SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

[krismiller]

EDIT: I’ve decided less is more: What I would like instead is posted within the 6th reply of this page.

Happy Thanksgiving y’all. I’ve been wanting to heavily mod my Strat wiring for awhile. I have some spare pots & other gear laying around & its time I finally do something w/them.

I was wondering if its possible to wire a SSS Strat with any kind pickup combination under the known universe? Including parallel, series & out of phase options for each individual pup combo as well? I’m willing to go buy more hardware if necessary. Here’s what I have in my parts drawer at first glance.

X1 Set of Fender Original 57/62 or Fender Fat 50s pups
X3 250k Push Pull pots
X3 250k regular pots
X2 Fender Super Switches
X1 bag of mixed valued caps
X1 Mini-Toggle Switch - taken from an American Elite J Bass V. I believe its On/On DPDT.

I know this would be a pretty ambitious wiring project. Honestly, I’m not even sure its possible. I might get some laughs from the experts, but I wanted to ask anyways. Appreciate any of you pro wiring guys out there chiming in.

PS/ I don’t mind if the pickguard ends up looking like a WWII era cockpit panel... CHEERS!!!

 

[Mincer]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

I thin it is worth it to try at least once to understand combinations you like. Overall, no matter what system you use, it will take a few moves to get to specific sounds. Not bad if you use 1 sound per song, but not fun if you change sounds several times within a song.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

If you really want access to all possible options, you want to be able to turn things on and off individually. For this, I'd do the following:

- Buy a new cheap-ass pickguard, 'cause you're going to trash the one you install this on.
- You need 9 on-on dpdt switches, and three 500k push/pull pots
- Wire up 3 DPDT switches (You'll end up with one unused lug with DPDT, but it'll be cheaper to order a whole bunch of dpdt for this project), one to turn on each single coil pickup

- Wire up 3 DPDT switches switches to reverse phase of each pickup

- Wire up 3 DPDT switches switches for series/parallel switching (neck/mid, neck/bridge, mid/bridge)

- Wire the volume as a push/pull pot that switches between 250k and 500k. You can't approximate the effect of a 250k volume pot by rolling down the 500k tone pot unfortunately . . . and the value of a volume pot makes a big difference in how a pickup sounds.

- Wire the tone pots as PTB, so one controls a bass cut and one controls a treble cut.

- Use push-pulls to select different capacitor values for the PTB wiring:

- Use 500k tone pots. You can approximate the effect of a 250k tone pot just by rolling down the pot a notch or two.

Then I'd **** around with the different combos for a while until I find the sounds I like the best (odds are at least half of the combos you can come up with will be borderline unusable) . . . and eventually wire up a superswitch and vol/tone/tone in a new non-destroyed pickguard to give me access to the sounds that are most useful. Because it would be a nightmare trying to use the multi-switch pickguard live.

 

[shadowfire90]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

I'd go with 4 wire pickups instead by any of your favorite pickup brands. Not going to name brands but either way capacitors can only do so much. My wiring diagram with the most versatility was heavily inspired by a Seymour Duncan P-Rail wiring. Where you get 4 sounds out of each pickup. Honestly it was overkill but I loved the challenge.

I had three 4 wire pickups
a standard 5 way blade
3 push pulls
3 on/on mini toggles (not momentary)
and I got around 44 sounds, the only way to add onto it would be a phase switch or 7 way mod. Seeing as I didn't want to actually remove wood from the guitar I had to stop.

to make peoples lives miserable I made every wire except the important ones red

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

Working with the hardware you already have, and thinking of mods that are high-probability of having staying power:

Convert two of the current pots to push-pulls, so you have the option to:

1. Put the neck & mid pickup in series with each other
2. Put the bridge & middle pickups in series with each other

... so you can emulate a HH type guitar when needed/wanted.

The following diagram is from Deaf Eddie's online collection of wiring diagrams. http://www.deaf-eddie.net/drawings/drawings.html

I would also recommend to mod the below diagram to incorporate GuitarStv's earlier suggestion to convert the two cureent tone controls to a Master Bass Cut control and Master Tone Control, where the Master Bass Cut Control would help with the muddiness that could occur with the neck & middle pickups put in series. The Master Bass Cut control is traditionally a 500K or above valued pot - i don't know how much its functionality would be compromised by using your 250K value push-pull pot.

 

[krismiller]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

Thank you everybody for the options. So I got thinking last night & I’ve settled on less is more. I’d like the following in both Parallel or Series. I don’t need to mix series/parallel tones together. Also when in series, I’d like the pot values to be 500k. If possible, also have the tone cap values different for when in series.

Would the best way to accomplish this be with dual 500/250k pots? Or 500k push pull pots with a resistor wired in when going into parallel? Also will different tone cap values be necessary for when switching from 500k series to 250k parallel tones? Again, I greatly appreciate all of your input!!

All of these tones in either parallel or series:

Standard 5 way Strat
N+M Ø
N+B
N+B Ø
M+B Ø
N+M+B
N+M+B (N Ø M)
N+M+B (N Ø B)

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

You can use .022 uF caps for everything and they'll work fine.

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

Thank you everybody for the options. So I got thinking last night & I’ve settled on less is more. I’d like the following in both Parallel or Series. I don’t need to mix series/parallel tones together. Also when in series, I’d like the pot values to be 500k. If possible, also have the tone cap values different for when in series.

Would the best way to accomplish this be with dual 500/250k pots? Or 500k push pull pots with a resistor wired in when going into parallel? Also will different tone cap values be necessary for when switching from 500k series to 250k parallel tones? Again, I greatly appreciate all of your input!!

All of these tones in either parallel or series:

Standard 5 way Strat
N+M Ø
N+B
N+B Ø
M+B Ø
N+M+B
N+M+B (N Ø M)
N+M+B (N Ø B)

What are you trying to convey by use of the slashed zeros?

 

[Jack_TriPpEr]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

Thank you everybody for the options. So I got thinking last night & I’ve settled on less is more. I’d like the following in both Parallel or Series. I don’t need to mix series/parallel tones together. Also when in series, I’d like the pot values to be 500k. If possible, also have the tone cap values different for when in series.

Would the best way to accomplish this be with dual 500/250k pots? Or 500k push pull pots with a resistor wired in when going into parallel? Also will different tone cap values be necessary for when switching from 500k series to 250k parallel tones? Again, I greatly appreciate all of your input!!

All of these tones in either parallel or series:

Standard 5 way Strat
N+M Ø
N+B
N+B Ø
M+B Ø
N+M+B
N+M+B (N Ø M)
N+M+B (N Ø B)

I also just noticed that you did not list Neck by itself, Middle by itself, nor Bridge by itself as desired outputs. Is that correct?

 

[krismiller]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

My apologies for the confusion.

Standard 5 way Strat = N, N+M, M, M+B, B (plus the ones listed below)

Ø = Out of phase

 

[shadowfire90]

Re: SSS STRAT +SuperSwitch +3PPP +1MiniToggle Options

maybe this , these diagrams are getting as rare as lochness monsters. Phostenix drew these out ages ago. All of these use 2 wire pickups and super 5 way switches and S1 switches. You can add onto this wiring with a lot of the suggestions

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