HSS wiring advice please

[eclecticsynergy]

I'll preface my next point as just an opinion: does Position 5 (neck pickup only) really need a tone pot? It's a pretty dark sounding tone in that position. So... i personally prefer Option 2 that I described earlier today (no tone ctl in Position 5 but yes in all other positions) vs Option 1 (no tone for Position 3).

That's worth considering.
My reasoning was that I might want really dark neck tone occasionally, while for me Strat middle position is mostly bright rhythm.
But it's worthy of further thought - unless I decide to use the Superswitch.

Kinda leaning towards the Superswitch now since I could use 500K volume and a fat-voiced bridge hum.
I'd intended this guitar to sort of bridge the gap between thick LP tones and the Fenders.

Still, a JB can do quite nicely with a 250K volume in Strat types, and they split rather well.
I have a nice old JBJ sitting around...

Simplicity is attractive in this case where there will be other things going on in the control cavity.

This pickguard has holes for three mini switches where the middle knob would be (I have a dual-concentric to act as the 2 tone controls).
So it's going to be a test bed of sorts.
One switch to add the neck pickup. Another to split the bridge full-time. Those are pretty basic.
The third, a DPDT center-off to select between two pairs of tone caps, or tone bypass.
Not really intricate or complex, but things might get a little crowded.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

That's worth considering.
My reasoning was that I might want really dark neck tone occasionally, while for me Strat middle position is mostly bright rhythm.
But it's worthy of further thought - unless I decide to use the Superswitch.

Kinda leaning towards the Superswitch now since I could use 500K volume and a fat-voiced bridge hum.
I'd intended this guitar to sort of bridge the gap between thick LP tones and the Fenders.

Still, a JB can do quite nicely with a 250K volume in Strat types, and they split rather well.
I have a nice old JBJ sitting around...

Simplicity is attractive in this case where there will be other things going on in the control cavity.

This pickguard has holes for three mini switches where the middle knob would be (I have a dual-concentric to act as the 2 tone controls).
So it's going to be a test bed of sorts.
One switch to add the neck pickup. Another to split the bridge full-time. Those are pretty basic.
The third, a DPDT center-off to select between two pairs of tone caps, or tone bypass.
Not really intricate or complex, but things might get a little crowded.

*if* you're mixing 250K and 500K pot values in the same guitar, the resistors in parallel to the singlexoils method I mentioned earlier won't work out (using just a standard 5 way switch). The resistors method works if ALL pots are 500K. The resistors will darken the 250K pots for the singlecoils down to 163K.

If stixking with a standard 5 way switch, either use all 500K pots plus resistors for the singlecoils, or all 250K pots and a humbucker like the JB that takes 250K pots well and splits well.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

*if* you're mixing 250K and 500K pot values in the same guitar, the resistors in parallel to the singlexoils method I mentioned earlier won't work out (using just a standard 5 way switch). The resistors method works if ALL pots are 500K. The resistors will darken the 250K pots for the singlecoils down to 163K.

If stixking with a standard 5 way switch, either use all 500K pots plus resistors for the singlecoils, or all 250K pots and a humbucker like the JB that takes 250K pots well and splits well.

Ah, thanks for pointing that out. It hadn't occurred to me that the resistor trick would affect my tone pots.
More to think about.

Seems it'd be best to go with the Superswitch then, despite the extra complexity.
That way I can mix pots, use a fat bridge pickup, and also have the two singles share a tone pot.

 

[SFW]

920D Custom sells a prewired harness that will do exactly that. I have it in my strat. Works great. All CTS pots and a super switch.

 

[eclecticsynergy]

920D Custom sells a prewired harness that will do exactly that. I have it in my strat. Works great. All CTS pots and a super switch.

Thanks, I appreciate the suggestion and I might think about it for a future project.
But I already have the parts to do it myself, and the harness would set me back about $120 after tax & shipping.

Also, in this guitar I'm running a dual concentric tone pot since there are three mini switches in place of the center knob.

I've heard good reports about the 920D stuff though, and that wiring looks really tidy.
Was considering an upgrade harness from them a few years ago when MSSC shut down.