Help wiring EMG pickups please

[eqwlyz]

Hi everybody, Michael here.

I am stuck with wiring my emg pickups, I have a set of Kerry King 81/85s with pa2 gain booster switch that I am swapping out of my explorer into my M-100FM.

I am stuck with the selector switch as it is different than the diagram that emg supplied with the pickups.
It is a 3 way blade selector.

Here is a picture I have put together of the EMG diagram, My selector switch itself and also a drawing of my selector switch I made as my phone takes very crappy pictures and it might be easier to use the drawing instead =]

It has 8 pins inline along the bottom of the circuit board, and the middles are joint together which Im pretty sure can be unjoined via soldering iron if need be for the emgs. It goes like this, 1 (2-3) (4-5) (6-7) 8. (-'s) being where the pins are joint together. And it also has 2 more pins, one on each side of the metal casing (earth i suppose?)

Anyway i'd extremely appreciate it if anybody could help me with this as it is a birthday present for my best mate and I really need to get it finished.

Thanks, Michael.

 

[rickardgreg]

Help wiring EMG pickups please

I am guessing this is what you have going on...

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

For the purposes of this thread, the terminal numbering convention translation between the CRL type lever selector and the eight-contacts-in-line PCB type is,

8 7 6 5
1 2 3 4

1 2 3 4 8 7 6 5

 

[eqwlyz]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Thanks guys,

Funkfingers if that numbering is correct, would that mean the picture rickardgreg posted is incorrect?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Yes, except that the diagram in post #2 omits the PA-2 accessory. Typically, this would go in circuit between the volume pot's output terminal and the output jack socket's Tip terminal.

 

[rickardgreg]

Help wiring EMG pickups please

Never done those before. So the crl is different from a fender-type switch as far as lug order goes?

My ibanez import 5 way (8 lugs in a row) is 1-8 left to right. Fender's corresponding lugs are the reverse of your 8765 order, making commons 4&5.

I guess it works out the same. Good luck with those emg's - looks confusing.

 

[rickardgreg]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Make sure your switch is facing the right way. In your photo, you would need to flip it over to correspond to the diagrams, from what I can see.

Usually, the lever to the right is in bridge pickup position.

 

[eqwlyz]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Yup i'll get it the right way around, technically it has 10 pins though as there is two pins on the metal casing too.., & it doesn't solder to the volume pot as it has a solderless bus I think the only soldering is on the selector switch itself.

Im still confused as how to do it though.. :\

It's a 3 way selector from an LTD m-100fm

 

[rickardgreg]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

If you have a multimeter it would help, but here's how the switch works.

Left to right, are lugs 1 through 8 (ignoring those extra ones).

Switches originally were 3 position like yours, until players started notching them to get the extra 2 positions (2 & 4). So the 5 poz came into being.

Lug 1 is bridge, lug 2 middle, lug 3 neck (pups). As you only have 2, I think that is why you have some lugs joined together.

Lugs 4 &5 are called "common". These go to output (vol pot). In switch poz 1 (bridge pup selected), lug 1 & 4 are active. The signal comes from the pup through 1, then travels to common (4), then out to vol pot.

6,7 & 8 are repeats of 1, 2 & 3. A parallel universe if you will.

 

[rickardgreg]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Email emg. Pickup makers are usually quite helpful. Tell them your guitar, the pups you're putting in, plus the photos you took.

If u have no luck there, try guitarelectronics.com and get a diagram made up.

 

[rickardgreg]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Wait...I see now. So that cartoon-type diagram is from emg?



All you do is turn their switch (2 rows of 4 lugs) into a switch like yours (1 row of 8).



First, unsolder the 3 connections on your switch. Those are for wiring 2 passive humbuckers in series (which is what you took out).



You move their 8,7,6,5 to the right of their 1,2,3,4, making it 1 row of 8 lugs, like yours.



Make sure you are looking at your switch with the 2 half-circle type things facing you, the lever at the top.



Treat your lugs as the modified diagram. 1,2,3,4,8,7,6,5, making all the same wiring connections as in the emg diagram.

 

[eqwlyz]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

Thanks so much man I will give that a go & let you know how it goes

 

[eqwlyz]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

& those extra 2 pins on the metal casing would be earthing?

 

[rickardgreg]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

I am guessing so. It looks like that black wire from the emg thing gets earthed to it.

 

[de_dUKe]

Re: Help wiring EMG pickups please

It bugs when the OP never gets back to say how it went so I will do it... 3 years later, yeah I know..

Found this link a few times when searching for a solution to my EMG 81/85 install into my MIJ Jackson Soloist..
I had a similar looking 3 way selector, set up for passive pickups in series with the 3 jumpers in the same places..

Firstly these 3 jumpers need to be removed to make 8 clear pins..
The selector when using 2 pickups needs to be 'laced' up with the jumpers across pins 1,2,5 & 6 as shown in the official EMG diagram above..
The trickiest part is determining the pin order for your selector as each manufacturer seems to have their own way of organising the pins..
Through trial and error on my part I discovered mine were in series 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 the same as the Ibanez owner stated above..
With the switch still in the guitar, pin 1 was at the top. Once you have determined the order and orientation, the connections for 'bridge' (4) 'neck' (8) and 'output' (5) are simple to work out..

So there we have it, another thread completed and hopefully this helps at least one poor lost soul since good solid information is getting harder to find on the internet these days...

Keep on rockin'.... :headbang: