Megaswitch P

[CronoDL]

Hey guys, just some questions here about the Megaswitch P.

I know that it gets you the same pickup switching combinations as a PRS.
1. Bridge HB
2. Inner coils parallel
3. Outer coils series
4. Outer coils parallel
5. Neck

All the positions are what I would want, except that I would like position 3 to be both HB's parallel, but that's not extremely important. So for those who have tried position 3, with the outer coils in series, how does that sound? I've never played with that before, so I would like to know what you guys think of it.

Second thing - If I want 2, 3, and 4 to be hum-cancelling, I would have to flip the magnet of one of the pups and switch the ground and hot, correct?

Ideally, I would rather use the Superswitch to get the usual position 3, but is wiring the superswitch as daunting as it may seem? What do you suggest I do?

Thanks for any help, guys. I've been looking at this stuff and searching the forum for days about these switches. :boggled:

 

[tone4days]

Re: Megaswitch P

i have that switch in my brian moore and am pretty happy with it ... of all 5 positions, 3 is the one i use least ... it just is not as inspiring to me ... i use an AIIP n and JB b, so it might be a function of these pickups split and combined in this way ... i wish i could try it as n+b - parallel instead, but cant do it with that switch ...

i think the superswitch is not that hard to wire up at all ... in fact, i think we kicked around a wiring diagram for it that gets position 3 to be "n+b - parallel" on here a few months back ... i say go for the superswitch if that is what you really want ...

and yes, in order to make it work, you'l have to flip the mag in one of them and wire the black to ground and green to hot for that pup

good luck
t4d

 

[CronoDL]

Re: Megaswitch P

Thanks for the help, T4D. I think I'll take on the superswitch after I decide what pups I want to install on my new RG321.

But I have another question concerning the wiring.
On the diagram, how would I go about the blue-colored connections on the switch? For example, on the lower left pole, the 1, 2, 3 and 4 lugs are connected. Should I thread a bare wire through them and then solder, or individually solder a wire each from 1 to 2, then 2 to 3, and then 3 to 4?

 

[tone4days]

Re: Megaswitch P

i like your idea of threading wire through them .. would be 'lower real estate' and easier to do with a cleaner result ...

i, on the other hand, am a pickup-wirer of very little brain, and actually made little jumpers of wire which were a b!tch to work with ... where were you when i needed you !!

as for pickups, what kind of tone are you aiming for? does that RG have a floyd style trem?



good luck
t4d

 

[CronoDL]

Re: Megaswitch P

The RG doesn't have a trem, it's a hardtail and it has a mahogany body, with a HH setup. I'm not much of a trem player.

Basically, this is going to be the "shred" guitar. For metal and hard rock and that kinda stuff. John Petrucci is my god :notworthy

It's a starting point, but I'm not trying to get his tone in particular. I have a guitar with a JB, and I think it's a good pickup, but personally, I think I could use a little more bottom end. I'm thinking of a Custom, but not totally sure. For the neck, I just want some searing lead tones under gain. The 59 gets a little bassy/muddy to me sometimes. I'd want something a little clearer. For familiarity's sake, I'm trying to stick with SD's. But if I get a lot of recommendations, I'll try DiMarzio's.

Oh yeah, since I'll be using the superswitch, the pickups should go well together in the outer/inner coil parallel positions.

Enlighten me. Thanks

 

[tone4days]

Re: Megaswitch P

well, first, i'd advise you start a new thread with this exact topic .. alot of guys who know a ton about pickups might not look in here cus they are not wiring gurus

my 2 cents is to swap out the jazz/jb from your dead DC to see how it sounds in the RG ... wont cost a thing and the JB might be killer (i.e. bass-restored) in an all-mahogany guitar ... if it doesnt work, it'll give you better clues on exactly what you might want to use

i really like the C5 in the bridge of my ibanez ...

good luck
t4d

 

[Artie]

Re: Megaswitch P

One quick thought here, if you want to avoid doing the magnet swap/wire reverse thang, just select north coils and/or south coils instead of inside/outside. That gives you a little tone advantage also. I noticed when I was splitting mine that I liked the inside coil of the bridge and the outside coil of the neck better anyway. Ground the red/white of the bridge, and connect the red/white of the neck to "hot" and you still have a humbucker . . . just one thats 4" wide.

 

[CronoDL]

Re: Megaswitch P

Thanks for the suggestion Artie, but I'm getting a little confused now. Is your suggested wiring for the Megaswitch or the Superswitch?

Thanks