Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

[Stratsky]

I have a hardtail big apple strat that I have been experimenting with using different pickups and combinations. I decided to take it back to almost original configuration using the original Fender 5 postion, 4 pole switch that came with the guitar when I bought it new in 98. What I did differently was to replace the pickups in it. I replaced the Pearly Gates Plus bridge with a Pearly Gates bridge and the 59 neck with a Jazz neck. I rewired it using the schematic for the Hardtail Big Apple strat that I downloaded from the Mr. Gearhead web site, http://www.mrgearhead.com/. One thing that I thought odd while using the schematic was that while it showed the green wire from the bridge pickup to ground, it showed the red wire from the neck pickup to ground. The problem is that now postion 3 (both humbuckers on) and position 2 (bridge humbucker split with neck humbucker split) are out of phase. I was thinking that maybe the simplest solution was to flip the magnets in one of the pickups (ala PRS wiring with SD pickups). Anybody have any experience with these Fender switches on big apple strats?

[Stratsky]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

Bump!
I did a little research and this is what I have as per the schematic from the Mr. Gearhead website.

For the bridge pickup;
north coil - black (hot) to switch
north coil - white ties into red of south coil at same switch terminal
south coil - green (ground)
For the neck pickup;
north coil - white (hot) to switch
north coil - black ties into green of south coil at same switch terminal
south coil - red (ground)

The current in the neck pickup is flowing in the opposite direction than the bridge pickup. Again it appears that the simplest solution would be to flip the magnets aroung in one the pickups (ala PRS rotary switch wiring with SD's). Any of you guys that lean toward the technical side care to comment?

[Kent S.]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

The magnetic polarity of the neck pup on the big apple/double fat strats were reversed, you have to do that to get certain combos (inner coils or outer coils); since it reverses the phase of the pup, it's electrical phase must be reversed to put it back in phase with the other pup, also the tap can be carried out on one side, or the other of the pup, depending on which coil needs to be shut off. Anytime you see an inner coil or outer coil combo between two HBs either the magnet is flipped on one, or one pup is physically turned around (like on DiMarzio pups with the double allen head poles, they like to just turn the pup around, on something with PAF style pole pieces that doesn't give you the type poles you want facing the direction that you want {if you want that that is}, they find it easier to do that many times), the give away is that a reversed magnet pup will be wired in what looks to be out of phase.

[Stratsky]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

Thanks Kent, I believe I'll flip the magnet in the neck pickup.

[Tony_H]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

Thanks Kent, I believe I'll flip the magnet in the neck pickup.

I was intrigued by the Big Apple wiring and wanted to make a clone guitar with it. I made a testbed Strat-style guitar to try various pickguards with various wirings on, and the first wiring I tried was two Alnico 2 Pro humbuckers a la the Big Apple. I had the same problem and flipping the magned solved it.

I tried the same setup with a different brand of pickups and the result was funny: position 2 is the INNER coil of the neck pup (it should have been the OUTER one), and position 4 are the OUTER coils of both pups (it should have been the INNER ones). It took me two months figuring out that I can just turn the pups round in the pickguard to get the desired effect... (roll eyes)
Tony

[Stratsky]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

Thanks guys.

[Stratsky]

Re: Rewiring hardtail big apple strat

I flipped the magnet in the neck pickup and it worked like a charm. I like that combination too. They are some damned fine sounding pickups. I might have to put a set of these in my PRS CE22. I have DiMarzio virtual PAF's in it now and they really lack something compared to the SD's.