My Strat - Special Series/Parallel Wiring

Joe Bfstplk

Joe Bfstplk

Legend!
I did a special re-wire of my Strat a while back, and @2112's video on series/parallel wiring inspired me to put together a demo of it.

In addition to the normal switch options:
  1. Neck
  2. Neck || Middle
  3. Middle
  4. Middle || Bridge
  5. Bridge
My Strat has a special extra mini-toggle switch that makes positions 2 and 4 switch to series wiring
  1. Neck
  2. Neck * Middle
  3. Middle
  4. Middle * Bridge
  5. Bridge
On top of all of that, the 4P5T superswitch also automagically switches the bridge humbucker to parallel wiring so it blends well with the singles, but allows a second special mini-toggle switch to control whether the bridge pickup's coils are wired parallel or series when used alone.

Finally, and not mentioned in the video, the bottom tone knob is actually a blender that links the bridge and neck pickups across the switch, so when one is on, both are on, with the one that's not currently selected by the switch being blended in at whatever proportion you like.

This wiring makes for a very intuitive control set that is easy to use and doesn't require much thought, so you can focus more on what you're playing rather than trying to "do the math" and figure out what the switches are set for.

Enjoy!

 
The thing I always worry about with all those options, do you never accidentally hit the wrong setting when switching in the heat of the moment? I find it hard enough on a HSS Strat to go from bridge humbucker to neck/middle quack position. Sometimes I just overshoot the mark as I can't just flick it but have to flick it and stop it, all while not skipping a not while playing. This is why I never use serial/parallel/coil splitting options on my guitars. Too options, too many chances for things to go wrong.
 
Muad'zin said:
The thing I always worry about with all those options, do you never accidentally hit the wrong setting when switching in the heat of the moment? I find it hard enough on a HSS Strat to go from bridge humbucker to neck/middle quack position. Sometimes I just overshoot the mark as I can't just flick it but have to flick it and stop it, all while not skipping a not while playing. This is why I never use serial/parallel/coil splitting options on my guitars. Too options, too many chances for things to go wrong.
Click to expand...
For me, there is a thin line between too few and too many options. With regular 5-way switching, I always miss something. But I also don't want a ton of useless sounds (looking at you Ibanez AZ). I settled on a mini toggle where the upper tone is supposed to be, that splits the bridge humbucker in the 5 position, and does something different in the middle position on both my main guitars. It's flexible, without redundant options. Plus, the location of the mini toggle switch has it out of the way, but easy to get to when I need it.
 
Muad'zin said:
The thing I always worry about with all those options, do you never accidentally hit the wrong setting when switching in the heat of the moment? I find it hard enough on a HSS Strat to go from bridge humbucker to neck/middle quack position. Sometimes I just overshoot the mark as I can't just flick it but have to flick it and stop it, all while not skipping a not while playing. This is why I never use serial/parallel/coil splitting options on my guitars. Too options, too many chances for things to go wrong.
Click to expand...
guitarnerdswe said:
For me, there is a thin line between too few and too many options. With regular 5-way switching, I always miss something. But I also don't want a ton of useless sounds (looking at you Ibanez AZ). I settled on a mini toggle where the upper tone is supposed to be, that splits the bridge humbucker in the 5 position, and does something different in the middle position on both my main guitars. It's flexible, without redundant options. Plus, the location of the mini toggle switch has it out of the way, but easy to get to when I need it.
Click to expand...

I find the notch positions easiest to reach by flicking to the end and pulling back a click on the lever.

The beauty of this setup is that it is, primarily, a standard 5-way, with very little thought required to operate. Most of the time the mini-toggles are left in their default positions, but they allow the possibility of the alternate tones. The mini toggles are the short bat type, so they are pretty unobtrusive.
 
Joe Bfstplk said:
I find the notch positions easiest to reach by flicking to the end and pulling back a click on the lever.

The beauty of this setup is that it is, primarily, a standard 5-way, with very little thought required to operate. Most of the time the mini-toggles are left in their default positions, but they allow the possibility of the alternate tones. The mini toggles are the short bat type, so they are pretty unobtrusive.
Click to expand...

Ideally for me I'd just want a 2-way switch. Bridge and mid/neck quack, nothing else. I wonder if such switches exist for guitar?
 
I have a few guitars set up with variations like these. It's not confusing to me because it's not like I'm in the middle of a song and need to do three things at once. Different songs call for different setups and that's where the versatility is so useful.
 
Muad'zin said:
The thing I always worry about with all those options, do you never accidentally hit the wrong setting when switching in the heat of the moment? I find it hard enough on a HSS Strat to go from bridge humbucker to neck/middle quack position. Sometimes I just overshoot the mark as I can't just flick it but have to flick it and stop it, all while not skipping a not while playing. This is why I never use serial/parallel/coil splitting options on my guitars. Too options, too many chances for things to go wrong.
Click to expand...
That's why I really like the control layout on my Ibanez JSM-10. Has a simple 3-way switch for the two hums, but then a mini toggle to engage the coil top or phase flip on the neck pickup for when I want to play something funky. The nice thing is I can always kick it back to the bridge humbucker that tone regardless of what else is set. Probably my favourite guitar for when I'm playing straight into a tube amp with pedals or effects, I use it in the jazz band all the time..
 
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