Rewiring your Strat

I honestly prefer Telecasters, you have more control over them and they don't have any wasted tones, per-se. I didn't use 3 of the 5 switching positions on my Strat when it still had it's middle pickup, I only ever use neck or bridge. However, I use all three on my Tele.

They're more "wasted on you" (not to be offensive, I'm just saying that you don't want 3 of them) than wasted in general. I use all 5.

I use all 5.

Just as an aside, I have mine rigged where I can get all 7. Well, numerically there's 9 combinations, but 2 of those are the same. But...funny thing is, I've found myself using only 5 of the 7. I hardly ever use middle by itself, and the same goes with neck and middle.

I've always wished that someone would just make a 7 position blade/slider switch, you know?

Anyhow, sorry for the interruption -- back to the debate!

Just as an aside, I have mine rigged where I can get all 7.

Howd you manage that? Send em a PM on it if you don't wan't to be off topic...I'd be very interested to know.

My guitar also has 7, but factory installed. It uses a push-pull pot to give the extra neck/bridge and neck/middle/bridge combinations.

But how do you rig it?

I have a 3-position toggle where the second knob used to be. It was for an SG type guitar, 'L' shaped if you look at it sideways. That means it also took up the space for the last knob so I only have a volume.

Which is no problem.

Anyhow, years ago, I got a pencil and paper and figured it out. I've since forgotten exactly how I did it, but basically, the 3-position works in union with the 5-position. It's like one position of the 5 way goes through the 3 way switch, so that's 3, and then the second position goes with another 3 and that's 6, and then the third goes with 3 and that's nine. There's actually nice, but there's repeats, like - Bridge and Middle is the same as Middle and Bridge, you know? That kind of thing. I don't use the last 2 positions of the 5 way switch, so I GUESS it would be like having two 3 ways switches. I'm not sure though because the Strat switch works a little different.

With that said, it would probably have been easier to put in 3 little mini toggles. It's just that I didn't want to drill holes in the pickguard in case I didn't like - or want - the results.

The push-pull switching is probably the most convenient though. It's just that after I did it and got used to it, I just never 'switched' back. I guess it would be cool to have a tone control again, but I found that, live, I never ever used it. It was all in the pedal board and the wah wah.

Sorry for not being more specific, but I wired the thing up in like 1984 or '83 or something. :)

"With that said, it would probably have been easier to put in 3 little mini toggles. It's just that I didn't want to drill holes in the pickguard in case I didn't like - or want - the results."

What do you mean by three little mini toggles, if I may ask?

"With that said, it would probably have been easier to put in 3 little mini toggles. It's just that I didn't want to drill holes in the pickguard in case I didn't like - or want - the results."

What do you mean by three little mini toggles, if I may ask?

Oh, the 3 mini toggles are just basically on/off switches, one for each pickup. You can just switch on the ones you want at the moment and leave the others off. It would sorta bypass the main switch though. Be easier to see which combination was chosen though. I'd still like to bypass them all though and just be able to hit one switch and have it the bridge pup. That's the way mine's wired -- I remember that much -- in the first position of the 5 way, no matter how the other switch is set, it's the bridge pup. Sometimes on stage you don't want to have to figure things out -- just 'click' and you're there.

Sounds complicated. :oops:

Yah, that's why the S-1 switching in the new Fenders is probably better. Another way some guys do it it have an on/off for just the middle pickup only. The only 2 added combos that the regular 5-way switch can't get by itself is B+M+N and B-N.

Actually the funny thing is, in all the years I've had 7 combinations, I wind up using only 5 -- but not the normal 5. I hardly ever use B+M and I never use M by itself so I guess I could just re-rewire it using the 5 position. Probably have to get one of those Super Switches or whatever they're called over at StewMac -- 5-way, but it has all these extra lugs that you can do custom wiring with.

Still, a 7-way switch would be great.

Yeah, I really like to get all sorts of tones out of my Strat so adding a couple sounds like some fun to me. :D

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/menu.php

Here's a bunch. I think I might go for the double-barrell switching one at the bottom.

That's an excellent site. Nice people too. They answer any question really. I shielded a bass I had using their diagrams and everything. Worked out fine.

I think the best idea would be to have a push-pull tone knob that switches on the bridge, then you can use it for BMN or BN.

Im surprised you guys dont like the middle pickup at all though. It sounds kind of bad clean, but if you put a little overdrive or distortion on it, it sounds great. Not to bassy, not to shrill. In fact I think Hendrix used it quite a lot. I dont use the BM or the NM position much on my guitar, but mainly because the pickups sound really bad when I do that, just very stale. Also, when you put your guitar through a nice amp, youll be surprised at how much better all of the positions sound. When I got a nice tube amp, I found myself using all the positions, because they were all great.