Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

[Mojoe01]

I'm having a hard time finding schematics for the specific wiring I am hoping to do, so I figured I'd come back to the old source of all my information on the subject.

Here's the situation: I have a telecaster that has a middle pickup route that I haven't used in about a decade. I've had it wired like a Les Paul for a long time (HH, 3way toggle, 1V, 1T), and recently changed the humbuckers out for GFS Mean 90's. Now that I'm going the single coil direction, the unused middle position is pretty appealing again. But here's the hitch: I want to keep the setup as it is right now, with the option of adding the middle pickup via its own on/off switch... and I want it in series. I'd like to be able to continue using the guitar with the 3way toggle giving me B, B+N, N options, like a standard tele that just happens to have a toggle instead of a blade. And then add in a push/pull to turn the middle pickup on in series, to get B*M or M*N. (You can probably see where I'm going with this... the next thing I'd do is put a phase switch in there for the middle pickup, to give me a Brian May kind of setup as an option.)

Is that possible to do the way I want it done? I know I can go the Deaf Eddie route, but I love just having the 3way toggle. I don't know what it is, but I've never warmed to blade switching.

tl;dr - Can I run a 3way toggle together with a pickup that operates with an on/off switch to put the pickups in series together.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

The key issues here are the size of the control cavity rout and the running order from pickups to output socket.

I shall presume pickups > selector switch > Vol > socket. (Think of the tone control is a side shoot off the volume pot.) The series diversion switch and third pickup have to go in circuit between the selector switch and the volume pot input.

The Brian May Red Special comparison that you draw is valid. The phase reversal switch needs to be in circuit between the third pickup and the series diversion switch. The two mode switches are directly interconnected and interdependent.

The obvious approaches are to add either two DPDT on/on switches through the control plate or employ two push-pull pots. Since your instrument has a Switchcraft style toggle selector switch, this presents a third possibility - the Freeway 3x3-03 selector switch.

 

[Zhangliqun]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

In series with what?

I had a Lucille that I had routed for a middle pu and I just had it wired to a push/pull pot and from there directly to the output jack (no need for tone on a middle pu in my view). That way I could have every possible combination except middle alone. Worked fine.

 

[Mojoe01]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

In series with either the Neck or Bridge, whichever I had the 3way flipped to. (I suppose all three together if the 3way is in the middle)

And yeah, that's basically what I'm going for, but I'd like to be able to have it in the circuit with the V&T if possible.

 

[Mojoe01]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

Here's my thought.

Here's what I currently have:


Here's Brian May's wiring:


Can I throw the middle pickup circuit from #2 into #1 to make:

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

Your third diagram is what I was attempting to describe in post #2.

 

[Mojoe01]

Re: Middle pickup on/off in series with a 3way toggle.

Ok, thanks! I just wasn't sure if this method would actually work, or if there's an issue with the 3way toggle sitting between the pickups and the dpdt switch.