bc rich virgin wiring

[nfauth2009]

i have 1 volume 1 tone 1 mini switch 2 humbuckers color code on pick ups is red ,white, black, blue and of course a three way selector id really appreciate it if someone would send me or post a schematic for this guitar Ive searched high and low [e-mail]

[newey]

nfauth-

Hello and Welcome!

While I also didn't find a wiring diagram for a BC Virgin, this is a 2HB, one toggle, 1 Vol and 1 Tone setup, and BC Rich makes several of these types.



This is for the Beast, but I would imagine yours would be identical. There's no reason to believe that the toggle does anything other than switch neck/both/bridge for the pickups, is there?

Your HBs may have 4 wires whereas the ones above are 2-wire. But, unless the coils of one or the other are split, 2 of the wires are simply tied together to put the HB coils in series. If yours isn't already "de-wired", you should be able to tell at a glance which 2 are wired together, as well as where the other colors go as per the diagram. If everything's already disconnected, some further discernment of the color coding will be needed.

EDIT:And I just realized yours has a mini-switch, as you have described it. Is it possible that the mini-switch is not original? The picture on the BC Rich website shows the Virgin with only the three way toggle switch.

And what does the mini switch do, if you know?

[nfauth2009]

thank you newey

[nfauth2009]

the mini switch i assume switches the pickups from single coil to dual coil its only a single throw three pole switch therefore not enough to do phasing and according to the wiring code per the info i found they are ibinez humbuckers ////// the control i would like it to have is like i described to select single or dual mode in all selector positions i also surmise that ill find no such drawing unless someone would be kind enough to supply me with one hint hint

[newey]

Is the guitar wired or not? If so, post some photos and we'll be able to see what this switch does.

If it's not wired up, coil cut or phasing are both possibilities.

EDIT: I checked the Harmony Central reviews, and there were several different models of the Virgin. Some of these just have the 3-way toggle, but some apparently have the extra switch like yours. Out of the reviews that mentioned the extra switch, one said he thought it was a "sustain switch" but further indicated that it was "nonfunctional" on his guitar. I'd take that with a rather large block of salt . .

Another reviewer indicated it was a coil tap switch, which sounds more likely. But he didn't say which pickup was coli tapped, or which coil. It is possible that it tapped one coil off each pickup, but it's more likely a bridge pup coil tap.

Have you tried emailing customer service at the BC Rich website?

[nfauth2009]

im sorry !! it is mostly wired let me get some photos together and i will post them or email you whatever you prefer all i have pulled out so far is the tone knob and bridge pick up most of the wiring appeared to be original and i wrote down what was there so i could put it back the way it was, this whole project started out as a short in the input jack but after closer inspection it appeared as if someone could not solder very well prior to me opening up this proverbial can of worms it also had all the typical problems like dirty ?worn pots switches ect..

[nfauth2009]

yes i emailed them and a few others but ive got no reply so far its only been a few days though oh and by the way thank you for your interest in helping me its great that you took the time and effort

here's the photos you requested

[newey]

nfauth-

I'm bumping this for the photos you added. Since you went back and added them later by modifying your original post rather than a new reply, no one noticed you had added them, I'm guessing.

[ashcatlt]

Since it's not fully wired, it's kind of difficult to tell what the original wiring was from your pictures. Doesn't much matter, though, since we know what you want.

The picture newey posted above will handle the basics. All it's missing is the coil split. It's my understanding that you'd like that mini switch to split both humbuckers at the same time, is that correct? If so, this is how that switch could be wired:

Notice how that switch has twice as many contacts as yours? You're going to need to find another pole somewhere, because the switch you've got won't do it. You really only need 1 Throw, but you've got to have 2 Poles.

Of course, the wire colors will be different for your pickups. This diagram assumes two pickups which are identical in terms of magnetic polarity and wiring direction. If you don't know for sure, you'll have to do a little testing to figure out which coil in one HB will be hum-cancelling with which coil from the other .

In case you need it, here's a link to a test for finding the string-sensing polarity. Once you've got that, it's a matter of determining which coil is opposite magnetic polarity with which from the other. That's pretty easy, since opposites attract.