Stringmaster D-8 Wiring Questions

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Need some expert help. I've got a Stringmaster D-8 and it's a mess. Both blend controls and one pickup on each neck have been cut from the circuit. It's obvious that wires have been moved around because I can see old solder connections that are no longer connected to anything.

I have two different schematics for the D-8 and neither seem to match or "work" for my guitar. (i.e. I've attempted to wire it both ways and the 2nd neck won't play. I've also switched pickup's, so I know the pickups are ok, it's for sure a wiring problem). Does anyone have actual photo's of how the selector switch should be jumpered as well as the other connections? Also, should the grounds be floating?

Sure would appreciate any and all help!

Craig

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

If the neck switch has been replace before you got it, it maybe has a Telecaster switch in it, which is wired different visually. A new Tele switch may be a way to get it working. I believe stewmac.com has them, and the have a wiring diagram with them. I've used two of those switches. If I remember correctly, they are under 20 bucks.

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Thanks Bill! I'll give this a try.

Although I'm just ranting at this point, I sure wish I knew why on earth the previous owner sliced so much of the functionality out of this guitar. The blend knobs on both necks and one half of the pickup pair on each neck has been cut out. I can't even begin to imagine the conversation that preceded this surgery. Sure wasn't due to broken parts. I've measured the impedance of the pots and the pickups and they are all working just fine.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Here's the way the blend was wired on the one that I'm working on.!!!!DIREGARD THIS!! IT"S WRONG!!!!

I've never checked the switch on my D8 but it would seem to me to be the same as a Tele.After all, they both are one pickup or the other on, or both on..

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

Here's how all my blend pots are wired:

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

http://www.hawaiiansteel.com/graphics/pdf/fender_stringmaster_2neck_1957.pdf

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Papa Joe and Lynn...thanks, this is super helpful! Any chance you have a photo of the selector switch wiring?

Crowbear, thanks for the drawing! I'd already had this and a slightly different one too. Unfortunately, neither drawing match the sliced up guitar I have.

Thank you all!! If I could just see a photo of a selector switch, I think I could cobble together the rest. Bill pointed out that I likely had a Telecaster switch in place when I received the guitar. Makes sense since the switch jumpers don't match either of the drawings I currently own.

If I can't get a photo of the selector switch, I'm going to try and duplicate this set up. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Lever-action_Pickup_Switch.html?tab=Instructions#details
The #1801 version.

Again, thank you all!!

Craig

Lynn Oliver · From: Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.

Mine is a '56 with pushbutton selector switches, so I doubt that would help too much. However, if you look at this photo of the neck one plate (with tone and volume controls), the white wire at the bottom of the picture goes to the common connection on the selector switches. The white wire heading off to center left goes to selector switch one, and the corresponding wire from each of the other plates goes to the respective switch.

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Thanks everyone for the help! You wouldn't think that wiring this bad boy would be so difficult. Once I get it all working, I'll post photo's for us all to use.

I wonder how many stops and starts Leo had getting this stuff working properly.

Craig

P.S. If anyone has a photo of the selector switch wiring, that sure would help.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Disregard the pic of my blend pot!!!! It was wired wrong when I got it..Lynn has it correct..Wired mine like Lynns and it works right..

Mike Neer · From: NJ

It's Save a Stringmaster Month here, ladies and gentlemen. That is a worthy cause.
_________________
Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Ya got that right Mike..They're A special breed..

Raybob Bowman · From: S. Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

Craig,
If you post a pic of the way it's wired now, We could tell you how to correct the wiring, probably.
_________________
Sierra U12 4+5 / 1933 Dobro / homemade Tele B-bender

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Unfortunately, it's such a mess right now that there's nothing to photograph. I have two different diagrams each showing different switch wiring and switch jumpering. Neither worked. Right this second I now have everything disconnected. The best I've been able to do is in switch position 1 & 2, both necks "work" and in position 3 neck two works alone. I think the way it's supposed to work is, position 1 should have neck one on and neck two off. Position 2 should turn both necks on. Position 3 should have neck two on and neck on off. Can't seem to get to that point. Also, regardless of wiring, I have a huge amount of hum.

The photo's of the pots and pickups have been very valuable! Thanks to all!! I'm guessing that no one has a photo of the switch and that might work out ok anyway. One thing I seem to be finding is, Leo and his team only had a casual relationship with "consistency". By way of example, I saw a double neck for sale, (maybe here, maybe on the Bay) that had volume and tone on the first neck and another knob on the second neck. I've never seen that before.

I'm going to see if I still have the photo's that I took back when I first got the guitar. If so, I'll post them.

Thanks everyone for sticking with me on this!

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Craig,what you want can be done with a standard Tele wiring setup.What you described is exactaly the way a Tele is wired.You just have to think,
pos 1 is bridge pup /back neck,
pos 2 is both pups/both necks,
pos 3 neck pup/front neck..

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Thanks Papa Joe...I'll see if I can scare up a Tele diagram. The hardest part so far has been the jumpers necessary on the switch itself. I used to do this kind of stuff all the time, but it's been too many years and I've forgotten a lot. I thought I just needed a jumper from the low side of the switch to the high side, but Stew Mac indicates that more jumpers are needed. Although I'm not sure why?

Craig

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Stew Mac has more than one switch.This one should work for you #0138..wired as shown in the diagram..
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Lever-action_Pickup_Switch.html?tab=Instructions#details

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Thanks! I'll give it a try.

Just to be sure, if we number the pins in a clockwise sort of fashion, there's a jumper across the switch from #4 to #8 and jumpers from #1 to #2 and #5 to #6, right?

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

That's the way I read it,and the out wire to the jack is on 4.
I don't use a seperate wire to jump 1 and 2, or 5 and 6,
I run the pup wire "through" pin 1 and "back through" pin 2.
Same on 5 and 6..

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Surgery (installation) scheduled for tomorrow morning. I'll let you know how it goes.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Thought I'd throw this at ya Cgaig just in case you havn't been there yet.These are some of my most inportant and time saving tools.I hook things up for a dry run before soldiering.

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

That's an excellent idea!! You wouldn't know it by my questions, but I used to be an Electronic Technician back in the 70's. Unfortunately, I haven't done that kind of work in 30 years! I think I'll make a quick trip to Radio Shack in the morning.

Thanks for the idea!!

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Try to get some of those LITTLE jobbies with the plunger thingy on them..Some times even the smallest regular gator clips are too big.

Craig Hawks · From: North Ridgeville, Ohio, USA

Wow...what a pain! I won't say it's done, but I will say it's at a stopping point. I went to Radio Shack and picked up a pack of jumper wires. That made figuring out the switch much easier. However, after completing the soldering and attempting to reassemble, I was making rude remarks about the person that routed the body! It seem that there's not enough room for the full compliment of wires. Perhaps that's why the blenders and half of each pickup set was cut from the circuit. There's just not enough space in the cavity to run three wires. So, I had to splice in much thinner wire #22 than the original. I still had to leave off the ground wires, so now I have a low level hum.

It's use-able, but frankly, after sitting around my house for 3 years waiting to be repaired, I'm starting to see the flaws in the instrument. The plates over the pickups are pitted. There's nicks in the paint. It's just not the pretty, mid-50's guitar that I fell in love with. And, with all the surgery I've had to do, it's certainly not the vintage instrument I bought. At best, it's a restored (mediocre job) instrument. Not worth what I paid.

Thanks for all the help! I wouldn't even have it this far without your help!. Thank you!!!!

Craig

Raybob Bowman · From: S. Lake Tahoe, CA, USA

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