Thanks for your response and qualification of what you want in more detail. I often over-respond in design suggestions since under-responding and inching upwards just takes too long.
You bet!
You can do this, but the pickups will need to be connected in series and not parallel (the normal combination). Both of the links that I posted do this for the hotter/darker sounds.
If you combine the middle and neck in parallel, it will sound exactly like what the middle and neck combined do today, with the exception of a narrower sensing window if you place them beside each other. Not very hot, but Stratty/jangly.
Nah, it's just less expensive than using 6 individual magnets.
Yes.
I presume that your
Aerostar is the 3 single coil one in the link and that it has a 5-way lever selector switch.
I also presume that you are going to use the Tele 3-way lever switch (a true 2 pole 3 throw [DP3T] switch).
I also presume that you will use the middle and neck as a hum canceling combination in position #2, and that for "more metal" sounds they will be connected in
series.
This is straightforward and can be realized without any shorted or hanging coils.
It gives (in my/current Fender wiring positions):
1. Bridge humbucker
2. Neck single coil in series with middle single coil
3. Neck single coil
Note that with the 3-way lever switch, any of these combinations can be in any one of the three positions.
If you want to
reuse the 5-way lever switch, you will get these (positions as denoted in my template link below):
1. Bridge humbucker
1&2. Bridge humbucker in parallel with [neck single coil in series with middle single coil (the neck humbucker)]
2. Neck single coil in series with middle single coil (the neck humbucker)
2&3. Neck single coil
3. Neck single coil
If a 0.033 uF shunt capacitor is added in, the following occur:
1. Bridge humbucker
1&2. Bridge humbucker in parallel with [neck single coil in series with middle single coil (the neck humbucker)]
2. Neck single coil in series with middle single coil (the neck humbucker with the hottest/middy sound)
2&3. Neck single coil in series with [middle single coil in parallel with shunt cap (the neck humbucker with the hotter/somewhat bright sound)]
3. Neck single coil in series with shunt cap (a brighter sounding neck only tone).
In any case, I would wire the bridge tone circuit directly across the bridge pickup, and the neck tone circuit directly across the neck/middle construct.
What form would you like the design in? I could draw a schematic or describe the structure (in essence I already have) and give you and your son the opportunity to construct your own schematic.
Initially, this
template may help. Note that I use position #1 for the bridge-most selection. While Fender have used the opposite in years past, they've come around to the method like mine starting a few years back.
I use the same designations for both the 3-way and 5-way lever switch since, aside from the detent mechanism, they are the SAME switch.
Let us know the level of design that you want. Since you want to involve your son in learning some "plumbing", a little plumbing discovery project often helps (and you can check back in here for some guidence sub-rosa if needed).