as you showed, you can add a toggle or push-pull switch to get the series tones, while still using the standard 5 way. It's also possible to do this by re-purposing one of the tone pots to do the series to parallel change, instead of adding a switch. Or just use a Super-switch.

Let us know if any of these are worth pursuing with a diagram.

[frets]

Here is a 5-Way Superswitch with Series and Out of Phase.   Hopefully it helps.

[damnfarang]

Jul 2, 2024 7:59:01 GMT -5 JohnH said:

Given those tones, and with the swap of N with a reversed M as you showed, you can add a toggle or push-pull switch to get the series tones, while still using the standard 5 way. It's also possible to do this by re-purposing one of the tone pots to do the series to parallel change, instead of adding a switch. Or just use a Super-switch.

Let us know if any of these are worth pursuing with a diagram.

Grateful for all the advice so far, thanks.
I already have one push/push tone pot for my bridge humbucker as a series/parallel option (much prefer this to a coil tap). So it's add another or try the superswitch, huh? I thought if there was a way to wire this as a switchable option, then there should be a way to wire it so that position is fixed, but I guess not.

The superswitch is tempting as I have no need for the regular neck+middle in parallel, but then using a push-pull would be far cheaper (superswitches are extra expensive in New Zealand + overseas shipping costs). If the series-out-of-phase is in the down position I could just leave it there. So if anyone has a diagram for that I'd be stoked. Sounds like it might be the easier and cheaper option.

[JohnH]

There are a few diagrams around here where standard Strat parts are augmented with a push-pull (or toggle) to get series modes. Here's one that I like. It also uses one pot to blend the series modes:

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/7117/strat-ssm3-series-parallel-switch

Now imagine that you do that, but as with your scheme, you swap N with M, and wire M in reverse.

Switch pushed in you get:

1. B
2. B + N ( ie parallel )
3. N
4. N - M (ie N and M in parallel out of phase)
5. M

Then pull the switch, you get, with the blended pot:

1. B blended to B x N (ie B and N in series)
2. as above
3. as above
4. B - M blended to (B - M) x N
5. M blended to -M x N in series out of phase

So all your tones are there across the two main modes.

Lots of variations to explore, if you like the idea of variations. Or if you just want the 5 tones you listed, maybe more than you wanted.

Also need to note, with any such SSS scheme where M is wired in reverse, humcanceling is lost.

[JohnH]

looks like that was a repeated post from two before?

[damnfarang]

Jul 3, 2024 16:04:05 GMT -5 JohnH said:

looks like that was a repeated post from two before?

Yeah sorry, not sure what happened there. Can't seem to delete it either.

[newey]

Clean up on Aisle 3!

(I fixed it. I have magic buttons. )

[stevewf]

Sorry if I'm a little late... it has to do with the N - M and B - M selections (out of phase, in parallel).

Opinion: with Strat-positioned pickups, Middle in Parallel Out of Phase with Neck (POoP) and Middle POoP with Bridge sound... not good. Very thin, with weak lows. But when one of the coils is partially choked by a capacitor, the sound becomes fuller, while retaining that OoP nasality. With low output single coils in a Strat, I've found that a 68nF cap in series with one of the coils makes the sound more useable, and more in line with the output levels of the rest of the guitar's settings.

Many call that arrangement "Parallel Half Out of Phase", but I don't like the use of "half" here, so I call it "Parallel Filtered Out of Phase".

That 68nF capacitor, if'n I unnerstand, will reduce the output of some of the lows from the coil. Since the coils are OoP, their signals tend to cancel; omitting the lows of one coil means that the lows of the other coil don't get cancelled, so the combo produces more lows overall.

And then, if the guitar is plugged into an amp whose gain remains up high, then the need for the filter is reduced, since there'll probably be some compression along with the gain.

Next, there's the counterpart for series, SFOoP, where a cap is placed parallel with one of the coils. IMO, it can be skipped on a Strat. That said, the cap makes the sound more "mainstream" in that it tames the nasal sound a bit and lets more lows through.

If a superswitch is the chosen path, it might be simple to add a capacitor for the corresponding selector positions (sorry, I'm not fast enough to see at a glance if it would be simple). But I believe it would get more complicated if a separate series/parallel switch is involved.