How to connect a 5-position switch?

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 12:20 pm

I have 2 necks with one pick up on each neck.
I want to use 2 tone controls - not 1 tone and 1 volume.

I have a 5-position knife switch (not rotary) and the whole assembly looks like a Telecaster control plate.

I have several diagrams collected from the Web and I know exactly how to connect a 3-position switch to 1 tone and 1 volume control, like a Telecaster.

But how do I connect a 5-position switch to 2 tone controls to get the following combinations:

1-pup1+tone1
2-pup1 no tone
3-pup1+pup2 no tone
4-pup2 no tone
5-pup2+tone2
(It does not have to be in that order)

Any help is greatly appreciated.

------------------
Peter den Hartogh
1978 Emmons S10 P/P; 1977 Sho-Bud D10 ProIII Custom;
1975 Fender Artist S10; Remington U12; 1947 Gibson BR4;

[This message was edited by Peter on 06 May 2006 at 10:31 PM.]

Alan Kirk · From: Scotia, CA, USA

[This message was edited by Alan Kirk on 06 May 2006 at 03:45 PM.]

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 3:23 pm

Try again Alan

Curtis Alford · From: BastropTexas, USA 78602

I would suggest using a stacked tone pot.
This IMO would be the cleanest method to solve that problem

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 3:47 pm

Hi Curtis, would a stacked tone pot give me simultaneous tone control on both pups? If so, then I could just use a single tone pot after the switch.

But I am after the 5 different options. At the moment I have a separate tone switch for each control, but I want to get rid of those miniswitches and connect everything to the 5-pole switch.

The purpose of the switches is to bypass the tone control. If I did not want to bypass the tonecontrols, I could simply connect each pup to its own tonecontrol, and then from there go to a normal 3-position switch.

I also want to maintain the original vintage look for the guitar (Fender1000), so the controlplate has 1 knife-switch and 2 metal control knobs, like a Telecaster.

[This message was edited by Peter on 06 May 2006 at 04:58 PM.]

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 4:35 pm

[This message was edited by Peter on 06 May 2006 at 05:41 PM.]

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

Not knowing anything about electronics, worth mentioning; I've found from experience that if you have (2)-tone~controls both connected to the same common~output, they are automatically connected to each other and therefore you never want (2)-tone~pots on at the same time, because; if one pot is set on the Bass side, that's as much Treble as you can get from either P/U! On the other hand, if I knew a little more about components; there might be some way to use a Resistor between them! But, that's way over my head!

------------------
“Big John”
a.k.a. {Keoni Nui}
Current Equipment

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 9:35 pm

Thanks John, you are right about that with both pups on. But only have the tone controls ON in position 1 and 5, therefore the the toneswitches need to be connected before the the selector switches. So they will be isolated.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

"if one pot is set on the Bass side, that's as much Treble as you can get from either P/U!"

If that was true the tone pots on Les Pauls would be useless...which they aren't.

Stewmac sells some kind of superswitch that comes with a ton of different wiring options. You might call them to see if it does what you want.

OTOH - why not just take it to a good guitar/amp tech?

Peter · Posted 6 May 2006 11:21 pm

Good idea, Jim. It looks like my 5-position switch is only a 2-pole and 5-way switch, so there are not sufficient options.

I am going to contact Stewmac first.

Their SuperSwitch is 4-pole, 5-way.

Good techs are hard to find over here...I usually tell them how to do things.

[This message was edited by Peter on 07 May 2006 at 12:43 AM.]

Curtis Alford · From: BastropTexas, USA 78602

I have all three pick-ups on my strat where they can be used independently, or in any combo, so I can have any one of them ,any two, or all three on at any time. I use a stack pot on the middle and neck, and a single pot on the bridge. The wiring I would need to know how you are now wired to come up with a wiring schematic. My first thought is with the 5way switch will not allow you to cut of either one they will back feed each other. But I would have to see a drawing of what you have.

Peter · Posted 7 May 2006 10:01 am

Thanks Curtis. I have modified my plan and it is a lot simpler now. Rather than using a 5-way switch I am now back to a 3-way switch with a tone and volume control similar to a Telecaster. The only difference is that the tone pot has a pull-switch and this will switch off the tone control.

Thank you so much for all your assistance, guys, but I decided to keep it simple.

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