Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

[Jet-Jaguar]

So, I've tempted to do something like Brian May's Red special, except it will be nothing like the red special except for the switches ... Anyway, I've been reading up on it in various places, especially this web page:

http://guitarnuts2.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=schem&action=print&thread=3160

In it they mention how to reduce the number of switches from Six to three, via one of two methods. One is to use an expensive switch made by Kent Armstrong, the other is to use a conventional On-On-On switch. The drawbacks of using an On-On-On switch are described as such:

This is slightly less clean, than the Kent Armstrong version. No pickups are shunted. But, unused pickups do hang from hot. All-in-all, this is a great choice, for anyone concerned about the price of the switches.

What does that mean, being less "clean?" Is it really so bad that "pickups do hang from hot?" It seems there wouldn't be a Kent Armstrong switch if you could just do it with a cheaper On-On-On switch, but the later method is also the version listed on DiMarzio's web site for BHM wiring.

 

[Phostenix]

Re: Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

The drawbacks of using an On-On-On switch are described as such:


What does that mean, being less "clean?" Is it really so bad that "pickups do hang from hot?"

A pickup with one wire still connected to the output can become an antenna for noise. It won't necessarily be noisy, but it's not best practice to do it. The standard 4-way Tele does this in Position 1 (Bridge only), BTW (and can be rectified by adding 1 short wire).

 

[Phostenix]

Re: Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

I did something similar to this recently. It's documented here (including links to the switches):

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/tech-talk/115062-3-toggle-switches-parallel-off-series.html

 

[metalmachine]

Re: Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

all this hurts my little metal head brain. i like a bridge pickup and maybe if your lucky a neck.

 

[Jet-Jaguar]

Re: Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

I did something similar to this recently. It's documented here (including links to the switches):

http://www.strat-talk.com/forum/tech-talk/115062-3-toggle-switches-parallel-off-series.html

That's cool, but I think I want this guitar to be all series.

I am not an expert on all this and it is after all, only, my educated opinion but I think you will wind up pissing away time with phase crap, that you probably won't use much.

I dunno, I have a strat that does phasing, and I dig using it for the beginning of "wish you were here." I just play with my guitar, I don't play it for a living or anything.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Brian May Wiring Question: on-on-on or Kent Armstrong switch?

The important detail with the 3x on/on/on BM circuit is that the jumper wires between the terminals creates the centre off rather than the internal contacts of the switch itself.