Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

[Bizango]

I have a Lawrence L-500 and a single coil. I want to know if there is a way to wire it up to a 5 way selector for a Strat-style I have. I'd like to be able to use all 5 positions in some way but can't seem to find a decent wiring diagram that doesn't include push-pulls or mini switches.
Any suggestions or help appreciated!

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

First, is it a 2 wire or 4 wire Lawrence?

Next - a single coil what? Makes a difference, if you don't know.

You want a 5 way with 2 pickups? You really need to explain yourself in more detail.

 

[Bizango]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

Thanks Goober!
It's a 4 wire. The single coil is a cheap lipstick tube thing. Not terribly concerned with levels because I'm mostly using it for recording and I don't do a lot of toneal acrobatics in one song usually. I'll be using the humbucker most of the time most likely but I'd like to have other thinner and quirkier/quackier options too. Not terribly interested in what is going to give me typical Jimmy Page, Iommi or SRV, Clapton type sounds (though I'm not against that stuff just saying, it doesn't have to be what is considered traditional) but I would like to have one position giving me just the humbucker. I've done some pickup installations/swap outs before and consider myself fairly confident with a soldering iron but I've not attempted to do any thing like this where I'm monkeying around with a 4 conductor wired other than just as a humbucker.

It's not necessarily pertinent but the body is mahogany.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

Dont think too much. just get get a color scheme for lawrence and wire it accordingly. If you get an out of phase sound in the middle, just swap the leads of the single coil.

color codes: http://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/the-tone-garage/humbucker-wire-color-translation

 

[Bizango]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

Thank you, Hamerfan.
So...if I use the two leads that would be the "series link" as the middle pickup will it do anything? Or I should say the series link wired where the middle pickup would normally be wired to the switch. OR, would it make more sense to do each coil of the bucker wired to separate positions on the switch? Would they act as a bucker (parallel instead of series though) when a position is selected that uses them both?
Don't really care about getting an out of phase sound, in fact I think that would be alright. Just trying to get the most out of a little bit. I figure there are 5 positions, why not get something out of them all. With 4 wires on the bucker I figure there's got to be some way to get something interesting going on. Even if a couple of the positions are thin and shrill and weird, all the better.

 

[hamerfan]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

Thank you, Hamerfan.
So...if I use the two leads that would be the "series link" as the middle pickup will it do anything? Or I should say the series link wired where the middle pickup would normally be wired to the switch. OR, would it make more sense to do each coil of the bucker wired to separate positions on the switch? Would they act as a bucker (parallel instead of series though) when a position is selected that uses them both?
Don't really care about getting an out of phase sound, in fact I think that would be alright. Just trying to get the most out of a little bit. I figure there are 5 positions, why not get something out of them all. With 4 wires on the bucker I figure there's got to be some way to get something interesting going on. Even if a couple of the positions are thin and shrill and weird, all the better.

There is no benefit of using a 5 way with 2 pickups. You will have 4 different sounds without another pickup.

 

[Bizango]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

If I want to wire it so that each coil of the bucker is a parallel single (bucking when both selected) would I just wire each pole's start to a terminal and ground the finish or do I need to use one pole's finish? Not worried about the brighter sound of using them in parallel instead of series I think that's more what I'm after.
Thanks for the reply.

 

[Chris Pile]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

I think you could get all possible sounds from that combo with a pickup selector and a 3 way toggle for the Lawrence. But I'm no expert when it comes to soldering up a circuit.

 

[Bizango]

Re: Lawrence L-500, Single Coil & 5 way switch?

Right. Trying to avoid another switch. I think if it's possible to wire the coils separately then have them in parallel when selected on the 2nd position and the 4th giving one coil of the bucker and neck I'd be a happy camper.