New to guitar wiring.

[cmaxw640]

I have a set up on my squire strat that was done about 8-9 years ago by a friend of my dad. It's has a dirty finger on the rail and I believe the other 2 are 62' strat pickups?? He wired them up to a 3 way switch, and gave me two volumes. So I can blend the Dirty finger with the sc's or turn the volume on the sc's off and go all df.

I got the crazy idea to paint the guitar and replace the pick guard. When I took the pick guard off and looked at the wiring it didn't look like it was done very well... There was also one wire just hanging off the switch not a attached to anything? When the guy was building this set up he was high as a kite... Probably in a different dimension...

Can anyone point me to a good setup. I'm new to guitar wiring and haven't picked up a soldering iron in years, but the best way to learn is dive in head first, right? The dirty finger only has 1 wire btw.. He's soldered it to the top of every pot and ended it at the switch. Seems a little strange to me?

Anyway.. Any help, suggestions, ect... would be VERY much appreciated!

Thanks

[streamz1]

I have a set up on my squire strat that was done about 8-9 years ago by a friend of my dad. It's has a dirty finger on the rail and I believe the other 2 are 62' strat pickups?? He wired them up to a 3 way switch, and gave me two volumes. So I can blend the Dirty finger with the sc's or turn the volume on the sc's off and go all df.

I got the crazy idea to paint the guitar and replace the pick guard. When I took the pick guard off and looked at the wiring it didn't look like it was done very well... There was also one wire just hanging off the switch not a attached to anything? When the guy was building this set up he was high as a kite... Probably in a different dimension...

Can anyone point me to a good setup. I'm new to guitar wiring and haven't picked up a soldering iron in years, but the best way to learn is dive in head first, right? The dirty finger only has 1 wire btw.. He's soldered it to the top of every pot and ended it at the switch. Seems a little strange to me?

Anyway.. Any help, suggestions, ect... would be VERY much appreciated!

Thanks

I assume the dirty rail is a dual rail mini humbucker style pickup. Should have at least 2 wire sometimes 4. If it only has 1 wire get rid of it, 1 wire going to ground then to switch is definitly wrong. You can get one at gfs pickups reasonable, if you want to stay with that setup. I'm a fan of alnico vintage type strat pickup sets. Nothin like that bell/quack sound of the strat. Most all the diagrams you need are here.

Wiring Diagrams - Seymour Duncan

Practice soldering.. cold solder joints can ruin your day..use alligator clips to keep heat away from tone capacitor body.

[cmaxw640]

I assume the dirty rail is a dual rail mini humbucker style pickup. Should have at least 2 wire sometimes 4. If it only has 1 wire get rid of it, 1 wire going to ground then to switch is definitly wrong. You can get one at gfs pickups reasonable, if you want to stay with that setup. I'm a fan of alnico vintage type strat pickup sets. Nothin like that bell/quack sound of the strat. Most all the diagrams you need are here.

Wiring Diagrams - Seymour Duncan

Practice soldering.. cold solder joints can ruin your day..use alligator clips to keep heat away from tone capacitor body.

Pickup is a Gibson Dirty Finger. It's a single braided line. I believe the braid is ground and inside the braided wire is what I would connect to switch/pot? I love the sound of the pickup... I have no desire to get rid of it. My top sc isn't getting any action though... It hasn't worked for years, and I don't know if it ever did to be honest.. I can post some pics that might be helpful...

[cmaxw640]

I'll add some pics that might help a little bit. The pickup is a gibson dirty fingers.. I have no desire to get rid of it. I really like the tone and attack it gives. It has a braided line that is the ground and inside the braided line is the wire I would attach to switch/pot, I believe. The single coil up top has no activity hasn't worked in years... Not sure if it ever did to be honest.. Here are some pics that might be helpful

[cmaxw640]

Am I overthinking this? can I just wire it like a S/S/S set up?

[lowell]

Are you sure its ONE wire? It may be a shielding wire with an internal (hot) wire.

[cmaxw640]

Are you sure its ONE wire? It may be a shielding wire with an internal (hot) wire.

That's what it is. still would I wire it as a s/s/s

[52 Bill]

Sure you can wire it the same as a S/S/S, but if the original wiring was working, it would be more versatile allowing for all three pickups to be used at once.

The wiring job is horrible and I'd suggest that you remove it all, clean up the parts and start wiring from scratch. You can't trust that wiring to be reliable.

[cmaxw640]

Sure you can wire it the same as a S/S/S, but if the original wiring was working, it would be more versatile allowing for all three pickups to be used at once.

The wiring job is horrible and I'd suggest that you remove it all, clean up the parts and start wiring from scratch. You can't trust that wiring to be reliable.

Top sc isn't working at all. Something in here is disconnected. May be due to a random wire than's poking out of the top.

I drew a diagram of how its wired now. Scribbles are grounds. Let me know if you have any questions on it. I drew it up REAL quick.

[52 Bill]

You might have missed a jumper on the bridge side of the switch. As it is shown, the bridge pickup will not be turned on in the middle postion. The middle pickup is connected to the second volume control.

Have you tested the neck pickup to see that it is okay and not damaged? Try a ohmmeter reading directly at the pickup and see what you get.

[cmaxw640]

You might have missed a jumper on the bridge side of the switch. As it is shown, the bridge pickup will not be turned on in the middle postion. The middle pickup is connected to the second volume control.

Have you tested the neck pickup to see that it is okay and not damaged? Try a ohmmeter reading directly at the pickup and see what you get.

I actually haven't checked to see if pickup is damaged... Don't have an ohmmeter either.. could be a cold soldering joint as well?

Should the diagram work? any idea what the random wire is? Here is a better write diagram.

[cmaxw640]

Problem might be a loose connection in neck pickup? The more I look at this the more simple guitar wiring seems.. and makes sense... In my very first pic you'll see the top neck pickup has electrical tape wrapped around the hot wire and a smaller red wire is coming from the electric tape. Possible short right there? Hm?? That's the pickup that isn't having any power..

[52 Bill]

Yes, anything is possible. That is why I suggested removing all of the existing wiring and starting from scratch.

The red "random" wire is the jumper that is missing from the switch that would turn on the bridge pickup in the middle position. It should go to the next terminal over, like the one on the neck pickup side of the switch.

You can test the neck pickup by connecting it directly to the end of a guitar cable. Try touching the 1/4" plug contacts on the two solder joints on the back of the pickup.

[big_teee]

I always wire some variation of this.
Wiring Diagram
I like to wire the neck and middle to the front tone, and the bridge to the back tone control.
That also allows you to put a tone cap for the neck and middle, and a different sized cap for the bridge.
You can also make the tone Pots different value if you need to.
Good Luck,
T

[cmaxw640]

Yes, anything is possible. That is why I suggested removing all of the existing wiring and starting from scratch.

The red "random" wire is the jumper that is missing from the switch that would turn on the bridge pickup in the middle position. It should go to the next terminal over, like the one on the neck pickup side of the switch.

You can test the neck pickup by connecting it directly to the end of a guitar cable. Try touching the 1/4" plug contacts on the two solder joints on the back of the pickup.

LOVE your advice so far! thanks 52!!

So I can just hook the hot/ground wire to my 1/4" jack and tap pickup with a screwdriver or something?

that actually makes sense with the red wire. Both joints on the switch next to there have solder on them. Tip also has solder on it. Wire was no where near the switches when I pulled the pickguard off though so I was a little thrown. You are really helping me make better sense of all this though. Thanks again!

I always wire some variation of this.
Wiring Diagram
I like to wire the neck and middle to the front tone, and the bridge to the back tone control.
That also allows you to put a tone cap for the neck and middle, and a different sized cap for the bridge.
You can also make the tone Pots different value if you need to.
Good Luck,
T

So in that set up you're basically ignoring the flexibility of the 4 wire and using the humbucker similar to mine right (hot/ground)? Looks like a good setup. I'm debating on switching to a 1 volume 2 tone with a 5 way or keeping my 2 vol, 1 tone, 3 way? anyone every experience both setups and have preference? Is one more flexible than the other? Seems like a 5 way would be more flexible.

Can't stress this enough. Thanks for all you're suggestions/experience. Just a couple days ago I had zero knowledge on this and it's all coming together.