3-way toggle switch options

[Ventilator]

If all you have is a Gibson style 3-way toggle switch, a 4-conductor humbucker, and a volume pot: what kind of wiring options do you have.

I imagine you could do north coil/parallel/south coil pretty easily, but what else could I do?

Basically I've got an empty guitar, an Invader, a volume knob, and a toggle switch left over and I'm looking to throw them together somehow.

 

[Ventilator]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

I ran some thought experiments and came up with the following:

- With just a humbucker, a toggle, and a volume pot... You can get killswitch/series humbucker/south coil only.

To get this you need (with the ground terminal pointing away from you like on the Seymour Duncan wiring diagrams) to wire black to the rightmost terminal, red and white to the middle linked terminal, and the leftmost terminal goes to the volume pot.

- Replacing the volume pot with a push/pull pot, you can have series/series/killswitch with the push/pull down and south/parallel humbucker/north with it up.

To get this you (same toggle orientation as before) wire black to the rightmost terminal, middle terminal to the volume pot, and leftmost terminal to the middle-right of the push/pull. Wire a jumper from the top-right terminal to the bottom-left terminal on the DPDT. Then wire red to bottom-left, white to middle-left, and green/bare to top-left. Finally, wire a jumper from top left to ground.

I'd appreciate it if anyone could point it out if I went wrong somewhere here, or point out if I worked too hard because these schematics were somewhere else.

 

[Artie]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

With just a humbucker, a toggle, and a volume pot... You can get killswitch/series humbucker/south coil only.

To get this you need (with the ground terminal pointing away from you like on the Seymour Duncan wiring diagrams) to wire black to the rightmost terminal, red and white to the middle linked terminal, and the leftmost terminal goes to the volume pot.

The Gibson 3-way is very limiting because it only "breaks" a connection, rather than "making" one. So, to get that function you'ld have to reverse where you're putting the black and red/white. But even then, it wouldn't work like you want. To do a kill switch you need to "short" the output. You'ld be "opening" the output. This would be like unplugging your guitar, with the amp volume turned up. It will make a nasty pop/click/buzz as you hit the switch.

I'll see what else I can think of that you might do.

 

[Ventilator]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

Could I block the switch from doing the "opening" setting so that way I only have series/split?

 

[Artie]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

Technically you could, but I'm not sure I understand the point. If you don't want to use one switch position, just don't connect anything to that lug.

Or am I misunderstanding what you mean?

 

[Ventilator]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

I've been racking my brain on this one.

I dont think I can get a series/split out of gibson toggle. Every time I go over it I keep running into a snag. I can get split/parallel/split or split/out of phase/split all day long out of one humbucker and a toggle switch, but trying to get series/split properly requires another switch, I think.

If I'm going to get a push/pull I think I'd be better off using it for series/parallel and using the toggle to hook up two pickups in the traditional way.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

Just buy a new toggle that'll fit into the cavity. Something like this.

 

[Artie]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

But if you get that switch, its the 206PA version you want. Not that specific one.

There's another way to "mod" your current switch to do this, but I won't be able to test it 'til this weekend. Stay tuna-ed.

 

[Ventilator]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

I appreciate it ArtieToo.

You too, Agileguy_101.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

nvm - gotta find a switch.....brb

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: 3-way toggle switch options

Ok, here goes:

The typical Gibson-style 3-way has 4 plates arranged in such a manner that the two inner plates are soldered together.
This is the bridge between the outer connections which gives you "bridge+neck" on a 2-pickup guitar.

The toggle handle has a nub on the bottom which separates the contact plates on either side of the switch, allowing the other side to make contact. With the switch in the center position, both pairs are making contact.

These two points are also generally sent to the controls.

The 3-ways that I have on-hand are built like this.


However, I've seen some import Gibson-style toggles that are made such that instead of pushing the plates apart to allow the opposing side to make contact, the nub pushes two plates together and the other side separates on its own.
Some also have a dedicated "output" point which the two inner plates are also connected to, and that point goes to the controls.

While they operate on the same electrical principal, this third point gives you a third wiring option.

I had one years ago and I want to say it involved separating the two soldered points and wiring them with a 3rd option directly, but looking at the switches I have, I'm not so sure of that anymore. I'd have to try to dig up that old switch, if I even still have it.