Custom HSS Wiring

[bati]

Hello all,

I need help to customize the wiring on my strat. It is actually very simple but I cannot this kind of wiring on the internet. You can find the switching diagram and photo of my pickups from: photos.app.goo.gl/1Fc1S2m92y5dghU66

The pickups are:

• Bridge: Bareknuckle Nailbomb Alnico 5 (15,7k)
  
• Middle: Tonerider TRS3 Middle (6,4k)
• Neck: Tonerider TRS3 Neck (6,3k)

The reasons why I want this wiring are;

• I don't use tone control on bridge humbucker.
• I use volume control frequently on my bridge pickup so I want it to be sensitive, without changing it's taper.
• I want to set presets with my pickups such as low volume in single coil split positions and full volume in humbucker.

[newey]

bati-

Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!

Your diagram just shows the pickup switching, not the V and T pots. Since the rest of your post is all about the pots, am I correct that you don't want the pickup switching to change?

As for the pots, It's not clear what you currently have, but it is certainly easy enough to disconnect a bridge tone control if you don't want to have one.

I want to set presets with my pickups such as low volume in single coil split positions and full volume in humbucker.

This sounds like you're wanting two separate volume controls, one to control the neck and middle pickups as well as the bridge pickup when in split coil mode at position 2, and a separate knob to control the Bridge when in full HB mode? If so, this may be a bit tricky to accomplish, it would definitely require a Superswitch or some other switching.

In any event, please tell us how the pots are wired currently and we'll proceed from there.

[bati]

Hello,

This sounds like you're wanting two separate volume controls, one to control the neck and middle pickups as well as the bridge pickup when in split coil mode at position 2, and a separate knob to control the Bridge when in full HB mode?

Yes!

I am happy with the pickup switching. My current setup have 2 pots which are master volume and master tone, usual hss switching. My guitar tech used resistors to equalise the humbucker and single coils.

In the photo, Yellow V is Volume for bridge, Blue V and T are Volume and Tone pots for the single coils.

With seperate volume controls assigned to bridge and neck+middle, in pos 4, (bridge humbucker split + middle), I want to lower the volume of my middle single coil to achieve single coil sound form full bridge humbucker.

[Deleted]

N,N+M,M,M+BS,B

Alpha/S-Type switch
1)N 2)M+(+BS) 3)(+BN) 4)OUTPUT
5)Ground 6)N/C 7)N/C 8)(-BS)

(-BN) linked to (+BS) for humbucker
So neck is normal, then middle comes in to play along with the middle of the humbucker,but the humbucker doesn't have ground so it's hanging there till position 4 when it's Middle+Bridge so it becomes M+BS before coming the full humbucker again in position 5

--------
4P5T
AO & B0 Tone Single then Volume Single
A1&A2 Neck A4 Link
B2,B3&B4 Middle

C0 Output Jack
C1,C2,C3&C4 Volume Single, C5 Volume Humbucker

D0 Humbucker +South
D4 Link D5 Humbucker -North

-------

Can suggest ways to get the output but without knowing how they have set this resistance, I won't know if the switching system and controls will work together

[newey]

Mar 17, 2022 12:46:41 GMT -5 bati said:

In the photo, Yellow V is Volume for bridge, Blue V and T are Volume and Tone pots for the single coils.

OK, I don't see any photo with pots in it. When I click on the link, it just shows the switch positions.

[jhng]

Hello - a key question is what kind of switch you currently have. If you are able to open it up, could post a picture of the existing five-way switch?

As I understand you are aiming to have both volume controls active in position 4, with one controlling the Middle and one controlling the Bridge (single coil), so that you can blend out either of the two. That will be very tricky with a regular Strat switch.

However, I believe that some HSS guitars that split the Bridge in position 4 actually have a 5-way switch that is a hybrid between a super-switch and a regular strat switch. If it turns out you have one of those already in place, it all becomes much easier and there are a lot of other good possibilities too.

[bati]

I have uploaded my current wiring diagram to this link: photos.app.goo.gl/1Fc1S2m92y5dghU66

Switch that I have is regular Hosco DM-50, but I am willing to buy a superswitch if it's impossible to do.

[Deleted]

May I ask why two volumes

[bati]

As I understand you are aiming to have both volume controls active in position 4, with one controlling the Middle and one controlling the Bridge (single coil), so that you can blend out either of the two.

I want to be able to achieve the thing jhng mentioned above, and also to set presets using two volumes, just like in les pauls. I want to set presets using two volumes, just like in les pauls. As I said, I don't use tone control in my humbucker at all. Also I prefer the direct sound of the humbucker without a tone pot. Humbucker->volume->output jack kind of thing.

[Deleted]

I think it will be dam hard with the 5 Way lever switch you have at the moment



just looking at a "jhng" and the Tone Contal before Volume
as mine has a Volume for each Pickup when Positions 2&4 giving you a MASTER Tone Control AFTER the VOLUME
you could have a MASTER Tone Control before the Volume(s) but what Tone Control you do for say the Neck you would also do for the Middle
Dual Stack Tone Pot
one going to the DARK GREY from the Middle --> Pot --> Cap
other going from the Output of the TOP Pole of the 4P5T going to 1,2,4 of the END Pole of the 4P5T .. Top Pole --> Bottom Pole (1,2,4) --> Pot --> Cap

Other Options a POT that TURNS off!! with a CLICK
Dual Control Pot (two in one)

[newey]

Mar 18, 2022 13:33:12 GMT -5 @angellahash said:

I think it will be dam hard with the 5 Way lever switch you have at the moment

"Hard", as in "Not possible". With a standard Strat 5-way, position 4 is the parallel sum of positions 3 and 5. To get a separate volume at position 5 for the full HB setting necessarily means that volume control will be active at position 4 as well, so no way that a second volume control can act independently at 4- both volumes will be in the circuit at that point.

angellahash's diagram uses a Superswitch (or similar 4-pole switch), which can solve the problem.

[jhng]

After thinking on this a little, it turns out that it is possible with a regular five-way switch, but with a couple of slightly compromised features. See below.





There are three main compromises that I see:

1. Reversed volume control wiring which will not be nearly as clean as normal ones.

2. The resistances from both volume pots load the circuit at all times, so you would need to have two 500k pots to approximate the load of a single 250k volume pot.

3. Possibly the worst problem is that the Tone control will be weird. It will function as a Master Tone when the N/M vol is at 10 but will become isolated from the Bridge as the N/M volume turns down. If you are not a great Tone pot user in positions 3 and 4, a better option might be to put it behind the switch on the Neck pickup so that it only operates in positions 1 and 2.

[newey]

Nice work, jhng! I hadn't thought of reversing the volumes, but that will work, although as you note, with some wonky control features there.

[jhng]

bati -- I've resized the image and reposted it. Can you see it now?

[bati]

Now I can see the pictures, thank you!