Custom Wiring Switch?!

[merseymale]

Hi!
I was wondering, is there a chance that a normal Tele switch can be used for custom wiring I have in mind? I was told by a guy in the store that a five way Strat style switch that was physically blocked from going to the ends would do the trick but as he didn’t go into any other details I’m beginning to doubt it!

What I want is similar to the both the Early Broadcaster Wirings but I want The first position to be just the back pickup without it being loaded by the tone control (and if it could be not loaded by the volume either then that might be nice…?)

The second position would be the same as the first only the tone control (AND the volume control!) would affect the back/bridge pickup alone -there is to be no tone control on the neck pickup

and the final position would be the neck pick up on its own without the tone control but with that single master volume.

does anyone have any ideas..?
Thanks in advance!​

 

[dotsdad]

You could use a normal switch an just get no load pots for tone and volume

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Or a push-pull wired to bypass the volume and or tone controls.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

So

P-1 = bridge only NO volume or tone
P-2 = bridge only WITH volume and tone
P-3 = will there be a P-3 - if so bridge and neck, but with or without tone
P-4 = neck only WITH volume and tone
P-5 = neck only NO volume or tone.

Please advise.

If you want the P-3 then I think it'll have to be a 5-way superswitch, just so you can have both pickups without creating a short on the pickup selector side.

One bank will have the bridge hot wired to P-1 and P-2, the neck to P-4 and P-5. There will have to be a jumper somehow to another bank to put both pickups in parallel in P-3. I have to think about that part. The volume and tone pots just get wired to lugs on a third banks for P-2 and P-4, P-3 as well if you want a P-3 with tone.

If you don't want a P-3 then I may be able to figure out a way with a Fender 4-way, but I'll have to think about it.

 

[beaubrummels]

A tele 3-way could be wired the OP way.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

The 4-way is actually quite easy.

Use a Fender 4-way switch.

It has two banks of contacts. Each bank has five individual contacts. One is a common, connected to the other four in turn as you move the switch.

You wire one pickup to the Common contact one one side of the switch, the other to the Common on the other side of the switch.

For the bridge pickup in P-1 wire the P-1 contact directly to the output jack. The volume and tone controls are therefore bypassed.

For the bridge pickup in P-2 wire the P-2 contact to the volume pot input, just like a regular Telecaster wiring. The P-1 contact is disconnected at P-2 so you don't create a short. The "hot" between the P-1 contact and the output jack is dead.

Now for the neck pickup, repeat the above, but connect the volume and tone to the P-3 lug and the output jack directly to the P-4 lug.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

^ You can simplify the wiring somewhat by jumping the neck P-3 contact to the bridge P-2 contact and the neck P-4 contact to the bridge P-1 contact. It'll save you about 8 inches of wire

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

A tele 3-way could be wired the OP way.

If you only want:

P-1 Bridge no tone controls
P-2 Bridge with tone controls
P-3 neck with (or without - not both) tone controls

I agree.

But even you can't get four positions out of a three-way switch

 

[merseymale]

You could use a normal switch an just get no load pots for tone and volume

No-load pots for the volume would turn the whole thing off dead & not just drop it out of the circuit in a no-load fashion

 

[merseymale]

So

P-1 = bridge only NO volume or tone
P-2 = bridge only WITH volume and tone
P-3 = will there be a P-3 - if so bridge and neck, but with or without tone
P-4 = neck only WITH volume and tone
P-5 = neck only NO volume or tone.

Please advise.

If you want the P-3 then I think it'll have to be a 5-way superswitch, just so you can have both pickups without creating a short on the pickup selector side.

One bank will have the bridge hot wired to P-1 and P-2, the neck to P-4 and P-5. There will have to be a jumper somehow to another bank to put both pickups in parallel in P-3. I have to think about that part. The volume and tone pots just get wired to lugs on a third banks for P-2 and P-4, P-3 as well if you want a P-3 with tone.

If you don't want a P-3 then I may be able to figure out a way with a Fender 4-way, but I'll have to think about it.

Thank you so much for your time and knowledge but I’m just thinking of three positions with never more than one pick up at a time:
Position 1: bridge pick up no tone(no vol would be nice too.!)
Position 2: bridge pick up with tone and master volume
position 3: neck pick up with master volume(prefer no tone if poss’)

 

[merseymale]

A tele 3-way could be wired the OP way.

Do you know how or can you point me to any links, please?

 

[merseymale]

The 4-way is actually quite easy.

Use a Fender 4-way switch.

It has two banks of contacts. Each bank has five individual contacts. One is a common, connected to the other four in turn as you move the switch.

You wire one pickup to the Common contact one one side of the switch, the other to the Common on the other side of the switch.

For the bridge pickup in P-1 wire the P-1 contact directly to the output jack. The volume and tone controls are therefore bypassed.

For the bridge pickup in P-2 wire the P-2 contact to the volume pot input, just like a regular Telecaster wiring. The P-1 contact is disconnected at P-2 so you don't create a short. The "hot" between the P-1 contact and the output jack is dead.

Now for the neck pickup, repeat the above, but connect the volume and tone to the P-3 lug and the output jack directly to the P-4 lug.

Thank you
That is interesting but won’t position three and four be exactly the same and also there’s a tone control on the neck pick up?

 

[merseymale]

^ You can simplify the wiring somewhat by jumping the neck P-3 contact to the bridge P-2 contact and the neck P-4 contact to the bridge P-1 contact. It'll save you about 8 inches of wire

That’s really neat!
What would each position be, exactly, please?

 

[merseymale]

If you only want:

P-1 Bridge no tone controls
P-2 Bridge with tone controls
P-3 neck with (or without - not both) tone controls

I agree.

But even you can't get four positions out of a three-way switch

…how WOULD I wire a regular 3-way like that, please?

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

That’s really neat!
What would each position be, exactly, please?

P-1 = Bridge, no controls
P-2 = Bridge with tone and volume
P-3 = Neck with tone and volume
P-4 = Neck, no controls.

I'm trying to figure out a way of doing a 3-way thus:

P-1 = Bridge, no controls
P-2 = Bridge with tone and volume
P-3 = Neck with volume only

but so far I'm only coming up with a P-3 that has volume AND tone - a short on the 3-way being to blame.

Give me time...

 

[merseymale]

P-1 = Bridge, no controls
P-2 = Bridge with tone and volume
P-3 = Neck with tone and volume
P-4 = Neck, no controls.

I'm trying to figure out a way of doing a 3-way thus:

P-1 = Bridge, no controls
P-2 = Bridge with tone and volume
P-3 = Neck with volume only

but so far I'm only coming up with a P-3 that has volume AND tone - a short on the 3-way being to blame.

Give me time...

That’s really wonderful work thank you for your time
I appreciate it
-somebody has just shown me a way of wiring the three-way
but I haven’t tried it yet and your four-way does look tempting!

(I don’t seem to be able to post a photo of the wiring I’ve been given, sorry)

 

[beaubrummels]

I would do it like this and forgo trying to have bridge with no volume. IME it's not as great a change as removing the tone control is.

This is

1. Bridge no tone
2. Bridge with tone
3. Neck no tone

 

[Juanhanglo]

This is not doable with a standard 3 way. It needs a super switch.

They make a 3 way super switch.

I think it's goldo.

you will need 2 or 3 of the 4 poles on it, depending on your wiring prowess. I used 3 for ease of wiring.

1 pole to wire the pickups to. This is easy.
1 pole to assign the tone control to any position, or none.
1 pole to send the signal output to jack or switch.
The bridge to output jack would go from the 3rd pole to jack.

let me see if I can draw this up and attach.

Ok, I got it drawn but can't upload. I keep getting errors. Any help?


​​​​​

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

I found if you upload pictures from a PC it still works.

Sometimes.

I can't remember exactly how you get there but there's a "send it to the server" button involved.

 

[ThreeChordWonder]

Probably the least invasive way is just to use push-pulls to defeat the tone pot and or the volume pot.

I'll knock up a drawing or two shortly.