Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

[Outlander]

Esteemed forum members,

Since my attempt at a dial-a-split setup for my first guitar build was an unmitigated disaster, I figured I'd attempt to save myself some time and headaches by just asking about this one before I start soldering away...

So I'm thinking of a 3-Humbucker, 3-Volume (no tone), 3-Way-Toggle setup. Basically, this but without the tone pot. To be honest, it's mostly for convenience sakes to get some sound out of this thing while I figured out what I want in th long run. I'd think that you could just remove the tone pot and wire the rest as per the diagram but I have a feeling that's exactly the kind of thinking that caused the aforementioned disaster.

I tried searching for this on the forum before I posted but I'm not even entirely sure what I should be searching for. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Edit:
This is what I've got so far. I can't imagine how this setup could work, I just tried removing the tone pot and "wiring past it" in a way that made sense to me, and combined the grounds in the 3-way toggle for an easier soldering job. Assuming that was a stupid thing to do, why is it?

(setup without the output jack wires)

(middle volume pot including the output jack wires)

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

Just make sure you get that special 3-pickup toggle switch and not the standard 3-way / 2-pickup switch.

 

[Outlander]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

Just make sure you get that special 3-pickup toggle switch and not the standard 3-way / 2-pickup switch.

Thanks for taking the time, bromeister. Yeah, I'd thought of that at some point but completely forgot... as it turned out, I only had the standard 3-way/2-pickup switches but I'll be ordering that special 3-pickup toggle and one of them special 5-way blades at some point today.

Now, being the idiot that I am, I actually wired that thing as per my exquisitely drawn diagram above and was shocked to hear it actually seems to work to some extent. Meaning that I'm actually getting vaguely guitarish sounds out of my amp (the best my lack of playing ability allows for now) and the toggle switch does ...something. I'll be damned if I know what, though. Seems like the top position is the neck pickup, middle position is the middle and bridge pickup together and the bottom position is the bridge pickup? I'm just about to throw some strings in, at which point I'm hoping to have an inkling of an idea what the guitar is doing.

Edit: OK, so the positions seem to be as follows... pos 1 (top) is neck and middle pickup, pos 2 (middle) is all three pickups and pos 3 (bottom) is the middle and bridge pickups. This actually works for me until I get the toggles and switches I need to wire the guitar properly but I'd feel a lot more confident if I had even the slightest idea why this is working. Well, it's a start and we all have to start somewhere. All things considered, I'm actually somewhat shocked at how good this setup sounds and how well the guitar plays since I've messed up pretty much every step in getting this thing together. Should I gather the courage to post a pic of it at some point, you'll see what I mean.

 

[Outlander]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

The middle pickup seems to be drowning out its fellow pickups when its volume is turned all the way up, presumably because I wired the output jack straight into it. On second thought, I think I just might lose the middle pickup altogether and go with a two-humbucker setup instead. That one's a DiMarzio anyway and who needs three humbuckers? Hell, I just use the bridge one like 90% of the time.

So ...sorry about derailing my own thread but now my question is: coil splitting, yes or no?

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

If you do go with coil splitting, look up "partial coil split" on Google beforehand. All you need is a resistor ranging from about 2k2 to no more than 4k7. It helps keep some of the low end from one coil to prevent it from sounding thin, and minimizes the volume drop off. I have it on all my coil split guitars.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

As far as splitting goes...what pickups are they? Some sound better split than others.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Idiot seeks wiring advice for 3H/3V/0T wiring

Edit: OK, so the positions seem to be as follows... pos 1 (top) is neck and middle pickup, pos 2 (middle) is all three pickups and pos 3 (bottom) is the middle and bridge pickups.... but I'd feel a lot more confident if I had even the slightest idea why this is working.

The two outer lugs on the switch are the "inputs", and the middle lug is the "output". The way you have it wired with the output from the switch going through the middle pickup's volume pot to the output jack means that the middle pup will always be on regardless of the switch's position. Thus, when the switch is in the bridge position, you will be blending the bridge and middle pups in parallel. And when in the neck position, you will be blending the neck and middle pups in parallel. When the switch is in the middle position (which normally blends the bridge and neck pups in parallel), you will have all three pups in parallel. It will not be possible to play the bridge or neck pup by itself unless you turn down the middle vol pot. And it will not be possible to play the middle pup by itself unless the other two pots are turned down. Very inconvenient!