Help with 11 sound strat

[JRose]

So I have this idea for a strat I’m working on. I want it to be a HSS Strat wired like normal (1st position is neck, 2nd is neck and middle, 3rd is middle, 4th is middle and bridge, and 5th is bridge). I want two additional switches on it; one will be a Humbucker on switch and the other will be to change the Humbucker between in series and in parallel. This would provide a possibility of 11 sounds (both sounds that the 4th position can create would be found in 3rd position as well). My friend told me I’d probably need a second volume pot to make this work. I don’t know a lot about how this all works, so I was wondering if anyone could make a diagram for me to follow, Thank you.

 

[AlexR]

Re: Help with 11 sound strat

You would need 2 push-pull pots.....or 2 mini switches. The benefit of the former is that you don't need pickguard modifications.
No extra vol pot needed.

There should be a 'strat + bridge pickup on' diagram in the wiring library. It doesn't matter what type of pickup that is set up for as the wiring is the same regardless.
You then wire the humbucker to the series parallel switch (also in the diagram library), and then onto the switch terminal that a stock strat diagram shows.

 

[JRose]

Re: Help with 11 sound strat

Should 3 250k’s do it for me or will one need to be 500k?

 

[AlexR]

Re: Help with 11 sound strat

Tough one.....the HSS setup is always a compromise with pot values. For mine you can get away with a bridge humbucker 250 or 300k pot more than the singles can get away with 500k

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Help with 11 sound strat

If you wire it right there should be no compromise. The bridge hb will see 250k, which is close to what they see in a Gibson anyway. The singles see a total of 125k, which is what they see any way.

You would not need a second volume pot. What I'd recommend is standard Strat wiring but with two DPDT toggle switches modded onto the pickguard. You could use push/pull or push/push pots instead, but I myself don't like them with Strat knobs.

 

[PicoRiveraTele]

Re: Help with 11 sound strat

So I have this idea for a strat I’m working on. I want it to be a HSS Strat wired like normal (1st position is neck, 2nd is neck and middle, 3rd is middle, 4th is middle and bridge, and 5th is bridge). I want two additional switches on it; one will be a Humbucker on switch and the other will be to change the Humbucker between in series and in parallel. This would provide a possibility of 11 sounds (both sounds that the 4th position can create would be found in 3rd position as well). My friend told me I’d probably need a second volume pot to make this work. I don’t know a lot about how this all works, so I was wondering if anyone could make a diagram for me to follow, Thank you.

Another way to go would be to do a "blend" mod, where one of the tone controls blends in the humbucker with whatever pickups you have selected http://www.mojotone.com/support/Schematics-for-Pickups-and-Guitars/wiring-diagram-strat-blender You simply have the wire from the blender knob pair up with the bridge humbucker, rather than the lead from the neck pickup on the five way switch.