Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

[Ursupator]

Hi guys,

I'm building a Kit Stratocaster together with my dad and brother and we need some advise for the wiring.

It should be like this:

HSH
3 Way toggle (B M N )

2 Vol Pots [1 Blackout Preamp]
-1. Vol Pot: Bridge and Middle
-2. Vol Pot: Neck

2 Tone Pots (each of them Push Pull for setting the bridge and neck pickups in series)
-1.Tone Pot: Bridge and Middle
-2. Tone Pot: Neck


PUs are:
Bareknuckle Aftermath (Bridge)
Bareknuckle Cold Sweat (Neck)
DiMarzio DP409 Heavy Blues 2 (Middle)


We found lots of wiring diagrams for the BMP-1 but none for HSH configs

First we thought about replacing the Volume Pot on the BMP with a Tandem one, so we only need 2 Knobs on the Body. But from the pictures we couln't tell if it could be done so easily

Thanks in advance

 

[orpheo]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

you can't hook up 3 pickups on 1 BMP. You'd need two BMP's.

You also can't wire a 3 way toggle to be 'bridge / middle / neck'. Not a regular one anyways. You'd need something like this:

Replacing the pot: what would that do for you? The middle pickup wouldn't be "BMP'd", if you will.

if you don't mind that, and wish the middle to be passive, then yes, it would be doable (but the middle pickup would 'see' 25k instead of 250K so it would sound muffled and overly bassy: no trebles at all). I'd suggest you get a second BMP for the middle pickup and either do no tone at all, or accept the third pot.

cheers!

 

[Ursupator]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

It wouldn't be bad if the middle PU is passive.
It is planned as the "clean sound PU" and also it wouldn't be bad if it isn't controlable or amplified at all. That was just an idea.
I know that I need a special toggle switch like the one from the photo. Luckily they are widely available in the online shops here.
The 2 tone pots for the Bridge and Neck are really important for me.

And if we really need 2 BMPs we won't do it at all (or maybe later on) because it would get too expensive (80€/89USD p.p) just for some minor tone changes

 

[Ursupator]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

And even without the BMP I don't have a clue how to wire it

 

[orpheo]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

to go with the middle passive is doable.

series/split with the BMP? forgetaboutit. Just won't work with the BMP because it needs all four wires of a pickup to make it active. it is a HUGE difference by the way, over the normal passive tone. You will lose a lot of the tone the pickup originally had. and no, you can't switch between passive or active.

Still wanna go this route?

PS. I'll try to make a diagram later.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

nop. I can't figure it out with that toggle. I can do it with a 3 way tele switch but not like this. Sorry.

how do you wanna do the four pot setup in a strat, for heaven's sake?! that's TIGHT man. Really, really tight. I did a BMP once in a strat and that was a bloody nightmare. Never, ever again and believe me... I have done many guitar wirings over the years. Close to 500 rewires and close to 200 guitars build so far. Unless it's a rear-routed guitar, in which case I still highly recommend using a 3 way blade switch.

 

[Ursupator]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

nop. I can't figure it out with that toggle. I can do it with a 3 way tele switch but not like this. Sorry.

how do you wanna do the four pot setup in a strat, for heaven's sake?! that's TIGHT man. Really, really tight. I did a BMP once in a strat and that was a bloody nightmare. Never, ever again and believe me... I have done many guitar wirings over the years. Close to 500 rewires and close to 200 guitars build so far. Unless it's a rear-routed guitar, in which case I still highly recommend using a 3 way blade switch.

Yes it is a rear routed. I should have mentioned that earlier.

As I said, I wanted to use tandem pots like those

There are some out there that are log on the upper shaft and lin on the lower.


After all your coments I think a BMP is a really bad idea. May I don't even benefit from it because the Pus are already so hot.

 

[orpheo]

Re: Help with wiring a Strat with Blackout Preamp

Yes it is a rear routed. I should have mentioned that earlier.

As I said, I wanted to use tandem pots like those

There are some out there that are log on the upper shaft and lin on the lower.


After all your coments I think a BMP is a really bad idea. May I don't even benefit from it because the Pus are already so hot.

the BMP is a fine device but would be even better if it were just one single module, without the pot. It hinders its usability, imho.

You can't use a 25k for the passive middle pickup, so you'd have to use an extra pot for that. it's just one big complication and not super-usable. ditching the BMP would be the easiest route to success