SSS Wiring experiment

[PeteGeordie]

So as lockdown boredom gets the better of me I decided to try out a couple of different wiring options on my strat. To start with it had its original wiring of 5-way switch with T1 for Neck, T2 for Middle and none for bridge. Both Tone controls active in pos 4 (neck and middle).

What I wanted to achieve:

1. Bridge tone control
2. Middle and neck tone control
3. Never both controls loading at the same time
4. Bridge + Neck option
5. Try different tone capacitor values
   
6. No pickguard mods (no new controls)

My plan was to load a new pickguard with the wiring to experiment with different options to see what works for me. I was originally going to mod the existing wiring to use JST plugs to link pickups and output socket wires form the existing wiring so I could unplug and wire up to a test wiring pickguard external to the guitar (I might still add that option) but as the pickguard and all other parts arrived yesterday and the connectors didn't I just went ahead and wired as much into the one pickguard as I could

So I sat down and figured what I could do and ended up with:

1. Bridge tone control
2. Middle and neck tone control
3. Never both controls loading at the same time
   
4. Bridge + Neck option (push/push on T2)
5. push/push on T1 to switch between .022 and .047uF tone capacitors
6. push/push on Volume to bypass all tone controls

So armed with a 5-way-superswitch, 3x250K push/push pots, a minty green pickguard and some knobs... and a set of IronGear PigIron pickups (overwound bridge) I set to work. I had the circuit in my head but decided I best draw it out. Big shout out to https://github.com/bancika/diy-layout-creator/

So here it is:






To my amazement it all works ;-)

I love Neck + Bridge option, not too keen on all 3 together. I love being able to bypass the tone circuit as if recording on a deck I'd rather set the EQ there and it's easier to recreate that patch later rather than writing down that I had T1 at 4 and a half. Not fussed about the capacitor switching, 0.047uF seems fine.

 

[jvin248]

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Glad you got it working.

The two mods I use: swapping neck and middle pickups (physically in the pickguard or at the switch) gives Neck+Bridge option for a Tele 3-way+2 middle positions on the standard 5-way. Or an Armstrong Blender to blend between SSS and HSH, wiring only mod no new parts.

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[PeteGeordie]

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Glad you got it working.

The two mods I use: swapping neck and middle pickups (physically in the pickguard or at the switch) gives Neck+Bridge option for a Tele 3-way+2 middle positions on the standard 5-way. Or an Armstrong Blender to blend between SSS and HSH, wiring only mod no new parts.

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Yeah I was going to do the swapping bridge and middle at the switch so I'd lose M+N which I rarely use and add in B+N but I wanted to try other stuff as well... and the parts don't cost a lot. It's all experimenting to see what I will actually use.

I'll probably re-wire to see if a Neck/Bridge blender is better than how I have it now but then I lose an independent Brige tone control.