From geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!utnut!torn!csd.unb.ca!UNBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA Thu Mar 18 01:55:39 CST 1993
Article: 2959 of alt.guitar
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
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From: META000
Subject: Re: Strat Electronics
Message-ID: <17MAR93.22700359.009--(at)--NBVM1.CSD.UNB.CA>
Lines: 50
Sender: usene–(at)–NB.CA
Organization: The University of New Brunswick
References:
Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1993 01:01:07 GMT
Thanks to Tim Stanley for his exhaustive collation of pickup
rewiring articles in GP.
I’ve had pretty much the same pickup configuration and wiring scheme
for the last 12 years or so, and I’m pretty happy with it.
One 3-position switch for neck/both/bridge pickups, with its’ own
volume control. One 3-position toggle to select middle PU off/in-
phase/out-of-phase with its’ own volume control. One master tone
control (these days I just have a 3-position toggle with 3 different
rolloffs).
The main switch lets me use the guitar in “Telecaster” mode, and
ignore the middle PU. The separate volume controls allow one to
dial in degree of phase cancellation, and if you can work it with
your pinky, get some phase-shifty kinda sounds.
In total, it gets 9 basic pickup combinations, but doesn’t include
any series options (fine for me, I like my playing clean most of the
time).
Recently, I wired up my nephew’s Charvel for him with a 5-position
switch and volume/tone. I found that it was possible to configure
the switch so that it got the standard N/N+M/M/M+B/B settings
(N=neck) but cut the tone control in and out depending on the pickup
setting. (tone engaged for N/N+M/M positions but not for M+B/B).
This gave a sort of “ready-for-action” capability, in that he could
set the tone for a rhythm sound, when using anything but the bridge
pickup, and get full treble whenever he engaged the bridge pickup.
It strikes me you could do the same sort of thing with the usual
Strat configuration, PLUS use the extra tone control as a middle PU
volume control. While this doesn’t provide all the flexibility of
the toggle-switch arrangements mentioned in the GP article, it
provides stage-oriented convenience, and a reasonable array of
sounds once you wire up the extra volume control. In some respects,
the original Strat wiring is intended to let you have two tone
settings, however they tend to interact, whereas the arrangement
described here provides crystal clear treble on the bridge pickup
regardless of where your tone control is set when using the other
pickups. As well, the extra volume control can get some interesting
sounds (especially if you compensate one volume control with a
bypass cap but notthe other). If you get a switching pot, such as Tim d
escribed, and use it to switch the phase of the middle PU, there are
even more possibilities afforded.
The switching pots are expensive, as pots go, but I dare you to get
as many new sounds for $7.50 any other way.
Mark Hammer
From geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!Germany.EU.net!waldorf-gmbh.de!wegy!stenz Thu Mar 18 17:42:01 CST 1993
Article: 2976 of alt.guitar
Path: geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!mcsun!Germany.EU.net!waldorf-gmbh.de!wegy!stenz
From: sten–(at)–egy.waldorf-gmbh.de (Stefan Stenzel)
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Strat Electronics
Message-ID: <274--(at)--egy.waldorf-gmbh.de>
Date: 18 Mar 93 09:06:40 GMT
References:
Sender: new–(at)–aldorf-gmbh.de
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Nntp-Posting-Host: wegy
In article
|> I am looking for as many different tones I can get form my Strat without
|> having to buy a new amp or pickups. I would like schematics that people
|> have come up with. I have had two semester of electrical engineering
|> classes so get as technical as you like. The only electronic supply store
|> I have excess to is Radio Shack. So send your plans to me and I will post
|> them after I have had a chance to try them.
To avoid single coil humming on my strat, I took out
the magnets of the middle pickup and inserted them
with the poles reversed, then reversed the wires of
the pickup to keep the right phase.
In combionation with one of the other pickups,
this works like a humbucker, but it does not change the
typical single-coil sound.
————————————————————-
Waldorf Electronics GmbH
c/o Stefan Stenzel
Neustrasse 9-12
D-5481 Waldorf
Phone : +49 (0)2636-80294
Fax : +49 (0)2636-80205
e-mail: sten–(at)–egy.waldorf-gmbh.de
————————————————————-
From geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!sun!vax.cns.muskingum.edu!kimple Fri Mar 19 23:38:27 CST 1993
Article: 3038 of alt.guitar
Path: geraldo.cc.utexas.edu!cs.utexas.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!malgudi.oar.net!sun!vax.cns.muskingum.edu!kimple
From: kimpl–(at)–ax.cns.muskingum.edu
Newsgroups: alt.guitar
Subject: Re: Strat Electronics
Message-ID: <1993Mar19.125208.478--(at)--ax.cns.muskingum.edu>
Date: 19 Mar 93 12:52:08 -0500
References:
Organization: Muskingum College
Lines: 59
> In article
>>I am looking for as many different tones I can get form my Strat without
>>having to buy a new amp or pickups. I would like schematics that people
>>have come up with.
>
Well, I almost tried the Armstrong thing, and then a friend showed me a
different way (which coincidentally is the one that Torres’ has also put in
one of his Perfect Guitar things..)
REplace the 5 way with 3 mini toggles, but they have to be DPDT wit a center
ON position – not the most common, and you can’t find these at Rat Shack,
but I beleive Most big electronics outlets will have them (got mine from
Newark electronics) and Stewart Mac has them.
Now, the switches are wired as phase switches in SERIES, so you can get
pickups individually, combinations in series in phase, combinations
in series out of phase. About 12 combinations with standard single
coils (22 with my HotRails with hum/single switch). Not all of these
combinations are incredible – some aren’t very different than others,
but you get some cool sounds not otherwise possible, and it’s a bit
easier to use than the Armstrong. Center position for each switch is
off. Either up or down is on. Two or more on in same direction are in
phase, and in opposite directions they’re out of phase.
Let’s see if I can do this in ascii…
(looking at the bottom of the switches)
________ __________ _________
l–(at)– –(at)–ll–(at)– –(at)–l l–(at)– –(at)–l
l / ll / l l / l
~—-l–(at)–/–(at)–l——–l–(at)–/–(at)–l———l–(at)–/–(at)–l—–l
to l / ll / l l / l l
vol. l–(at)– –(at)–ll–(at)– –(at)–l l–(at)– –(at)–l __l__
l_l____l_ll_l____l_l l_l____l_l / / /
l l l l l l (ground)
l l l l l l
l l l l l l
(+) (-) (+) (-) (+) (-)
bridge pu middle pu neck pu
Anyway, does it make sense? I’m doing this from memory, and while I think it’s
right, I’m not absolutley sure at the moment.
Of course, I have it wired to one master volume control, If you want individual
volumes/tones, place them between the pickup and the switch.
It’s really easy to use, and I’ve found that the coolest lead sound is the
Bridge (hotrails, full on humbucking) and the Mid in series, in phase.
A great, FAT sound! Bridge is single coil out of phase w/ the neck pu is
a cool, almost telly ‘funk’ sound (it’ll never get the ‘real’telly sound
because it’s not parallel, and the difference in pickups – the neck is only 4K)
Adding the middle PU to the neck fattens that sound out some. Neck and
Bridge (single coil) is a cool sound – mostly the bite and edge from the
bridge, but with the low end roundness from the neck. Very cool with
lots of distortion, wherethe neck might otherwise sound muddy.
jd
