Wiring a Mini-Toggle for Bridge/Neck

[Houndog]

This may be a simple question but I am not sure how to do it. I would like to add a mini-toggle to a Strat so that I can get the neck/bridge pickup combination. Can anyone direct me on where to find a diagram to do it? I have the switch, I have the drill for the pickguard-I'm ready to go!

[StratBoy56]

NO!!!!! DON'T DO IT THAT WAY! There's no reason to add a separate switch and drill holes in your pickguard to do what you want.

On most all of my Strats, I swapped out all three pots (volume and tone) with push-pull pots. If you've never heard of these, they operate just like normal pots, but you can pull up and push down the pot post so that it acts like a switch. Here's what "pulling up" the tone pot switch does on my guitars:

Vol Pot - Splits the neck pickup (used on stacked humbucker equipped guitars only)
1st Tone Pot - Activates the neck pickup regardless of the position of the pickup selector switch
2nd Tone Pot - Splits the bridge pickup (used on stacked humbucker equipped guitars only)

To do what you want, just replace one of the stock pots with a push-pull pot that activates the neck pickup (this is what I do with the 1st Tone Pot). My guess is that Stewart MacDonald probably has a wiring diagram, or maybe even Seymour Duncan might have one too.

HTH!

[Joe Ganzler]

. . .Get a "Megaswitch" 5-Way switch and install it. I believe they're made in Germany, and I'm sure you can get them from AllParts or StewMac. I have them on all three of my Strats - nice, clean, unobtrusive installation. Hell, not many of us ever use the middle position in a 5-way anyway, right? I've had push-pull pots and mini-switches, and found both to be a pain in the ass in a live situation. . .Try one of these and I'll bet you'll NEVER go back!

[Houndog]

Thanks folks but the deed is done-I figured it out and did it before I read either of your posts.

StratBoy56-don't fret it-I was actually doing this on a modded G&L Legacy of mine with a cheapass single ply white pickguard. The Legacy tone controls are different than a Strats and I didn't want to use a push-pull on them. I had considered that idea however.

Joe-I have used a Megaswitch-I have one installed on my 58 CS Strat RI-I agree about the middle pickup on most Strats. But I modded this Legacy with Duncan lipstick pickups and the middle pickup by itself yields a very cool tone unlike a normal Strat pickup-think Danelectro. So I didn't want to sacrifice that position either.

Anyway it is done and works to my satisfaction but I appreciate both your posts...

[Gary Nattrass]

The Mega switch is made by Schaller and I've just replaced the one in my PRS soapbar.
Here's a link
http://www.schaller-guitarparts.de/1000.htm

I paid $10 for mine and its the 105s that you want

Uk reader's you can get them from Touchston Tonewoods

[RMosack]

Since you already drilled the hole and the guitar actually is a G&L, why not wire the switch like G&L does on S-500s and Comanches? All you have to do is run a couple wires from the mini-switch to 2 lugs on the 5-way. Instead of the switch making the bridge (or neck if you so choose) always on, their switch connects the neck and bridge to each other.

Bridge on version (with switch engaged):
1 Bridge
2 Bridge-middle
3 Bridge-middle
4 Bridge-middle neck
5 Bridge-neck

G&L Bridgge/Neck Connection version (with switch engaged):
1 Bridge-Neck
2 Bridge-middle-neck
3 Middle
4 Bridge-middle-neck
5 Bridge-neck

On G&Ls, with the switch engaged, position 1 and 5 are the same and positions 2 and 4 are the same. I kind of like it that you can very easily switch from a single pickup (middle) to MAJOR quackville (all three) to "Tele-ish" quack (neck-bridge).

[richieirons]

I really don't like push/pull pots, as I can't use them at all in a live situation. They just... won't... come.... out!

Push/push pots are ok, but I would need them in a 25K (for active) version which is pretty much impossible to get hold of.

So I generally use mini toggles. I think chrome ones look fine, if you have them between the standard controls, and they're really easy to use.

Of course this is all IMHO, and YMMV.