wiring lil 59's with p/p

Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

Hi Artietoo,
Well...here's the nearly completed project. I don't have the strings in the first pic. I have the knobs ordered and they should arrive tomorrow. There are a fe quirks in the wiring. Seems to be a short in the middle pot. I'll take it back to Brian and have him correct it. The tones do not seem to be working properly either. I will take your diagram to him just to make sure he gets it right, and I believe he will eventually. I couldn't resist plugging it in and it sounds great in certain positions. Other positions on the 5-way are not as good. I'll wait until it is tweaked until I put it through the paces. Then I'll tell you what it will do.

StratProject1.jpg


StratProject2.jpg


I might add that the neck is extremely fast and straight. I set the action very low and it doesn't buzz on any string. I might replace the frets with jumbo's, but it will smoke just as it is.
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

Hi Artietoo,
The guitar is wired just as I wanted it to be, but I get some buzzing when I split the coil on the bridge. Is this common when the coils are split?
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

That came out looking great. And yes, that is normal. A Lil 59 is a humbucker. When you split it, it isn't. You're just getting normal single-coil noise/buzz. Thats why I had you split the middle pup in a different way than the other two. Hopefully, when you're in the #2 and #4 positions, it should still be relatively quiet.

Artie

btw - Other than that noise problem, how do the Lil 59's sound split? I've never split one.
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

That's a sweet looking guitar, especially considering what you paid for it! Let us know how it sounds.
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

Hi Guys,
Thanks for the compliment. I’ll post a new pic tonight. The new pic with the chrome dome knobs and vintage knob on the 5-way really made the difference. It was as I thought concerning the coil splitting and noise. When I record with it I’ll have to use a gate to control the noise. I’d have to do that with most old tube amps anyway…at least the ones that are worth using.

As for the sound, this axe really growls. My friend, Brian, who plays Van Halen/Stevie Vie style said he was surprised at how dirty it sounded on distortion. I’m more of a jazz/blues/pop/country style player and needed the versatility. I was not disappointed there. The push/pulls gave me the Strat sound that I wanted, and even a bit of a Tele flavor. One tone works the neck and the other one the bridge. There is of course a drop in volume when the pots are pulled, but that’s a price worth paying to get the versatility. It’s not a major hot rod, but I could easily have turned it into one with a Lil JB in the bridge. It’s hot enough to do anything I need to do. I raised the pups up a bit high to get a little more crispness. It plays as good as a new Strat and for sure the setup is better. I might change the frets to wide/jumbos (they are wide/medium), but I’m debating that right now.

This is not a setup for metalheads and ect., but I highly recommend it for someone whose music covers several genres. I plugged it into a Fender blues deluxe (not a RI), and it lit up the room. The grittiness of the bridge combined with the mellowness of the middle and neck pups is fully accessible with the p/p pots and the 5-way. Now if I could just find a way to get rid of the noise when the bridge coil is split, it would be perfect. I give it a 9.9 out of 10 according to my expectations.
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

Hey CF; I'm wondering if you could answer something. Since you're one of the few people I know, off hand, who has 3 lil humbuckers, with 3 individual split switches, do you find yourself using one pup split with another full-on very often? In other words, is there a worthwhile benefit to having individual switches rather than just one "master" split switch.

I realize that it may take some time for you to play with this to answer for sure. No rush. ;)

Thanks;
Artie
 
Re: wiring lil 59's with p/p

Hi Artie,
That’s a good question. Obviously, I believed that three switches were what I needed, but I might change my mind after I’ve used it for a while. You're right...I haven't played with the bells and whistles enough to know if I'm going to mostly splitting them all, or just one or two. I believe that I might use various combinations on a recording where I might "hear" a particular (peculiar?) sound. Previously, I would manipulate the recording (add effects and etc.) to get certain sounds, but I don't like doing that and here's why. When I'm playing, I want the feel—the ambience, so to speak—of the instrument. Think of playing the guitar straight, without any effects at all, then adding distortion after it is recorded. Obviously, you will not play the fills quite right. That’s the long way of saying that I want to hear the various tones and effects when I play a song. Therefore, I decided to try this setup for that type of versatility. When I’ve used this Strat long enough to realize whether a single switch or three separate ones will do the job, I’ll post my opinion.

Anyway, here is the finished product with the chrome dome knobs and vintage 5-way switch. I forgot to add that I blocked the bridge with a solid oak strip because I seldom use a whammy bar. I'd rather have it stay in tune and I don't care much for Floyd Rose type bridges and locking nuts.

Stratcomplete3.JPG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top