Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

[mtsnowjk]

Hi everyone,

My son and I are re-building a Squier Stagemaster7. We just completed refinishing it in blue satin and are stoked to install some new electronics. We are going with the Sentient and Pegasus combo and will run it through a 5-way super switch with 1 volume pot and 1 tone pot. We are looking to configure it as:
1. Bridge humbucker
2. Outer coils parallel
3. Both humbuckers
4. Inner coils parallel
5. Neck humbucker
Does anyone have a recommendation for the wiring? I couldn’t find a match on the forum so far.
Thanks for the help.
Mark

 

[Artie]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Cool project. Wiring options are a very personal thing, but here's what I'd do different. I've never been a fan of inner/outer coil splitting, because to remain humbucking, you have to do some pup wire manipulation and a mag flip. So much easier to just do bridge slug/neck screw coil. Make your #2 and #4 position those two coils parallel and those two coils series. This gives you the Strat quack and the virtual middle humbucker. (The slutbucker, as it were, in my title.) And all positions remain humbucking.

My 2-cents worth.

Artie

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Welcome to the forum!

I've done something similar to this and wrote a blog about it..maybe it will help?

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks Artie. I'm not sure I followed what you mean by making #2 and #4 position those two coils parallel and those two coils series. Is there a post you could point me to?

Thanks again.

Mark

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks Dave. That was a great post. I'm curious how happy you have been with the set-up...would you do it again or think about an different configuration? Also, looking at the diagram I can't see what is going on with the 3rd post on the volume pot. It looks like it is soldered to the pot?

Thanks!

Mark

 

[Artie]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks Artie. I'm not sure I followed what you mean by making #2 and #4 position those two coils parallel and those two coils series. Is there a post you could point me to?

Thanks again.

Mark

It just means that you'd do the same thing that you were going to do in the first place, except that you use the neck screw coil instead of the slug coil. Then in the other position, you'd use these same two coils, but wire them in series. That way, you get a virtual 3rd humbucker with one coil at the bridge and one at the neck. It's one of my favorite sounds. Gimme a sec or two and I'll see if I can dig up a diagram from my archives. They're on a different computer so might take me a little time.

You'd have this: (If you have any interest in this, I've got the diagram around here somewhere. The wiring is surprisingly simple.)

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

This might not be as interesting a wiring, but I've found this to work incredibly well with two humbuckers:

1-Bridge humbucker
2-Bridge pickup in parallel
3-Arties "Virtual Third"
4-Neck in parallel
5-Neck humbucker

That way you get a healthy amount of versatility as well as an intuitive switching system. Also all 5 positions are hum free.

Excellent choice of pickups by the way.

 

[blind1]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Came to chime in about great choice for pickups. Lots of good suggestions here.

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks Artie, that makes sense now. I'd appreciate seeing the wiring if you can dig it up.

Mark

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks @Christopher. We put the Pegasus and Sentient combo in my Epiphone Les Paul a year ago and loved the result so it was an easy choice to put them in the Stagemaster7.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Thanks Dave. That was a great post. I'm curious how happy you have been with the set-up...would you do it again or think about an different configuration? Also, looking at the diagram I can't see what is going on with the 3rd post on the volume pot. It looks like it is soldered to the pot?

Thanks!

Mark

I have this in several guitars right now, so I guess I like it! The 2 & 4 positions don't sound perfectly Stratty, but they are close. Sometimes I have swapped the neck out for a Jazz, other times I've used a 59/Custom Hybrid in the bridge. Yes, that 3rd lug goes to the back of the pot.

 

[Artie]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

This might not be as interesting a wiring, but I've found this to work incredibly well with two humbuckers:

1-Bridge humbucker
2-Bridge pickup in parallel
3-Arties "Virtual Third"
4-Neck in parallel
5-Neck humbucker

That way you get a healthy amount of versatility as well as an intuitive switching system. Also all 5 positions are hum free.

Excellent choice of pickups by the way.

That's also an excellent option. I've done one that way also.

Thanks Artie, that makes sense now. I'd appreciate seeing the wiring if you can dig it up.

Mark

No prob. I'll give you one for my option and for Chistophers. Give me a little time. I'm fighting a nasty cold that's just zapping my motivation. But I'll try to get this done tomorrow.

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

That's awesome. Thank you. Artie/Christopher, do I need to flip the magnet with either of the configurations you mention?

I created another problem for myself by attempting a magnet flip today...the Pegasus pup is grounded to the backplate and I broke the wire when pulling it apart. There were visible wires on the other side of the pup so I missed seeing that tiny solder point. For anyone looking to do this with a Pegasus, the ground wire is on the same side as wire harness exit. The wire isn't long enough to get enough separation to extract the magnet so don't attempt that side like I did. I don't know if my soldering skills are good enough to re-connect it but I will attempt it tonight with a little practice ahead of time. I'm hoping I haven't just created a paperweight.

 

[Artie]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Wow. Too bad, because you don't need to do a mag flip for either configuration.

I'll have the diagrams tomorrow.

 

[mtsnowjk]

Re: Pegasus and Sentient with super switch

Well, it took steady hands (and meditation) to re-solder the Pegasus pup to the back-plate and after two hours of trying, I am happy to report that it was a success! Tomorrow we plan to wire everything and hope to finish the re-build by the end of the weekend. We still haven't decided on the wiring configuration but will settle that soon.

Thanks everyone for your help and guidance with this!