5 way strat switch wiring Q.

[Chuck H]

Are strat bodies usually routed with extra room for humbuckers? Or usually as much body wood left in/ routed for single coils as a rule?

I'm trying to establish what my body might be/ who made it. I just bought it off eBay i think 15 yrs ago, no name,..

What you report is completely common. Usually it's a bucker rout for neck and bridge and a single route for the middle. But sometimes it's just three bucker routes or, on the cheapest bodies, one huge open cavity from the bridge to the neck. Usually only more expensive or strict strat clone purpose made bodies have three single routes anymore.

My own Warmoth strat body has three single routes. Sort of a happy accident because when I decided that I HATE the single coil bridge tone on strats I put in a Seymour Duncan JB mini bucker (JB Jr.?) rather than trouble with routing and that pickup sounds fabulous. But a bucker in the bridge means no 'chicken pickin' with the bridge and middle tone. You just can't get a GOOD single tone from any coil split humbucker so THAT tone is out. Not a problem for me since I don't chicken pick.

[Sea Chief]

The nice thing about having an open switch like you have is being able to see how the switch works. In the picture below you can see that moving the switch tip to the left moves the wiper to the right hand contact i.e. not as 'logic' suggests

Hi Dave H. No I did see this, the lever on a central pivot etc.. but I must have forgotten to add this factor in when siting the switch. Dumbass.

[Sea Chief]

What you report is completely common. Usually it's a bucker rout for neck and bridge and a single route for the middle. But sometimes it's just three bucker routes or, on the cheapest bodies, one huge open cavity from the bridge to the neck. Usually only more expensive or strict strat clone purpose made bodies have three single routes anymore.

My own Warmoth strat body has three single routes. Sort of a happy accident because when I decided that I HATE the single coil bridge tone on strats I put in a Seymour Duncan JB mini bucker (JB Jr.?) rather than trouble with routing and that pickup sounds fabulous. But a bucker in the bridge means no 'chicken pickin' with the bridge and middle tone. You just can't get a GOOD single tone from any coil split humbucker so THAT tone is out. Not a problem for me since I don't chicken pick.

Thanks. Well mine does seem to have one large cavity separated by a thin bit of body goings across. Hmm maybe its a squier body then.

What does chicken picken mean? Might you be referring to the honky position between bridge & middle pickup, sort of like a chicken's cluck? Or a style of picking the strings, hillbilly with dungarees & straw in mouth/ something frightful like that? SC

[Chuck H]

... honky position between bridge & middle pickup, sort of like a chicken's cluck? Or a style of picking the strings, hillbilly with dungarees & straw in mouth/ something frightful like that?

Yup.

Though to be fair there ARE players that do some good things with that tone. Just not my cup.

[Sea Chief]

Yup.

Though to be fair there ARE players that do some good things with that tone. Just not my cup.

Tbh those are the only 2 positions I use! I find them way more interesting, the others rather plain jane.

Almost all of zjohnny msrr's use of a strat sounds like these two positions too. Inflections, layers, whole songs as the main guitar. Even msrk knobfler can produce some fab tones, tho the music, solos & vox are ditchwater dull.

Im very surprised to hear anyone wouldn't like these positions. Very unique sounding to all guitars.. I thought the whole essence of it's sound is primarily these two honky tones. And the neck one alone can sound great too with overdrive, & the right player.

[Chuck H]

Well I did use those tones when I played out in a cover band. You pretty much have to. When I'm noodling at home or sitting in and improvising in small company (all I do now, no gigs) I prefer any other voicing though.

[Sea Chief]

Well I did use those tones when I played out in a cover band. You pretty much have to. When I'm noodling at home or sitting in and improvising in small company (all I do now, no gigs) I prefer any other voicing though.

Interesting, there's me assuming all who bought strats did so for these two honky positions. I did note hendrix almost alaways just used the neck p/u mind you, tho in my head ive just thought of a song off i think cry of love ( with the "hey.....ooohhh.... hey.... oohhh" lovely female backing vox on ) defo using one of the two honky 'between' positions.

Here's my body then.. any more indication as to what it might be from this-?

[Chuck H]

Indeed on the tonal aspects. I remember reading an interview with Jimi where he sited the tonal variety of the Stratocaster being what drew him to it. Many artists have created their signature tone based on one of the five options a Strat offers and with only a small preference shown for the neck/single tone. So there you go. Rock/pop/MUSIC has evolved with the instruments that make it and the musicians, the best ones, only see the pallet of options and create. That's the best I can do on the subject being (certainly) more narrow in my own enlightenment even now.

As to your Strat body... I dunno. Haven't seen quite that routing before. But no matter. There are so many incarnations intended to suit a one size fits all that I don't have any criticism regarding. In fact I think that some of the over routed guitars may even have some acoustical advantage WRT resonance and lower body weight. So if it's working for you it's all good. I (firmly) believe that if Leo were still alive and running things we would have seen all the body route configurations coming right out of his factory already.