5 position pickup selector question

[Leopold]

I've always wondered: what is the point of the three unused lugs on a pickup selector. Today, of of curiosity, I tried rewiring some things to them, but it didn't answer any of my questions. They must have some sort of purpose, right?

 

[gregory]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

In a Stratocaster, the second set of lugs is traditionally used to select the tone control to be used with the active pickup.

It can be used for all sorts of things, however. For example, in HSH strats, it's commonly used to automatically split either of the humbuckers when they are paired with the single coil.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

Think of that switch as being two complete and independent switches.

One on each side, with three "in" terminals and one "out" on each side of the switch.

 

[Leopold]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

I see. So in principle, you could have a separate tone control for each pickup, on a 3 singlecoil strat?

 

[Leopold]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

I think I get what your saying about the in terminals and out terminals. The each out terminal is paired with three in terminals, right? It seemed this way when I did my rewiring experiment.

 

[gregory]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

I think I get what your saying about the in terminals and out terminals. The each out terminal is paired with three in terminals, right? It seemed this way when I did my rewiring experiment.

Yes. The funny thing is that the switch merely allows the two tone controls to share a single capacitor when wired in the traditional way where the bridge pickup isn't connected to a tone control when it is used by itself.

 

[Leopold]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

This is all interesting stuff, but I should mention, the guitar I'm working on isn't actually a fender strat. I only have one tone control. It's an Aria MAC, wired rather like an Ibanez RG, if you'd be more familiar with Ibanez

 

[gregory]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

I'm familiar with both, though in HH guitars over the past couple of decades, the Ibanez 5-ways are typically non-standard in the way they work.

Is there anything specific you're wanting to do?

 

[Leopold]

Re: 5 position pickup selector question

Really just hoping to understand. I've wired up guitars so many times, but I feel like a bit of a sheep, just knowing, this wire goes here, this one goes there, without really knowing why. Lew's post helps.

The Aria is not wired up for automatic coil tap when blending pickups, so maybe not like an RG after all.