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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 25, 2008 2:21:11 GMT -5
This is a reply to a post on another forum (I'm actively recruiting!). Dude apparently only uses positions 2 and 4 on his strat for noise reasons, and wants easier access to these by moving them to positions 1 and 5. I did give him suggestions on how to reduce his noise problems while maintaining the "flexibility" of the standard switching. But people told him he'd have to buy a superswitch to make his idea happened, and I wanted to show that it could be done without new parts. So I drew this: The switch depicted should be like his Squier import switch: 3-2-1-P-P-3-2-1 I guess it's a little wonky, but I purposely did not name the pickups neck, middle, bridge, in order to allow him to choose which of the outside pickups gets to be on its own in position 3. So long as B is the middle it works either way. Assuming I didn't mess anything up, it gives these combinations: 1 - A+B 2 - A+B+C 3 - C 4 - B+C 5 - B+C One redundant position, but it gives the "all three" position which is missing from standard switching. Of course, that would not be hum-cancelling. If it was me I'd probably make C the neck pickup. Could fairly easily be modified to have the mid pickup alone in position 3, but then you'd have 2 x redundant positions. For simplicity's sake, this is the master tone version. I've got a couple questions: 1 - does it actually work as intended? 2 - if he'd prefer 2 x tone, will wiring a tone pot across one pickup make it serve as master tone when that pickup is used in combination with a second, or will the second be "tone-less"? 3 - any ideas how to eliminate that redundant position at 4? I couldn't come up with anything. 4 - if he decides master tone is okay, any ideas what he can do with his now superflous pot? note - the diagram leaves out the string ground and all connections to pot/switch bodies, but does implement a form of star grounding.
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Post by JohnH on Jan 25, 2008 15:23:43 GMT -5
Ascatit - Here's what I reckon:
1. Yep, I think it does what you say 2. Putting tone pots directly across a pickup will work fine, but will affect other pickups if they are combined with it. This would be the same a a normal strat wiring, where both tones affect both pups in the neck + middle combo 3. Dunno, but if I think of one Ill post it 4. With a spare pot, you could use it as an independent (reverse wired)volume control for pup B, providing two more sounds, A and A+C. Or how about replacing the pot with a rotary switch, which would reconfigure it all back to standard Strat? With luck, a third position of this switch might also add some series sounds.
John
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setain
Meter Reader 1st Class
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Post by setain on Jan 26, 2008 0:09:03 GMT -5
Wouldn't it be possible to get what he/she wants, without the redundancy, by just shorting the pickups not in use? I normally am not a fan of shorting, but it seems to be the easier solution here.
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Post by ChrisK on Jan 26, 2008 0:13:51 GMT -5
Only if they're wired in series.
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Post by sumgai on Jan 26, 2008 14:39:26 GMT -5
ash, Given the constraint that B must be in the circuit at 1 and 5, and further that the switch remain the standard ( sub-standard ) shorting (make before break) unit, you are faced with nothing less than 4 out of 5 positions having B at the output. (Which then means, your diagram is over-complicated. The left pole could have B on 1 and 3, and the two P's are shorted together. Same result, and more clearly shows the circuit's limitations.) Nope, sorry to say, it's either A or B or C in the middle, and four possible combos - a redundancy is guaranteed here. I'll let you work out the possibilities, to prove my point. That said, setain's suggestion of shorting and shunting might have merit. (I've not worked it all out, I might be wrong on this one, but what the hey.....) But the best course of action is to dissuade 'the dude' from living in fantasy-land -- he should be doing the QtB mode, post-haste, mosh-kosh and mau len! Once that's done, he may re-think his desire to exalt the alleged 'lower noise' positions, and thus gain back/retain the best flexibility possible with the current switch. ch-ching! Two pennies, please. sumgai
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 26, 2008 20:33:25 GMT -5
So, you're saying don't use the "common" lug on the left side, just wire directly to 1 and 3, but otherwise leave as is? I can dig that i guess. It is a minor point, no? As I mentioned in the above post, I did ( on the other forum) tell him that he should do QTB. I also pointed out the possibility of replacing the pups with humbuckers and wiring them in local parallel. Have you noticed that I've actually posted two working diagrams for newer members recently. Maybe not the greatest, but they work. I have you and the other gods around here to thank. When I started reading this forum I was having trouble finding my way around a switch!
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roger
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by roger on Jan 28, 2008 6:43:30 GMT -5
Guys, Hi, sorry to puzzle you up I'm the DUDE who's asked help from our friend AshcatIt for switching reconfiguration and I'm happy to see you all giving your effort to share your own knowledge and views. I am not well knowledgable in wiring guitar but I can read simple schem and can handle soldering and has a background on basic electronic as well. Currently, I'm DIYing my own NoiseGate project by Tonepad to solve this noise problem with single coil but the project seems not enough to tame it. So i was sort of asking help from a forum if wiring my guitar 4th position to be place in 5th slot also the 2th position be place at the 1st slot so I don't have to difficulty switching from it between rhythm and solo. I only use the 4th and 2th position due to both have hum cancelling effect compare to 5th, 3rd and 1st which we all know terrible in noise. My pickup guard has already foiled with aluminum. If your going to ask me I will just put a cover on pickguard or mount anything on the switch itself on both 5th and 1st slot so the switch won't stack on it then I can go from 4th and skip 3rd easily and land on 2th position and back and forth isn't. But wait is there a way by rewiring it. That the whole story guys. BTW is this orientation is possible? 1st Bridge+Middle 2nd Bridge or middle or neck 3rd Middle or neck or bridge 4th Neck or bridge or middle 5th Neck+Middle Appreciate your big help also to you AshcatIt Thanks Roger
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Post by sumgai on Jan 29, 2008 4:23:57 GMT -5
DUDE, Welcome to the NutzHouse! ;D Your last post, asking if that set of 5 combos are possible....... in a word, nope. But that's true only if you retain the current selector switch. Were you to upgrade to a 2P5T (two pole, five throw) switch with one terminal per position, on each pole, then you'd easily be able to accomplish your goals. It's that "buying parts" thing that ash was trying to avoid, hence our discussion centered on that theme. Now that you're here, we can say, more-or-less face-to-face, you should buy such a beast. They can be had for $15 (USD), or maybe less, at several guitar specialty websites. The wiring options that become available are an order of magnitude greater than your current choices. As things sit now, if you want the middle pup on at pos 1 and 5, then it's also gonna be on at pos 2 and 4, that's due to how the switch is constructed. Now, if you're really into "the simple plan", then you might also consider moving to a Tele-style 3 position switch (the original version of the Strat's 5 position unit). That'll let you put the B+M on pos 1, N+M on pos 3, and pos 2 will have only the M. The idea being, of course, that you can set the selector switch all the more easily, without much thought about having to stop part way along the travel path (I mean, pos 2 and 4 on the 5-way switch). Such switches can be found for well under $10 (USD). But if you'd prefer to have as many combos as possible, I advise that you consider the slightly more expensive 5-way switch I mentioned first, up above. You won't regret it! ;D HTH sumgai
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roger
Rookie Solder Flinger
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Post by roger on Jan 30, 2008 5:51:37 GMT -5
Sumgai, Hi, Thank you very much for the reply, Guess I just need to fabricate a sort of detachable cavities and clamp it both on edge side so the switch would stop only to the 4th and 2nd position and if I'm going to need the 1st and 5th I could readilly remove it. That way I don't need to rewire and reconfigure the standard configuration.
Thanks guys also to you my friend Ashcat_lt Roger
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