Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Charlie-AKA on August 27, 2020, 01:56:42 AM

Title: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Charlie-AKA on August 27, 2020, 01:56:42 AM

Hi guys, could anyone help me figure out or find a wiring diagram for a neck and bridge humbucker with a single coil sized humbucker in the middle? No coil splitting, just one volume and one tone. I guess I’d need to use a 5 way switch wired like a strat.

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Dave Sloven on August 27, 2020, 04:20:25 AM

Did you look through the wiring diagrams on the BKP site?

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Charlie-AKA on August 27, 2020, 09:33:39 AM

Yeah and it looks like what I’d need to do is sort of treat it like a 3 single coil strat setup and wire the humbuckers to a 5 way blade switch, wiring all three as 2 conductor humbuckers. Seems simple enough. 

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Charlie-AKA on September 01, 2020, 06:55:09 AM

Okay so I wired it up according to this diagram and used a 5 way fender strat switch:
https://guitarelectronics.com/strat-w-single-master-tone-control/

It didnt work out. In position 1 and 2 I get the neck (4 conductor holy diver) and the signal cuts on and off. I have to push the lever sideways to get a signal.
In the middle position (SD mini screamin demon) I get kind of a clean tone even when im playing on overdrive, like theres not enough signal.
In position 4 and 5, I get the bridge pikciup, the juggernaut, and its working fine.
Any idea what i did wrong? Did i get a defective switch from fender?

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Dave Sloven on September 01, 2020, 08:54:27 AM

If your signal cuts in and out with a lot of sideways slop then that's a faulty switch.

I got one from BKP that did that pretty much straight away.  A fluke.  Brand new CRL 3-way switch

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Charlie-AKA on September 01, 2020, 10:18:50 AM

Yeah that sounds like the culprit. I've managed to wiggle it a bunch and it works for positions 1,2, 4 and 5. But what about the middle position, any reason it seems to only give me half a signal?
What are the best 5 way strat style switches? CRL? Back when I had someone else wire my guitars (this is only the second time I've done it myself) I was using the $30 PRS switches cus I just really didn't want there to be a problem.

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Dave Sloven on September 01, 2020, 10:30:45 AM

I like the feel of the CRL ones, for the most part they have been good except for the one which was loose.  Note that there are different types of 5-way switch.  The CRL switch is not a 'super switch', which apparently can do different things.

I'm a HH 3-way switch guy ... I don't want a switch to do fancy things and I hate middle pickups, so I am probably not the guy to ask

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/product/crl-5-way-strat

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk/shop/product/oak-grigsby-5-way-super-switch

Ben at BKP knows the difference.  I forget.  Maybe send him an email

Title: Re: Wiring an HSH pickguard as 3 humbuckers
Post by: Charlie-AKA on September 01, 2020, 10:35:22 AM

I'm the same as you, I do HH with a 3 way switch and then usually only play one of em at a time. Only reason I tried this one was that like a year ago before I was a BKP fanboy I ordered a mini screamin demon probably at like 3 am impulsively the day after a pay day and it's been sitting in my parts box the whole time. I was thinking more pickups = more gooder   :evil: Gonna order a CRL now LOL thanks for the good advice.