Noob Needs Guitar Wiring Advice

[wokeye]

I recently took my guitar to a tech for a fret dress, I also mentioned to him about the noisy pickup selector switch. I actually replaced the pickup switch myself and wired the 5 way selector switch exactly the same as the one that came out of it. The guitar is dual humbucker guitar, the pickups have 4 core conductor cable, it has just 1 tone and 1 volume pot, and the 5 way switch. When the tech was testing the switch he showed me that when the switch is in the bridge position only one of the coils on the humbucker was working, when it was in the neck position only one of the coils were working in the neck pickup. In the middle position all the coils of both pickups were working, and in the other 2 positions it was both coils on one pickup along with one from the other pickup. He was checking this by tapping the pickups with a screwdriver. The pickups are generic ones that came with guitar, but they appear to have the same clolour code as Seymour Duncan's and Dimarzio's. They have a white cable, a red, a green, a black and the uninsulated ground cable. I am tempted just to fit a 3 way switch like on a Les Paul/SG as I am such a noob. But either way I would like to have both the coils on the bridge and neck pickups working alone.

[mustang5]

Hi, I'm afraid not all colour codes are the same:mad:

Try this web page - I hope it helps;

 

http://www.hotrodguitars.com/WireCode.htm

 

Good luck with it mate!

[wokeye]

Hi, I'm afraid not all colour codes are the same:mad: Try this web page - I hope it helps; http://www.hotrodguitars.com/WireCode.htm Good luck with it mate!

 

Ok thanks for the reply mate. The guitar is a Maverick Species 1, unfortunately they have went bust so there is no support available. I have a feeling that I read that they had DiMarzio designed pickups so I may try that way, if that doesn't work I will try the Seymour Duncan way. I am just a bit of a noob and hope that I can tell if they are out of phase or something

[Deaf Eddie]

Well, for starters, Seymour Duncan and DiMarzio may use the same colored wire leads, but the COLOR CODE for the leads is completely different - and different again for another manufacture!

 

For example:

 

 

AND...

 

 

NEXT, even though you copied the wiring exactly, perhaps your replacement 5-way was configured differently - there are SEVERAL different layout for lugs on 5-way switches:

 

 

If you tell us which color goes where now on your 5-way, (a picture would be nice) we MAY be able to help you. We'll also need to know which 5-way you have installed.

 

Here's the trick for figuring out which lead is which from your pickups. Once you get the color code sorted out, we can help you with the 5-way connections.

 

In a bundle of four colored wires and ONE bare wire, the bare wire is 99.9% sure to be the ground/shield. It goes to ground on the back of a pot, no matter what else you determine. Here's how I figure out the rest of the leads - unsolder all four leads and get out yer multimeter.

 

Set the range to 20k ohms.

 

Touch a probe to one of the colored leads and hold it there.

 

Test the other probe on each of the other colored leads.

 

ONE and only one should give you a reading in the 3k to 7k range - both others should be open (no reading). Those two leads belong to ONE coil.

 

The other two leads belong to the second coil - you can confirm this by checking their impedance, should be very close if not exactly the same as the other pair, in the 3k to 7k range.

 

To figure out which leads go to which coil, try this:

Switch yer multimeter to volts, touch the probes to a pair of leads. Now, TAP on the polepieces with something metal. Typically, you'll get a reading from both sets of pole pices, but one set will be WAY higher - that's the coil that the leads go to. Make a chart - write it down!

 

Now, as far as PHASING the two coils, I don't really know a better way to do this than to use yer ears. Coils in series read the SAME on a mulitmeter, in-phase or out-of-phase. It's a crap shoot.

 

Pick your most likely candidate from each coil (say, a dark/cold color from one and the light/hot color from the other), and twist the ends together. Run the other two leads to the hot and ground, and plug 'er in. IN PHASE coils will sound like a normal humbucker, out of phase coils will sound whimpy, thin and nasally.

[guitarcapo]

You'd think the pickup manufacturers would be able to get together and decide the colors to make their wires standard. Why the pissing contest?

[wokeye]

Here is some more info thanks for the replies guys , but this is doing my head in.

 

Basically the switch is behaving in the following way. Assuming position 1 is the position furthest south it is like this.

 

Position 1: South Coil of B/Pickup only.

 

Position 2: South Coil of B/Pickup and both coils of N/pickup

 

Position 3: All Coils of all pickups.

 

Position 4: North Coil of B/Humbucker and both coils of B/Pickup.

 

Position 5: North Coil of N/Pickup only.

 

Something is obviously wrong as I believe Position 1 should be both coils on the bridge pickup and Position 5 both coils of the neck pickup. I have made a drawing that is not to good, I had to make the white cable light blue to show up. I also missed out the uninsulated earth's but these just go on the back of a pot along with the black wire's. I was just thinking of fitting a 3 way switch as a 5 may be to complex and just having it working like a Les Paul. I am sure I have wired it up correctly but I never kept the original pictures but remember double checking everything. The problem is that the pickups are generic Maverick LQ-64 pickups. I read somewhere that they are Dimarzio designed so maybe they use there colour coding. As Dimarzio and Seymour Duncan use the same colours but they are not for the same signal Just wondered if anybody is an electronics expert and may have some idea what is going on and how to put it right by looking at my rubbish diagram. Or somebody may have a Maverick guitar that could point me in the right direction. Any help please as I am pretty stupid when it comes to things like this.

 

 

Please note that the wire going to contacts 4 and 5 on the switch is just a separate wire that has white cable inside it and an uninslated earth. The white cable connects to contacts 4 & 5 then goes to a contact on the Vol pot. The uninsulated earth just goes from an earth lug on the pickup switch to the back of the Vol pot. I have also missed out wires for the tone pot and jack etc but I have never touched these.

 

From what is going on above would anybody have any idea how to wire up a simple 3 way toggle switch or something

 

Or has anyone in the UK or Europe got a Maverick guitar that could take a picture or something for me please. As I do not believe these guitars were available in the US. They have also went bust so no support is available.

[wokeye]

Great info by the way Deaf Eddie As I said I replaced the 5 way switch with one that looked exactly the same as I could not get a replacement as Maverick had gone bust. It just looked the same only that the new one the eight contacts were numbered 1 - 8 and the original was not. I wired it exactly as it was, but if the switch is different it could explain my grief

 

Some pics of the installed switch

 

[Deaf Eddie]

If you just want to chuck it all and go with a 3-way, simply tape off the red and white series pairs (but leave them soldered together), and treat the greens as the two hots and the blacks as the two grounds. IF your pups actually DO follow the Seymour Duncan color code (and it looks to me like they might), that should be pretty easy. Try it and tell us what you get.

 

I just can't get my head around the results you have indicated in your previous post. It could just be me, but I think you might have a non-standard 5-way switch thang going on, or something. Sheeesh.

[wokeye]

Thanks very much for your help Eddie, very much appreciated. As I said I did wire this up exactly the same was as it was with the old original switch. I am probably just going to try a 3 way and see what happens then at least I will have some idea about what is going on. I may try a 5 way again in the future. Maybe it is just a weird switch, it did not cost that much anyway. Thanks again

[GarysBlues]

Good Looking out guys!!!

[wokeye]

Sorry for been a total noob just wanted one more piece of advice. I have now got a 3 way switch. This one has 7 contacts numbered 1 - 7, the tab on the side must be the earth. Obviously I am going to join the red and whites together as mentioned above. I just wondered what connections do the green "hot" wires from each pickup go to? And the what connection does the white wire go to that goes to the Vol pot? And do I need to bridge any connection like were on the old switch. Thanks for any help Deaf Eddie or anybody else please

 

[Deaf Eddie]

Wow, I've never seen that particular switch.

Did you get any documentation with it?

Can we see the other side?

 

If there's nothing to indicate which lug is the common, it's time to break out the multimeter again... This just never gets easy, does it?

 

My BEST GUESS is that you will find that lug #4 is the common,

and the throws go like this:

 

Throw one = 1, 4, and 5 have continuity

 

Throw two = 2, 4, and 6

 

throw three = 3, 4, and 7

 

Please confirm or correct...

[mnhhngbfs]

Honestly? I'd pull the 5-way out and replace it with a 3-way, then add a push-pull pot for coil taps, but that's just me.

[wokeye]

Thanks Eddie the switch is a YKE 3 way switch. Maybe I should try a different type? Here is a link to the wiring diagram from the place I bought it from. The problem is that the shop was listing both a 3 way and a 5 way with the same diagram. Thanks for any help

 

http://www.axesrus.com/images/ykewires.jpg

 

[GibsonQC]

NEXT, even though you copied the wiring exactly, perhaps your replacement 5-way was configured differently - there are SEVERAL different layout for lugs on 5-way switches:

 

 

This was my first thought. I don't use strats much, and I've run across at least 3 different 5 way switches.

 

If you kept the original switch & diagram, I'd just hit the 5 way with some contact cleaner and put it back together the original way.

[wokeye]

I threw the original switch out as it was f*cked (not working in just about all positions). I tried to get in-touch with Maverick but they have gone out of business. I also have a Fender Telecaster 3 way switch but never fitted it as the screws are not chamfered, and my guitar body is countersunk. Maybe countersunk fender screws are available but I could not find any

[GibsonQC]

I threw the original switch out as it was f*cked (not working in just about all positions). I tried to get in-touch with Maverick but they have gone out of business. I also have a Fender Telecaster 3 way switch but never fitted it as the screws are not chamfered, and my guitar body is countersunk. Maybe countersunk fender screws are available but I could not find any

 

 

They're not the same company as "Robin Guitars" are they? If so, you may have some luck there.

[wokeye]

They're not the same company as "Robin Guitars" are they? If so, you may have some luck there.

 

I do not think so they are a british company

 

If somebody could recommend me a standard switch say Dimarzio or something and kindly tell me how to wire it I have no problem purchasing it thanks

[Deaf Eddie]

Hey, I've seen YKE switches before - perhaps just not that one. On the one I am familiar with, it LOOKS like a two pole, but it isn't, as they use a single common lug - lug #4. BUT, I can't really relate/resolve my knowledge and understanding of the switch to the drawing they gave you!

 

Oh well, I'm going to ASSume that I'm right, and they're wrong... YIKES!

 

If it's the switch I'm thinking of, the test I posted (above) will all be correct. IF that's the case, then:

 

GREEN from the bridge pup is connected to 6 and 7;

GREEN from the neck pup is connected to 1 and 2,

lug 4 is connected to the volume pot.

Lugs 3 and 5 remain OPEN.

 

The pickup blacks go to ground, the red and white are soldered together and taped off.

 

Try this, and let us know how you come out.

[wokeye]

Cheers Eddie thanks for the great advice, will give it a go and let you know how I get on

[wokeye]

I am having serious problems with this. I wired it up the way you said Eddie, although I may have wired the neck pickup to 6 + 7 instead of the bridge pickup, or maybe your idea is correct and the switch is faulty. Basically what is happening is that I only get a sound out of the guitar if the switch is in the middle position. And when the switch is in the middle position it is only the 2 coils on the neck pickup that are working. I tried just connecting what I thought was the bridge green wire to contact 7. Then the guitar just gave no sound whatsoever in any positions So I have re-soldered it so that I can use the guitar to practice with. Is there anybody that sells a swicth with a clear wiring diagram by any chance please?

[wokeye]

Cheers Deaf Eddie got it sorted now I had to bridge connection 3 & 4 together to get volume on positions 1 & 3 of the switch. The only thing I have done is got the switch in the wrong way round, and there is not enough wire to turn it round. Or maybe I could just swap the pickup wires around? I will just get some wire and some shrink insulating stuff and extend the wires. Thanks everybody for giving me advice, more so Deaf Eddie great advice mate, thanks for taking the time to help a total noob