Happy Strat

[modusmongo]

Hi everybody, my name is Peter and this is my first post. I have been reading avidly for 2 weeks throughout this excellent forum and am learning a lot! Last week, I completely took apart and reassembled my '73 strat following ChrisK's series/parallel mod using the original 5 way switch (many thanks Chris, where ever you are). I also shielded the cavity with aluminum tape and created a ground star for all returning signals. Is that your thread JohnH? Thanks! The result is, as any of you who have done these mods knows, abso-freaking-lutely fantastic.

However, some of us are born to mess with every good idea we come across in the hopes of discovering something even better I wanted to use the second tone pot to blend in the bridge pickup (in series) whenever the neck (or neck and mid) pup was selected and the guitar was in series. I tried the following three wiring ideas (pics below) with mixed, but interesting results, but I had no idea what I was hearing (series out of phase, neck and mid in series with the bridge in parallel, something else entirely). Basically, I'm a mad scientist newbie when it comes to electronics. In the end, I scrapped the idea and wired it exactly as shown in the last diagram of Chris' original post.

What I'd like is for someone to tell me what I was doing (electronically) in these wiring diagrams and make suggestions for blending the bridge pup into a series N or N*M selection. Also, it occurs to me that, with a second push pull (first tone pot) I could simply switch the N pup into whatever configuration was chosen on the 5 way. This would allow for both N + B and N * B, two interesting tele like combos which are not possible using the original mod. Using one of the tone pots, I could then blend the N pup into the mix, right?

I hope I posted this in the right place ;-)

Thanks, and see you around!

ps. The ground star is not represented in these diagrams, but assumed.

First attempt: simply pulling the B pup + from the 5 way, sending it to the third pot, and blending it to the signal return when in series.


Second attempt: same thing, but running the series mod cap through a variable resistor (this had interesting sounds).



Third attempt: same as N° 2, but I reversed + & - at the pot for the mod cap. I was getting treble -> bass sweep with both pots, but never in the same direction. In other words, one pot would sweep from treble to bass, but the other would go from bass to treble. It also seemed like the pot for the mod cap was acting more like a switch than a potentiometer. As I said before, I have no idea what I am doing ;D

[newey]

M&M-

Hello and Welcome to GNutz2! Yes, you posted in the right place.

I'm not exactly sure what your first diagram is doing. You first said that:

I wanted to use the second tone pot to blend in the bridge pickup (in series) whenever the neck (or neck and mid) pup was selected and the guitar was in series.

But then:

First attempt: simply pulling the N pup + from the 5 way, sending it to the third pot, and blending it to the signal return when in series.

Your diagram seems to be rewiring the bridge pup, not the neck, but I'm more than a little confused here. You seem to be grounding the Bridge + to the Bridge - through the pot, which will just turn the bridge off via the pot (I think).

Your third diagram does seem to achieve blending through the cap. I suspect that the reason it is acting more like a switch than a pot has to do with the 250K value and that it's an audio taper pot (presumably, if it's a stock Strat part).

A "neck off" switch could be implemented with another p/p pot, but would give you problems in series, since turning off one pickup in a series chain will cut all the pups in the chain. There may be a solution to that but I'm not sure it can be done with only 2 poles on a P/P pot. Let's let other weigh in here.

[modusmongo]

Hey Newie. I've been seeing your posts all over the place these last few weeks; it's nice to finally meet you ;-)

I edited my post and replaced the "N" with a "B". I did mean the bridge pup ;D

That first version did work, and the pickup did change volume when I did the pull off test. But I'm not sure why.

[JFrankParnell]

what does the 'special cap' do in these? Is it for a special tone or just a necessity to make the series switch work?

[modusmongo]

Hi JFP. Chris' post says that it's a tone thing. I did try it with only a jumper just to get started, then I found an old capacitor to try I'm now waiting on a shipment of NOS caps varying from .013 to .05 to test it out (and to try in the tone circuit as well ;-)

Also, without the special cap, there would be no difference between position 4 & 5 or 1 & 2 when in series.

Can someone tell me if this cap will effect the whole guitar sound like a tone cap (even when the tone is on 10) ?

[newey]

Can someone tell me if this cap will effect the whole guitar sound like a tone cap (even when the tone is on 10) ?

It only affects the tone when it is switched int the circuit, i.e., in those positions indicated on the chart.

As modusmongo noted, the purpose of the "special cap" is to avoid redundant positions on the switch. Redundancy isn't "bad", just inelegant from an engineering point of view- And Chris loved an elegant design; his drawing are like works of art.