Wiring in Series

[nDR01d]

Hi all. I am just wondering if it is possible to wire an ST-1 with H-S-S setup like this, but with with a twist:
Bridge humbucker
Middle and north in series
Middle
Middle & neck in series
Neck
The trick being no extra switching, ie: just using the 5 way
I have searched a bit on the net but came up with less than not much.
I know this setup may sound a little wacky to some, but I'd just like to try it.
Thanks.

[WeirdBits]

You could do it with a 4-pole 5-way Grigsby switch (http://www.realparts.com.au/electronics/lever-switches/oak-grigsby-5-way-single-wafer-superswitch.html) (you need separate lugs for each position, not shared like the stock or CRL type switches) and if you have a 4 wire humbucker for the bridge. As an added benefit the Grigsby would also allow your tone controls to be switched by position too if you wanted.


I think you could maybe make it work with a 2 pole Grigsby (emphasise *think*), but you couldn't have separate tone controls.

[wazkelly]

Just about to wire up an Oak Grigsby 5 way switch in H-S-H configuration for my Son's Strat copy later this week using 4 wire Entwistle Darkstars Neck & Bridge with an old 2 blade single coil looking 4 wire humbucker in middle position. The internet has endless information on how to wire these up in so many combinations as they have 24 contacts and my head hurts just thinking about it. The middle pickup already has a dimarzio DPDT on-on-on mini switch which takes it from humbucker to out of phase to single coil and have a couple of spares to use on each Entwistle too. Where the fun begins is that the Oak Grigsby can also be wired for various tone pot combinations too?

Hey Scott, if you have any simpler ideas I would love to hear them.

Cheers, Waz.

[WeirdBits]

Waz, it depends on what he wants. The 4 poles make most configurations possible, particularly when combined with push pulls, so it's about deciding what combo's you'll actually use/need. If you want the 'quack' (or something close to it) in 2 & 4 then that will mean splitting the hums and probably the blade too (polarity and phase matching fun!).

You can get a lot of configurations using just 3 of the poles on a Grigsby, so with the 4th pole you can set it up to select your tone pots. Instead of having the standard 'strat' neck tone/middle tone, you can have one tone pot for positions 4 & 5 and the other tone pot for 1, 2, & 3 with no overlap (or whatever combo you want).

[nDR01d]

Wow. I honestly didn't realise <Vader voice> the Power of the Oak Grigsby. ;) So the superswitch seems to be the way to go. I also never knew about the separate tone configurations. I think I'll just stick to my original plan there - Tone 1 for middle, Tone 2 for bridge. But thanks for the homework anyway Scott & Waz :p

[WeirdBits]

One thing to note with the Grigsby is that it is a big switch, I had to scoop a couple of mm's out of the cavity on an ST-1 to get it to fit cleanly. You can reduce the required depth slightly by bending the lugs a bit, but I recommend a test fitting and adjust as necessary before attempting to wire it up.

[wazkelly]

Thanks Scott for the good advice.