How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

[stevelightning]

Hi I have just bought a pair of active blackouts and i am wanting to wire them up to my Ibanez MTM 2. I have a little electrical experience but have never wired a guitar up. The instructions seem quite basic but there is no diagram for a 5 way switch. The pick ups are active so will they be ok with the 5 way switch that is already fitted. Also the jack on the guitar looks different to the one provided. Will i need a barrel jack like the one already fitted or will the one fitted be ok. If no one knows of this guitar it is a very basic Ibanez with only 2 humbuckers and 1 volume pot ( no tone pots ). If anyone could provide me with a wiring diagram for this guitar up that would be great as i really want to give this one a go myself.

Thanks for your help guys.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2hb_1vol_5way

Ignore the split (red+white) connections.


You'll need a stereo jack to activate the internal preamps when the guitar is plugged in and deactivate them when it's unplugged, otherwise the preamps will always be on and your battery will drain while the guitar isn't being used.

If the jack you have has 3 or more prongs on it already, it's a stereo jack.

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Hi and thanks for your help. This drawing does not show the battery part of the wiring. How should i include the battery connections to this. What do you mean when you say ignore the split ( red + white ). They both look as if they are going to the same point.

Sorry for all the questions but i want to get this right.

Cheers.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Welcome to the forum.

Am I correct in thinking that the Ibanez MTM2 is the lower cost, passive pickup version of the MTM-1 Signature model?

If so, the original 5-position selector switch needs to be removed along with the OEM pickups. Instead, you require a three-way selector switch and you need to wire it up exactly like a regular Telecaster switch. (See schematic diagrams in main SD website Support section.)

Your basic circuit should look something like this...

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2_blackouts_1v_1t_3w

If you have a slot for a lever selector switch, you need to incorporate this into your personal circuit diagram.

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=standard_tele

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Hi funk. Thats that helps alot. Yes it is a cheaper version of the MTM1 and does have the lever switch I am asuming the black wire that swoops over the lever switch is a link wire soldered onto each point to join the 2 pick ups making them switchable and then joined to the volume pot. Also i guess you just miss all the tone pot parts out and connect straight to the jack.

Thanks.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

I am assuming the black wire that swoops over the lever switch is a link wire soldered onto each point to join the 2 pick ups making them switchable and then joined to the volume pot. Also i guess you just miss all the tone pot parts out and connect straight to the jack.

Thanks.

Link wire = correct
Joined to volume pot = correct
Omit tone pot(s) = correct (on MTM models)

If you desire a tone control (and there is room in the MTM-2 control cavity), feel free to fit one.

Alternatively, if you are in the UK and you want to sell your surplus Seymour Duncan 25k pots and capacitors, send me a Private Message.

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Thanks loads for your help. Just a quick one. Will i need to change the barrel jack to my MTM2 or will the standard one do the job. Except for that and buying a 3 way switch i think i must be pretty much ready for instalation. Will a standard ibanez 3 way fit this guitar.

Thanks again.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Will i need to change the barrel jack to my MTM2 or will the standard one do the job. Except for that and buying a 3 way switch i think i must be pretty much ready for instalation. Will a standard ibanez 3 way fit this guitar.

Thanks again.

For use in a switching active pickup circuit such as yours, the barrel type jack socket will need to have three contacts, arranged Tip-Ring-Sleeve. (I will need to see a photograph of the "inside" end of your particular socket to give any opinion on which terminal is which.)

An Ibanez three-way switch would work. NOTE: The terminal contact layout on a Japanese PCB switch or the well-known YM-30 design is markedly different from the US-style switch in the schematic diagram mentioned earlier.

My personal preference is for the sprung CRL type used by Fender and others. The American switch is physically tougher.

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

I have a spare 3way that i can get my hands on but it is one of the switches which i think is a YM-30. It is a lever with 8 contacts in a row. How would i wire up to that. Do i just follow the drawing but look at the drawing as though the contacts on there run in a line together. AS in wire the White from the pick ups to contacts 2 and 7 and link link up 1,3,6 and 8.


If not could you please explain.

As for my spare pots i am sure we can come up with some arrangements to send them to you.

Thanks.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

The nearest equivalent to a YM-30 switch that I have for comparison purposes is a Cor-Tek three-way lever switch. (The principles are the same.)

Hold your eight contacts in a row, three-way selector switch so that the flat PCB back is furthest away from you. Visualise the contacts being numbered thus, 1 2 3 0 0 1 2 3.

There are two ways to proceed.

EITHER follow the US Telecaster format by creating the equivalent of the link connector across the switch and soldering each pickup to one of the 0 "wiper" contacts. The terminals will end up as...
1 - link to 2
2 - link from 1 + link to second terminal 2
3 - none
0 - Bridge PU
0 - Neck PU
1 - none
2 - link from first terminal 2 + link to 3
3 - link from 2 + output to volume pot input leg

OR Link the 0 "wiper" contacts as the output. Connect the bridge PU to terminals 1 and 2 on one pole of the switch. Connect the neck PU to terminals 2 and 3 of the second pole.

Version one is easier to relate to American circuit diagrams. Version two is easier to solder and unsolder.

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Cool that seems pretty straight forward. Mine is numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. I take it i just leave out 4 and 5. Will this then leave me with neck PU, Neck + Bridge PU, bridge PU. I am only asking all of the obvious as i dont want to damage the pickups and i really want to start getting to know all of this.

I have checked the input and it has 3 terminals on it. 2 the same length and one slightly longer. At the min the long one has a black wire to it and one of the shorter ones has a white. The other is bare.

Thanks loads for all your help.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Cool that seems pretty straight forward. Mine is numbered 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. I take it i just leave out 4 and 5. Will this then leave me with neck PU, Neck + Bridge PU, bridge PU. I am only asking all of the obvious as i dont want to damage the pickups and i really want to start getting to know all of this.

I have checked the input and it has 3 terminals on it. 2 the same length and one slightly longer. At the min the long one has a black wire to it and one of the shorter ones has a white. The other is bare.

Thanks loads for all your help.

Switch terminal translation; (yours to mine in post #10)
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 0
5 = 0
6 = 1
7 = 2
8 = 3

On your switch, the blank terminals will be 3 and 6.

*

Your existing jack socket should suffice. Before desoldering, make a note of the original connections.

1) The long terminal with the black wire will become the system ground.
2) The short terminal with the white wire will become the system output.
3) The short terminal with no connection at present will become the switching ground connection for the PP3 clip.

Final tip. Make sure to offer up the Quik Connect blocks the correct way around.

 

[stevelightning]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Sorry yes i meant to write 3 and 6.

so just a translation of what you have written in comparison to the first diagram you sent

1) The long terminal with the black wire will become the system ground. = sleeve (main ground)
2) The short terminal with the white wire will become the system output. = Tip (hot output )
3) The short terminal with no connection at present will become the switching ground connection for the PP3 clip. = Ring (battery ground)

Just to clarify.

 

[cpaggie_07]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

Hey ya'll, I've been checking out this thread for a few days, I'm trying to install Blackout EMTYs in my MTM2, but have run into a few problems:

1) The SD Vol pot was too large in diameter, but was able to get a 25K EMG pot that fit, and wired it in as per the Blackout install instructions. They're wired the same, right? I bent the unused terminal down to the body of the pot where all the grounds (both pickups and bridge ground) are soldered as well (also shown in the Blackout install instructions).

2) I was able to find a COR-TEK brand 3 way switch to replace the COR-TEK 5 way that came with the guitar.
I wired it as shown above in this thread:
1-Input from Bridge PU
2-Input from Bridge PU
3
4-Output to Vol Pot
5-Output to Vol Pot
6
7-Input from Neck PU
8-Input from Neck PU

Is this right?

3) Unfortunately I cut the wires on my jack before I studied the new wiring schematic, but I think I've got it right. My stereo jack that came with the guitar has three different length terminals, with two of them almost the same length, and one significantly shorter. I've wired it as such:

Longest terminal: System ground (comes from vol pot body where it's soldered with both pickup grounds and the bridge ground wire).
Medium long terminal: Input from the Volume Pot
Shortest terminal: Battery ground

Other than those three things, I'm nearly certain I've done everything else right, but a few more questions:

I twisted both red wires from the pickups with the red wire from the battery terminal, applied some solder, and then taped them up with electrical tape to make it neat. Is this acceptable?

I unbraided the bare ground from each pickup to get the output (white wire) out of it, then twisted them together with the bridge ground wire, then soldered them to the vol pot body. I also wrapped them in electrical tape. Is this acceptable?

I restrung and plugged in to tune up, and got no output from the guitar at all. I plugged into an amp with Vol all the way up, and I'm not even getting hum or noise when cycling the pickup selector switch.

Since these are powered by a battery, I suspect my problem is either with the grounds, or the way I wired the Vol pot.

Please help! Been wanting this guitar for several months and can't wait to play it!

 

[cpaggie_07]

Re: How to wire blackouts to an MTM2

No replies from dudes who play Blackouts with a 3 way switch and one volume pot?