STRAT MOD WIRING QUESTION

[axekicker]

Hello again. This is probably an easy question, but I'm a newbie at this stuff. I'm building a black strat. I'd like to be able to have my bridge and neck pups active, and all three pups active in addition to the five-way switch options. How can I achieve this? Do I need a Stew-Mac superswitch? if so, How do I wire it up? Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

[axekicker]

I know there's a discussion below on this topic, but I can't read "electronics" diagrams. Are there any normal illustrations of the connections for a superswitch to achieve the above? Thnx.

[sydsbluesky]

As in the "free neck-on switch" one?

guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=modules&action=display&thread=3764

I don't know the details, but if ChrisK did it we know it works and it looks really easy.

[newey]

Kicker-

There are any number of ways to do this. The "Free Neck On" idea is one that's, well, free, because no new parts are needed (except a bit of wire).

If using the tone control to do this doesn't appeal to you, a push/pull pot in place of any of your pots can be used to turn the neck on, or the bridge on.

While a Superswitch can be used to get "all 3" and/or "N+B", that means sacrificing one or more of the original Strat selections, since, despite being "super" and all, the switch still only has 5 positions. To add new selections without losing the original ones therefore requires switching beyond the 5-way switch.

Plus, superswitches are pricey, particularly when compared to "free".

[sydsbluesky]

Spend the five bucks on the push-pull if you want my opinion.

[axekicker]

Thanks guys, I think the push pull pot looks like the way to go. I will investigate further.

[axekicker]

Hey, does anyone have a link to a diagram for a push/pull pot? Thanks!

[axekicker]

Also, can I do this with a DPDT switch? I have one, so just wondering if it can be done and how it would be wired. Thanks.

[sydsbluesky]

on-on dpdt?

Sure can, but I'll let one of these guys handle that "wiring" part.

[newey]

Actually, a single pole switch is sufficient. On a DPDT, you'll have a pole free.

This is a module, it drops in as indicated.

And Here's The Truth Table:

5-way switch, Neck On switch "down":

1) Br
2) Br+M
3) M
4) N+M
5) N

W/ Neck On Switch "Up":

1) Br+N
2) Br+M+N
3) N+M
4) N+M
5) N

[axekicker]

Thanks for uploading that. Very much appreciated. Does the CW lug on the volume pot refer to the middle post? Sorry, still trying to learn my acronyms. Also looked at Guitartechcraig's resource where he posts a "Strat Lover's" schematic. . The purple wire splits into two wires and there's a red wire that also splits and one portion goes off to a plus (+). How, exactly, do you split the wire? And where does the + wire go off to? Thanks. I'm so close to almost knowing what I'm doing thanks to this community.

[axekicker]

Well, it worked! Thanks!

[newey]

Axe-

What worked? Did you implement mine or guitar tech craig's?

Anyway, glad it worked!

To belatedly answer your questions, "CW" stands for "clockwise", that is the lug that gives clockwise rotation of the pot. The center lug is the wiper, and it goes to the out jack, at least in a std Strat wiring.

The "+" sign on Craig's diagram represents the same thing- hot output. It goes wherever the hot out is going, depending on the rest of one's scheme. Like my drawing, his is a module as well, just a bigger one.

[sydsbluesky]

How's it sound?

I'll get a strat some day and be able to do some'a this nonsense, I swear.

[axekicker]

I used Newey's diagram. After much headscratching, I figured out that CW meant clockwise. The guitar itself sounds great. Of course, there's some buzz, typical of Strats. I was going to insulate it, but I decided to leave well enough alone. It's a "black strat" sorta kinda based on Gilmour's strat. I also installed a killswitch onto it a la Buckethead. So it's a Gilbucket Strat. I'll be posting pics and demos on my blog at axekicker.com. Thanks!