Totally confused

Cerps

New member
Have a Squier strat that came SSS with a volume and 2 tone knobs and the 5 position switch. I put a 59' in the bridge. All I did when swapping out was unsolder the old bridge and solder in the new bridge. The 59' works great. I'm puzzled now because one of the tone knobs acts as the volume for the two single coils and the switch only works in the 1, 3, and 5 positions. I understand that 1 is the 59' only, 3 should be the middle coil, and 5 should be the neck. My questions are: 1) Why doesn't 4 work as the neck and middle? and 2) How did one of the tone pots become a volume for only the single coils?
 
Re: Totally confused

You changed something else and just don't remember doing it or didn't know you did it. There's no other explanation. You need to compare your wiring point for point with the wiring diagram for a Stratocaster guitar. Do a search on the main Duncan page, click support, click schematics, and find your guitar. Compare every soldering connection until you find out where you went wrong.
 
Re: Totally confused

Thanks. Is my theory right in thinking that if I wire it how it should be that position 2 won't work with a 59' and a single coil, but position 4 should work as the neck and middle coil? Since I'm going to have to open it up anyway, I was thinking I might as well switch out the pots. Would I want to use 250k or 500k pots?
 
Re: Totally confused

When I add a humbucker to a Strat I also change all three pots to 500K. That makes the single coils a little brighter but the humbucker sounds real dull to me with 250K pots.

I'd wire the switch like a normal Strat:

1. neck
2. neck and middle
3. middle
4. middle and bridge
5. bridge

Lew
 
Re: Totally confused

Lew's right about doublechecking all the connections. Also, make sure a ground wire from your humbucker isn't resting against something else.

Often, when adding a different pickup to a strat set, you'll find that the bridge/middle position is out of phase, thin, and honky. To fix that, make sure the red/white are soldered together and taped down. Use the green as pos. and the silver/black as ground. Basically, reversing the hot and ground, and adding the silver to ground.
 
Re: Totally confused

Gearjoneser said:
...make sure a ground wire from your humbucker isn't resting against something else.

Often, when adding a different pickup to a strat set, you'll find that the bridge/middle position is out of phase, thin, and honky. To fix that, make sure the red/white are soldered together and taped down. Use the green as pos. and the silver/black as ground. Basically, reversing the hot and ground, and adding the silver to ground.

Good advice. Yes, something could be pinched or out of place so that there's a now a short somewhere. Maybe the shielded cable of the 59 resting against a terminal of the volume pot or the switch or something.
 
Re: Totally confused

Thanks again for all the advice. I don't have the four conductor version so I don't have to worry about the red and white wires. I've only got the black and then the braiding around it for the ground. Should I cover the braided part with electrical tape or something to prevent it grounding out on something?
 
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