Wiring Problem

[Kashmir Oceania]

I bought parts to overhaul my favorite strat and now that everything is wired up I am having problems. I have 2 SD mini hums (hot rails and little '59) in the neck and the middle and a custom custom in the bridge. The original idea was to wire these from the pots directly to the jack bypassing any sort of switch for unique blending combinations. When I did that I discovered that all pots had to be on for any sound to come out even if I dialed them down (5% bridge 5% middle 100% neck) they were still all on.

 

My new idea is to use a 5-way switch which to change the pickups but I am having a bit of trouble with the wiring. I have drawn a wiring schematic here and any help would be appreciated.

 

 

Here is a summary since the drawing is a bit messy; Red and White wired are soldered and taped off. Green and bare go to ground. Lug 1 on each of the pots is soldered and grounded. I then have wires connecting the grounded pots which then have wires running from the casings to the bridge and the jack.

 

The black wire from each of the pickups runs to the correct position on the 5-way switch from there it runs to lug 3 on the pots. A wire connects lug 2 back to the switch on the other side and then common goes to the output.

 

Any help would mean a world to me. Thank you!

[willyburger]

So, from the new diagram, it looks like you are trying to have three volume controls, one for each pickup, and then select them in a standard five-way configuration: N, N+M, M, M+B, B. The volumes will act like the original Les Paul wiring in positions two and four. For example, if you have N+M selected, you can blend them with their respective volume controls but if one of them is all the way down, no sound comes out.

 

Right now, the left side of the switch is adding an additional parallel connection to the hots of the respective pickups in positions two and four. You might get some interesting sounds from different volume positions but I'm betting the greater effect is that it will load the pickups more, causing a darker sound and a slight volume cut.

 

Compare again to the '59 LP wiring, both pickups selected, volumes full on. roll one slightly down and the pickups decouple and get brighter and slightly louder.

 

You can simplify that wiring quite a bit by dropping all the stuff on the left side of the switch and instead running the black wire from each pickup to lug three of its respective volume pot directly. That will also let your volume controls acts more predictably.

[Kashmir Oceania]

I do not mean to have any parallel or series wiring at all. All I want is B, B+M, M, M+N, N. So what I need to do is run a wire from the pick up to the right side of the switch, from the switch to lug 3, and then from lug 2 to the output? I am still new to schematics but I am trying .

[willyburger]

Assuming you want the pots to be individual volume controls: black wire from the pickup to lug three of its volume control and lug two of that pot to its respective switch position. Repeat for each pickup. Switch output goes to the output jack.

 

If that doesn't sound right, back up and first describe what you want the controls to do.

[Kashmir Oceania]

The are all individual volumes. So it goes pickup to lug 3, from lug 2 to the switch the with the switch is it the left side or the right side and then common from the switch to the output?

[onelife]

If you want to go with your original idea of just having three volume control and no switch, it can be done.

You simply connect one of the outside lugs of each of the pots to ground - just as you have done in your drawing. Connect the other outside lugs of all three pots together and to the output jack.

By connecting the hot lead of each pickup to the centre lug of one of the volume controls you will be able to turn each pickup all the way down without affecting the others.

[willyburger]

Yup, as onelife has detailed, that's a good option too. In fact, that might be a better way if you just want to find out if you're going to like the complexity of three volumes.

 

re: your last question, just use the right side of the switch to the center lugs of the pots, as you have it in the diagram.

[Kashmir Oceania]

What I currently have is this



But if I wanted this would be the other way I could wire my guitar so all pickups would have individual volume controls and all combinations for volume would be possible?

[onelife]

 

What I currently have is this... But if I wanted this would be the other way I could wire my guitar so all pickups would have individual volume controls and all combinations for volume would be possible?

 

 

Not quite. You are almost there.

 

switch the leads from the pickups to the centre lugs of the pots and then run the other wire (from the jack) to the outside lugs of the three pots - in other words just swap the inside lug with the outside lug on all three pots while leaving the grounded one as is.