Tri-Sound-Strat Schematic Diagram

[vonrang]

After much study of several modded and standard Stratocaster schematic diagrams along with an Ibanez AR 220 Tri-Sound schematic diagram, I finalized my Tri-Sound Strat schematic diagram.

 

This design uses three Seymour Duncan Hot Rails (or Cool Rails) humbucker pickups, each with a DPDT three position (ON/ON/ON) mini switch for parallel, split and series (coil tap) pickup configuration. (Sorry no phase switching at this time).

 

The final output of each of the DPDT three position mini switches is a "Hot +" and Ground -" lead, much like that of conventional single coil pickup leads.

 

This allows a "conventional" strat-style harness behind the output of each the DPDT three position mini switches supporting each pickup to a typical Stratocaster 5-way selector switch.

 

Since these are humbucker pickups a 500k volume pot is used, instead of the typical 250k pots used on most single coil equipped Stratocasters.

 

The two 250k tone pots typical of a Stratocaster style harness have been replaced with two DPDT 500k push pull pots, each using two different rated capacitors.

 

So when "rolling down" the tone pots, four possible tone signal variations (depending the position of the push/pull pot) can be combined with a variety of pickup settings.

 

Position #1 on the mini three-way switch is parallel, position #2 is split-coil, position #3 is series.

 

NOTE: An additional two position DPDT switch would be needed if phase changing was desired.

 

The original AR 220 Tri-Sound schematic did not provide a phase switching feature.

 

The item in RED on two of the contacts of the 5-way selector switch makes it so that the middle and bridge position will be affected by both tone controls—a really cool option and most vintage Stratocaster harnesses provide no tone control for the bridge pickup.