P-rails with 2 five-way switches

[Cuber]

I need assistance whether the following set-up is possible:

I want to build a pickguard with 2 P-Rails each connected to their own 5-way switch. The front 5-way switch will connect to the neck pickup and the back 5-way switch to the bridge pickup. The 5-way switches will control the pickups with the first position being single coil, second posisiton P90, third position Humbucker, fourth position Humbucker in paralel and fifth position the pickup is off. I also want to add a 2 way switch to control the 2 pickups to be in series or paralel. This setup would give 40 different options with the pickups. If this set-up is possible could somebody maybe provide a wiring diagram for this set-up. If somebody has a beter set-up for these pickups to obtain the 40 different options, I would greatly appreciate your feedback.

 

[VinceT]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

I would use SD Triple Shot rings, it’s what they’re designed for! I have them in my Les Paul and my ES335.

That handles all the individual pickup settings, then it’s simply a matter of a 3-way to handle the on-off and a push-pull (or Fender S1 switch) for series/parallel.

Or you could use a 4-way to do both selection and series/parallel.


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[VinceT]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

One other thing, with the options I offered, all of the wiring diagrams are already available on the SD site (I used them to wire my Les Paul)

https://vincet.net/2013/11/15/guitar-stuff-deep-surgery-on-my-les-paul/


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[Aceman]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

OK - I love this just for the unique dual 5 way switches!

Yes - a standard 3 way with triple shots is the OBVIOUS answer. But this gets high marks for style and originality!!!!!

 

[Mincer]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Certainly Triple Shot rings are the easiest and most elegant way to get many sounds...but you have to think about how you like to work. I tend to only use 5 sounds at the most, and once I know what they are, I hardwire that to a super 5 way switch, if possible.

 

[Cuber]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

I have considered the triple shots but the guatar I intend to use is a more S-type guitar and triple shots will not look nice. The triple shots would be a last option if I can not make my plan to succeed.

 

[gregory]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

It is unlikely that you will get more than a half dozen worthwhile tones out of the 40.

My $0.02:
The only usable tone of a P-Rail in the bridge is the P-90; possibly also parallel depending on the guitar. In the neck it would be the same, but the parallel stands a much better chance of sounding good. Realistically that makes a total of five tones: achievable with one super switch. In general I'm not a fan of putting neck and bridge coils in series, but I could see the combination of the two rails in series as being worthwhile, possibly.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Hi Cuber and welcome to the forum! [emoji2]

Don’t listen to the nay-sayers… They OBVIOUSLY have no imagination or sense of taste! Don’t want the triple shots? I don’t blame you… I’m actually pretty tired of mine and I’ve only had them in for about two years. I think your idea is pretty cool, and I started working on a diagram for you but ran out of time before I had to head for band rehearsal tonight. I’ll try to get something finalized for you by tomorrow evening if you’re still interested.

 

[gregory]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

So my $0.02 is only worth that. Glad to know I have no sense of taste and lack imagination.

Any more personal insults???

I encourage trying different things and can only echo Mincer's sentiments. It makes far more sense to come up with an easy solution to find out what you like than to jump through hoops searching for tones that are only meh compared to others that are great. But alas, I guess you'd call our administrator is a nay-sayer too!

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

I have nothing but respect for Mincer… He is a pretty standup guy. I do, however, have a problem with someone telling a person ahead of time what sounds they will and will not like out of a pickup like the P-Rail which has so many choices to offer. Just because you only like the P90 in the bridge doesn’t mean that he will feel the same. The OP is looking for a guitar that will give him every possible sound he can think of from these pickups and I don’t see why it’s a problem for him to have it. Maybe he will find that he only likes four or five of them, or maybe he will find that he likes 30 of them, but how else is he going to find that out except through trying them all?

 

[gregory]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

I do, however, have a problem with someone telling a person ahead of time what sounds they will and will not like

I thought it was pretty clear I was expressing a personal opinion. I guess I goofed again. Oh well. :dunno:

PS: Good on you for working on a diagram. The OP is in very capable hands.

PPS: I will also give props to the dual blade and push/pull idea for being straight-forward and efficient.

 

[BriGuy1968]

P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Question for you, Cuber… What other controls will you be planning to have on this guitar? Pickup selector switch? Volumes? Tones?

 

[Aceman]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

I agree that IN MY EXPERIENCE most mega-switch option guitars have far fewer practically usable options than you would think. That said, there is a time to say screw practical. I'm just picturing this really cool dual side-by-side 5 way blade switch like the throttle in a twin engine jet!

Go for it.

And Dave, our beloved Admin, is both more conservative and more experimental than most people here. If you want to get freaky-tone-teeki, he'll easily go there with you. But I don't think he read that in the OP, and neither did I.

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Well Cuber, here ya go. Sorry it took so long,

I tried and tried to get the master series parallel switch to work with just a standard DPDT switch so you could put it on a push/pull if you wanted, but it just wouldn’t quite get there. The problem came from the 5th position (off) on the 5-ways... in order to work correctly in series it wouldn’t work in parallel and vice versa. Without getting into the gory details, the only way I could solve the problem was to employ a 2-way 4PDT mini.

But it should work for you...

Let me know if you have any questions.

 

[gregory]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Without getting into the gory details, the only way I could solve the problem was to employ a 2-way 4PDT mini.

Fender S1 Switch?

 

[BriGuy1968]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Fender S1 Switch?

Hmmmm... possibly... [emoji848]

I also thought about using a three position four pole rotary switch and adding a phase reverse.

 

[Mincer]

Re: P-rails with 2 five-way switches

Whoa, Bri, that is some serious diagramming there. Amazing work!