free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

M

mplsbender

New member
I have a strat going to put in hsh.The freeway switch company is way cool with all the free wiring plans there hsh is what i want but i already got a fender 5 way super switch with no directions .I dont know what it can do. maybe fender does not know or care to let others know what there product can or can not do.I am super impressed by this new company and let down by the big one.
 
Re: free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

Its not Fender's fault, because they can't possibly know what every user wants. You can do a lot of custom wirings with the super switch, and listing off every wiring possibility would be endless and confusing. State what it is you want, and we'll be happy to help you. If it is just basic wirings you want, go here.

It's kind of like Seymour Duncan's wiring diagrams. They have A LOT, but we still get requests for wiring diagrams here in The Pickup Lounge. It's not Seymour Duncan's fault that they don't provide instructions for a very specific wiring scheme. Same with the super 5 way switch. Most people buy the super 5 way already knowing what positions they want, and draw the diagram themselves or ask for help.
 
Re: free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

The SuperSwitch can be thought of as 4 separate 5-way switches. Each Group has a Common, which is always connected to one of the 5 tabs in that group.

You can connect tabs from any Group to any tab in any other Group, and when the tab whose Common is being fed to the guitar's Output is selected, then that other Group's tab will also be active.

Alternatively, you can wire up the switch to behave like 4 separate 5-way switches, and you use another switching system (rotary knob) to pick which Group is active.

Group 1 = Standard 5-way Fender 3-pickup switching with no splits.
Group 2 = Same but with Auto-splits
Group 3 = Splits only
Group 4 = Humbuckers always in Parallel

Or any combination you want that can be done with a regular 5-way.

However, another critical point where the SS differs from a standard Strat 5-way:
A standard Strat 5-way is a 3-way switch with automatic bridges between the 1st and 2nd, and 2nd and 3rd positions, meaning that positions 1, 3, and 5 are "whole" while 2 and 4 are "and". Position 1 is Bridge only, position 2 is Bridge AND Middle, etc.

To make a SS do this, you have to manually join those connections to make 2 and 4 behave that way. If not, then you will get sound from 3 positions and nothing from 2 of them. This is not entirely a bad thing (i.e. kill switch).
 
Re: free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

If you are going to install a Freeway selector switch in a Stratocaster type guitar, it will be necessary to purchase a scratchplate that has not been cut with the slot for a CRL lever type switch. You will also need the correct tool for fastening the switch.

I am a big fan of the Freeway switch but the notion of finding one on a three pickup Stratocaster grates. There is something about the lever switch that is directly analogous to the pickup selections on a Fender guitar - bridge through neck. (This is probably due to decades of habituation.)

Another argument against the Freeway on a Stratocaster concerns the connections to the two tone controls. One pickup is probably going to lose out. Use of a 24-contact Superswitch permits any permutation that you can dream up.

If you require more than five sounds, consider either the Fender S-1 switch or the seven sounds modification.

The websites of DiMarzio, Duncan, Fender, Ibanez and others are all brimming with schematic diagrams suitable for use with the 4-pole, five-way lever selector switch.
 
Re: free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

The thing is, the Freeway Ultra allow 6 positions, but has 28 terminals ;)

Don't forget Concentric Pots which have 2 pots stacked, that allows two pots in one position... Though I dunno if they make a 250k/250k stacked concentric pot at CTS or Alpha... I think allparts has their own brand of it, but I got one of their "alps" 500k/500k and regretted it... I think it was dodgy/shot from the get-go. Both of em. (I have 2, and both are such that they have to be on just a tick for either one to work... and with both at 100% it goes out of phase... which is needless to say, wierd and cool... but not intended)
 
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Re: free way switch vs.fender 5 way super switch

Er, which exact version of the Freeway toggle switch are you writing about? I know of three current models. One of these has at least two previous incarnations.
 
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