HSS Jaguar - Wiring

Danyosound

New member
Last year I threatened to route for a middle pickup in my CIJ Jaguar, and amidst all the Hateraid and protests to leave the Jag alone, I put her under the knife. My next interest was what to with the wiring of the switches. Though I originally had some lofty plans, I ended doing the simple thing: 3 on/off switches. (Before the middle pup augmentation, I had the series/parallel mod in operation for two pickups).
The pickups I have in my current SSS Jag are two SD Antiquity IIs, and the stock CIJ Jag single in the middle.
(Last Year's Thread)

When I was making all these mods, I was a person who collected pedals and experimented with my guitar in the comfort of my own home, having not played with others for about 15 years. Since then, I started playing in a band, and so things have changed. I noticed that my Jag squeals terribly with fuzz, and does not sustain well until the squealing kicks in. So now I’m interested in using a single-coil-sized humbucker: SD Lil 59er. So now I want:

Bridge: SD Lil 59er
Middle: SD Antiquity II (for Bridge)
Neck: SD Antiquity II (for Neck)

(I have considered putting the Lil 59er in Middle position. The Wayne Kramer Stat has a similar configuration, with Single Coils for the Bridge and Neck. The Middle pickup is a full-sized SD 59. Any thoughts?)

The next consideration is the switching. I want to know if the following switching configuration is possible for an HSS Jag. The lead plate will be modded to have a 3-way toggle and the two standard on/off switches. (Do I have to get a special plate, or can I use the existing plate without modification?)
Faction Custom Control Plate for Jag -- 3G

(One of my other guitars has Neck and Bridge Humbuckers and I love the sound of just using one coil from each)


Three-Way Toggle
RIGHT: Bridge Humbucker only
CENTER: Bridge Single (from Humbucker) + Singles (Neck + Middle)
LEFT: Singles (Neck + Middle)

When LEFT is selected, Neck and Middle single coils are available
- On/Off 1: Neck
- On/Off 2: Middle

With this theoretical configuration, when I have CENTER selected, I can combine the single coil from the Humbucker with either the Neck or Middle singles, or have all three singles available.

Three Basic Questions:
1) Is such a configuration possible?
2) If so, could a schematic be drawn up?
3) Which coil would be recommended (N or S) from the Humbucker to provide “quack” when combined with the other pickups?

THANKS
 

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Re: HSS Jaguar - Wiring

Three Basic Questions:
1) Is such a configuration possible?
2) If so, could a schematic be drawn up?
3) Which coil would be recommended (N or S) from the Humbucker to provide “quack” when combined with the other pickups?

1) Yes.
2) Yes but not by lazy, old me.
3) Go with whichever coil cancels hum when combined with the single coils.

In my opinion, hardware, scale length, the distance between the pickups and string gauges will conspire to prevent a modified Jaguar copping the classic "in between" Stratocaster sound. My solution would be to buy one of each instrument.
 
Re: HSS Jaguar - Wiring

1) Yes.
2) Yes but not by lazy, old me.
3) Go with whichever coil cancels hum when combined with the single coils.

In my opinion, hardware, scale length, the distance between the pickups and string gauges will conspire to prevent a modified Jaguar copping the classic "in between" Stratocaster sound. My solution would be to buy one of each instrument.

I have enough guitars. It is not unreasonable for someone to try to cram all the sounds necessary for themselves into one guitar, and to use one guitar as a back-up in case something goes wrong in the 25-30 minutes allotted for a normal set.

I prefer the neck pickup of Jaguar to its bridge; I never use the Jag bridge alone.
I prefer a humbucker for a bridge, but more importantly, I prefer no squeal.
I like the quack of a Strat neck and middle.

I don't see any reason why my Jag couldn't make those sounds, or sounds that are close enough to my needs.
I also need to have the strings behind the bridge of a Jag/Jazz. (Speaking of strings, I use Ernie Ball: Skinny Top Heavy Bottom (10-52)

There is a reason why Seymour Duncan is known for their pickups and not their guitars or amps (which are in short production anyway), and it's because there is a culture of hot-rodding guitars to accommodate the sounds some musicians need, and to experiment with new sounds.

If someone told Cobain not to put a humbucker in his Jag...
If someone told L Ranaldo not to put a humbucker in his Jazz...
If someone told R Smith not to put a Teisco single coil between the pickups on his Jazz...

Sorry to be Captain Obvious

To be sure, the Jaguarillo does a lot of things I like, but the Strat pickups nullify the Jag sound and the strings behind the bridge are shorter than a regular Jaguar.

I'm not angry, but I sometimes find it frustrating when suggestions are made to change the vision of a person trying to modify their guitar to just give up and buy an appropriate instrument, when in these cases, the appropriate instrument is the guitar pickup, not the guitar.
 
Re: HSS Jaguar - Wiring

I'm not angry, but I sometimes find it frustrating when suggestions are made to change the vision of a person trying to modify their guitar to just give up and buy an appropriate instrument, when in these cases, the appropriate instrument is the guitar pickup, not the guitar.

Read my words again. At no point did I say that you should not try your idea.
 
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