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Help understanding 5-way super switch wiring diagram

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  • Help understanding 5-way super switch wiring diagram

    Hey everyone,

    I've recently bought a 5-way super switch and rewired my guitar in the following manner:



    You'll also find the switch position result above. I've wired two pickups: Dimarzio Air Norton (Neck) and Ibanez Quantum (Bridge).

    I actually got the result I wanted from the pickup positions, but my question is that I'm not sure what I'm doing in positions 2 and 4. Is this a coil-split of both neck and bridge pickups (outside and inside) or is this coil-tapping ir something else? If so, why is it that way?

    Ant suggestions on how to make this wiring better?

    Thanks!
    Attached Files
    Last edited by gesp; 02-28-2023, 01:23 AM.

  • #2
    For a start, that diagram doesn't do anything but ground out all the pickups in all combinations. Nothing ever goes from the switch to the hot input of the volume pot.

    From the coil color diagram, it appears you are trying to get inside and outside coils in 2 and 4. But you would need opposite coils to keep it hum-cancelling, e.g. mate a screw coil with a slug coil (but you've got two different brands of pickups, so I don't know if the coil wind direction and magnet polarity are the same or not.)

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post
      For a start, that diagram doesn't do anything but ground out all the pickups in all combinations. Nothing ever goes from the switch to the hot input of the volume pot.

      From the coil color diagram, it appears you are trying to get inside and outside coils in 2 and 4. But you would need opposite coils to keep it hum-cancelling, e.g. mate a screw coil with a slug coil (but you've got two different brands of pickups, so I don't know if the coil wind direction and magnet polarity are the same or not.)
      You're right! Just noticed I had it wrong. I updated the diagram. Can you please check now?
      Last edited by gesp; 02-27-2023, 05:23 PM.

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      • #4
        When I did this with SD pickups, I had to flip a magnet in one humbucker to make it all hum-cancelling. No idea if you need to do that or not.
        Administrator of the SDUGF

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        • #5
          Originally posted by gesp View Post

          You're right! Just noticed I had it wrong. I updated the diagram. Can you please check now?
          I'm not seeing the update. The only thing connected to the input of the volume pot is the tone control in the drawing I'm seeing.

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post

            I'm not seeing the update. The only thing connected to the input of the volume pot is the tone control in the drawing I'm seeing.
            I'm sorry, just noticed I had another thing wrong. All fixed now!

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            • #7
              I think it's getting closer, but I'm not seeing where the bridge gets split differently between 2 and 4. I see a bridge split on 2 but nothing on 4. But maybe I'm reading it wrong. Someone else may need to check me.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post
                I think it's getting closer, but I'm not seeing where the bridge gets split differently between 2 and 4. I see a bridge split on 2 but nothing on 4. But maybe I'm reading it wrong. Someone else may need to check me.
                I've looked back at the wiring and confirmed that what I have on the wiring diagram is giving me the result below. But I'm not really sure what I did, to be honest, so I wanted to understand how I made the pickup split and what kind of split it is.

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                • #9
                  If you tap on the poles of the coils with something metal (like a screwdriver or allan wrench) in each switch position, are you saying the exact coils colored in red are active, correctly in each position? (That's not what I might expect based on the diagram.). But that is the best way to check, at this point.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by beaubrummels View Post
                    If you tap on the poles of the coils with something metal (like a screwdriver or allan wrench) in each switch position, are you saying the exact coils colored in red are active, correctly in each position? (That's not what I might expect based on the diagram.). But that is the best way to check, at this point.
                    Yeah, touched each position and verified. Why wouldn't you expect this to happen? How would you improve the wiring and get the same result?

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      The bridge red wire is only connected to lug #2. You need a wire from lug #4 to the input of the vol pot.
                      Originally Posted by IanBallard
                      Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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