My Strat wiring plan... is it good? stupid? Please advise.

[BlackAngusYoung]

I like playing my Strat-style guitar but I always liked the simplicity of the two pickups on my Les Paul.
I don't seem to make any use of the middle pickup alone and would like to be able to use the neck and bridge together.

I've been reading a lot of wiring ideas on forums and trying to understand the schematics. I think I know what I want to do but I haven't seen a plan exactly like it. I want to use a couple basic mods wired in a way I think I will find intuitive and useful.
I'd appreciate any comments or advice. I'm not exactly sure how to wire this.

Here's what I'd like to do:
-Make Middle pickup Tone control work for the Bridge pickup alone, leaving the Middle without a Tone control.
-Replace the 5-Way switch with a 3-Way, without wiring the middle pickup to it. I want the 3-Way to function like a Les Paul switch (as if there were no middle pickup,) engaging either Neck or Bridge pickup and both together when it's in the middle position. Can that be done?
-Add a 3-Way mini-toggle switch to control the Middle pickup. It would switch the Middle pickup from being off to being either on alone or on with the other(s.)

I think this would suit me well for oldschool blues because I'd like to play mostly with the neck and sometimes with the bridge (especially if it has Tone control) and probably both together... since I'm a David Gilmour fan, too. I'd look at it almost like it were a two pickup guitar and the neck pickup were just something extra I can switch on if I want to but isn't in the way. (At least it won't be in the way if I just have the tip of the mini-toggle sticking out of the pickguard like David Gilmour has.)

Thanks for any tips. This will be the biggest project I've done on a guitar yet, so I'm really really open to input.

Thanks!
-BlackAngusYoung

[Gibsonman63]

Why not make the mini-toggle a two-pole switch? You already have control of the bridge and neck pickups with the three-way pickup selector. The mini-toggle can be a simple on-off for the middle pickup. You could use a push-pull pot if you want to be stealthy.

I had an electronic switch in one of my Strats for years. It would let me do the standard sounds from the five-way pickup selector, plus neck and bridge pickup only and all three pickups at once. This may be another option for you.

Over time I discovered a couple of things. First, the switch was a bit combersome and required a bit of practice to switch smoothly while playing. Secondly, I really didn't need this many options, especially when playing a gig. For studio work, the flexability is nice for getting different sounds for different tracks and there is plenty of time to make adjustments, but for live I am more concerned with punching through the mix and keeping everything ax-handle simple to control.

[Sweetfinger]

That should work. There are other mods that give you these options without more switches, though.

[BlackAngusYoung]

Why not make the mini-toggle a two-pole switch? You already have control of the bridge and neck pickups with the three-way pickup selector. The mini-toggle can be a simple on-off for the middle pickup. You could use a push-pull pot if you want to be stealthy.

That was my initial idea, but wouldn't that mean I can't use the middle pickup alone? (Something I know I said I don't find myself doing, but I might want to someday.) I like the simplicity of just having it on/off but I'd feel like I'm giving something up that I might regret. Especially since I'm putting better pickups in.
Or am I wrong about what you meant? Or about how the switches work, for that matter?

I don't think I want to use a push/pull pot. I appreciate the stealthiness and wanted to use one at first, but I think my brain would work better with an extra switch. It just seems more intuitive to flick a switch than to have to grip a knob and pull up on it. For this, anyways. I think I might use one for phase or something one day.


I should mention... though I doubt I have to... that I'm pretty close to being a beginner in both playing and modding guitars and I find both hobbies equally fascinating.
I can get certain things at wholesale prices, so I've decided to upgrade to Fender's "Stratocaster Original '57/'62" pickups and thought it might be nice to wire the guitar in a way that makes sense to me. But it's mostly theoretical at this point.
I certainly don't like the idea of a bridge pickup without tone control. I really really really like the idea of having primo gear when I'm still just starting out.

Thanks for the help.

[David Schwab]

-Replace the 5-Way switch with a 3-Way, without wiring the middle pickup to it. I want the 3-Way to function like a Les Paul switch (as if there were no middle pickup,) engaging either Neck or Bridge pickup and both together when it's in the middle position. Can that be done?

Here's almost the same thing, and easier!

STEWMAC.COM : Megaswitch E-Model

This is a 5 way that gives you the neck, neck/middle, neck/bridge, middle/bridge, and bridge.

What it doesn't do is just the middle, or all three.

I have one in the 3 pickup Tele I made. Mine also switches the dual rail humbuckers to single coils when in position 3. I modded the switch to do that.

[BlackAngusYoung]

Quick Pre-View Mod

I don't have the new pickups, controls and wiring yet but I wanted to give myself a pre-view of what I was in for.
So I switched the Middle and Bridge pickup wires on my 5-Way Switch.
Now I can use the Neck pickup as normal or use the Neck and Bridge together, and the Bridge has Tone control. I can use the Middle alone and the Middle with the Bridge. Just can't use all three together or Neck+Middle.
The Neck+Bridge combination sounds really good together! It's got some good quack or bite or whatever. Glad I tried this.

I didn't add a second capacitor for the Bridge Tone. I read that it will sound better if I put a capacitor of lower value on the Bridge Tone control, so that's what I plan to do when I get my new stuff and do it all for real.

[BlackAngusYoung]

Here's almost the same thing, and easier!

STEWMAC.COM : Megaswitch E-Model

This is a 5 way that gives you the neck, neck/middle, neck/bridge, middle/bridge, and bridge.

What it doesn't do is just the middle, or all three.

I have one in the 3 pickup Tele I made. Mine also switches the dual rail humbuckers to single coils when in position 3. I modded the switch to do that.

Thanks. That's a good suggestion and it would probably suit me well. Except that I'm not good enough of a player yet to really know what suits me. I'm new to having a Strat-type guitar and about to put real Fender pickups in. I don't really want to eliminate the option of using the middle alone since I haven't tried it yet with good pickups. Plus I do like the idea of trying all three together. Not sure how useful that would be, but it just seems intriguing...

I had looked at that switch on Stewmac's site and considered it, but decided to go with my initial idea. Or something like it... that was a lot of ideas ago. I placed my order with them this morning. I'm getting a Telecaster wiring kit to use for my Neck and Bridge pickups (wiring, 2 pots, 2 different caps and the 3-Way switch for 2 pickups) and a mini toggle to use for my middle pickup. I think that should work out. I think.