[Hellion]

doing my first parts caster. bought one of those new $130 kramer focus strats in teal blue. all the hardware/electronics are junk but thinking of it as $130 for a neck and body to just throw my own parts into I felt it was a good deal for me. Now I'm looking for a wiring diagram slightly different from the typical setup. Basically I just want to skip the middle pickup as an option when using the selector switch. I don't ever really use the middle pickup alone so I'm hoping that eliminating it means I don't need a push/pull pot or extra switch, etc. I've only got 2 pots, 1 volume and 1 tone.

Here is exactly what I want each position on the 5 way switch to be:
1. Bridge humbucker
2. Bridge split
3. Bridge split and middle single coil
4. Middle single coil and neck single coil
5. Neck single coil

Any idea if this wiring setup is possible? do i need a special 5 way or something?

 

[Leon]

That's kinda close to how I have my Warmoth setup, with Fishmans :lol:

I have a super-switch, and it was pretty easy to figure out. Can you be more specific on which 5-way you've got?

 

[Leon]

I just pulled up a couple diagrams, thinking about it, and I don't think a typical 5-way blade switch will get you there. You may need a superswitch, or simplify things by chucking out that middle pickup altogether

 

[Hellion]

I just pulled up a couple diagrams, thinking about it, and I don't think a typical 5-way blade switch will get you there. You may need a superswitch, or simplify things by chucking out that middle pickup altogether

i do still want those neck/middle and bridge middle/middle tones so i guess I'll look for one of these super switches. got any recommendations as far as brand or how much i should expect to spend?

is this right? https://www.amazon.com/Fender-5-Position-Strat-Super-Switch/dp/B000JCM33Q/

 

[Leon]

So first off, Fuck Amazon :lol:

Secondly, StewMac :yesway:

https://www.stewmac.com/electronics/components-and-parts/switches/oak-grigsby-super-switch.html

 

[Leon]

I'm starting a diagram... what brand of pickups are you using? I need to know what colors to use for the wires!

 

[Leon]

If you can wait a day or so, I can try to figure out this diagram to make sure it'll work, before you buy that switch.

 

[Hellion]

http://imgur.com/zhJXMrK

hoping you can see these. ^^^

the pickups are from Dragonfire. incase the pics don't work: both single coils have a black and colored wire. neck is black/white, middle is black/yellow. they included a paper about the humbucker. it says "Green is your hot wire, goes to the volume pot or your pickup switch, depending on your setup. both Black and Bare wires are grounded. Red and White are soldered together and taped or heat shrinked. do not allow contact with anything else, except if used for coil splitting."

Thanks a bunch for helping me with this Leon. :metal:

 

[lespauled]

Since the bridge is the only pickup being split, why not use a push/pull for it, and wire the rest normally. You have the best of both worlds. I wired my strat with 2 hot rails, and a cool rail, and I love it.

 

[Hellion]

Since the bridge is the only pickup being split, why not use a push/pull for it, and wire the rest normally. You have the best of both worlds. I wired my strat with 2 hot rails, and a cool rail, and I love it.

I guess that would make figuring this out a lot easier. I just want it to be automatically split when I switch positions on the 5 way so I don't have to bother with a push/pull or pots that feel different from each other. I don't really like or use the middle by itself but I dig the middle together with the split bridge and together with the neck.

 

[Leon]

I think this ought to do it.

The super-switch is pretty awesome, it's basically like 4 switches running together. Take a look, let me know if it makes sense. For the bridge splitting, this drops out the North coil and just runs the South coil.

 

[Hellion]

I think this ought to do it.

The super-switch is pretty awesome, it's basically like 4 switches running together. Take a look, let me know if it makes sense. For the bridge splitting, this drops out the North coil and just runs the South coil.

awesome man. I can't wait for the switch to arrive so I can wire it up! Thanks a bunch Leon! :yesway:

 

[Leon]

I'm not sure where you want to drop-in your Volume/Tone pots... in this diagram, you could just plop them right after the Output, and it'll cover all the pups. If you wanted to insert a Tone control or any pickup, you just plop it between the pup and the switch. To do something like the tone control for two pups, that may take another glance at the diagram. Maybe *** can chime in :lol:

Me, personally, I typically go pot-less, and just have a 2-way toggle for ON/OFF operation in lieu of a volume (which I only ever used as an on/off, since I have a bitch'n volume pedal on the ground, which I use all the time).

 

[Hellion]

I'm not sure where you want to drop-in your Volume/Tone pots... in this diagram, you could just plop them right after the Output, and it'll cover all the pups. If you wanted to insert a Tone control or any pickup, you just plop it between the pup and the switch. To do something like the tone control for two pups, that may take another glance at the diagram. Maybe *** can chime in :lol:

Me, personally, I typically go pot-less, and just have a 2-way toggle for ON/OFF operation in lieu of a volume (which I only ever used as an on/off, since I have a bitch'n volume pedal on the ground, which I use all the time).

right after the output sounds like it'll work for me. lookin for 1 master volume and 1 master tone. i have 2 CTS 500k pots and whatever little tone cap is on the original electronics. I do dig using a volume pedal but my helix is on the desk for now lol

 

[Hellion]

Finally got this thing put together. :flex:
Original guitar was a Kramer Focus VT-211S
I added/swapped:
Graphtech Ratio Locking Tuners
Dragonfire white pearloid pickguard
Dragonfire Screamers HSS pickup set in chrome
Oak Grigsby 5 Way Super Switch
Leon Custom wiring mod

So this was sort of my first time wiring up a guitar. I've swapped a bridge pickup before but this is my first time using all new parts and such. No need to guess that I fucked up. :lol: I need to take it back apart and figure out what I did wrong. I know for sure that I wired up the 5 way backwards because neck position activates the bridge pup, etc. My tone knob does nothing and I think something in there is bumping into the ground because when I turn the volume knob or just be rough with it, my sound will cut out or drop significantly. I'll probably be back to ask for help again when I get it apart. :facepalm:

 

[Blankplank]

Looks killer. Good luck with the wiring though :lol:

 

[Leon]

Do you have a multimeter? The best way to check things is to measure the resistance of your pickups directly, and then check from the output jack.

 

[Hellion]

No, I need to get one. I'm sure I just overglobbed some solder somewhere and have the tone connected wrong. I'll have a look at it tonight probably.