A strange wiring diagram?

[MikeSoT]

I have a Chapman ML-1, an amazing guitar for the money and have ordered a Jugg Bridge and Sinner Neck and Middle coils.

The thing about this guitar is that it is a HSS (duh) 3-way switch, 1 vol. 1 tone with a push/pull tone pot. I can't find a wiring diagram for this anywhere, am I blind or is this just an odd setup?

[darkbluemurder]

Normally HSS guitars come with a 5-way selector. If it has a 3-way and one push-pull pot, then the wiring is probably as follows:

#1 neck pickup
#2 neck + bridge pickup
#3 bridge pickup

And the push-pull pot activates the middle pickup so you would get neck + middle, all three or bridge + middle.

I like the Eyb/Schaller type E switch for HSS guitars. With this one you would get

#1 neck pickup
#2 neck + middle pickup
#3 neck + outer coil of bridge pickup
#4 middle + inner coil of bridge pickup
#5 bridge pickup as humbucker

There is a way to use the push pull to get the bridge pickup as a single coil if that is a sound that you want, too.

Of course you could also use a normal 5-way switch with two levels. That would give you the same combinations as above except for #3, which would be the middle pickup only.

With a 5-way 4 level switch (aka Superswitch or Megaswitch) almost any pickup combinations are possible.

I would think long and hard about what pickup combinations I want and how fast I can get at them (very important in live playing situations!), then decide.

Cheers Stephan

[MikeSoT]

Thanks for the reply man. I'm actually beyond satisfied with the way the selections I have available now which are as follows:

#1 Neck coil (w/tap: Neck & Middle)
#2 Neck & Bridge (w/tap: All 3)
#3 Bridge (w/tap: Coil split Bridge & middle coil)

I want to replicate these with my new pickups but I've no idea if that requires a specific wiring diagram and it's going to be awfully difficult to do without an appropriate wiring diagram.

[darkbluemurder]

Well then - I was quite close with my guesstimate :) Even though I don't have a diagram for that switching matrix I hope I can help with a detailed verbal description.

I think for the neck and middle pickups it will be rather straightforward - just look at where the signal wires go (from your description the neck hot should go to the switch and the middle should go to the push-pull pot) and solder the white wires of the new pickups there. The black wires go to ground.

With the humbucker you need to look more closely. There should be one wire going to the switch - that is where the red wire of the BKP should go. One wire should go to the push-pull pot - that is where the green and white wires of the BKP should go.

The push-pull pot will likely have six contacts, two rows of three contacts. Take a look at one row - there should be one wire coming from a pickup and one wire going to the switch output or volume input - that is the row which puts the middle pickup in and out. With the other row there is one wire coming from the pickup and another wire that goes to ground - that row splits the humbucker. 

Cheers Stephan

[darkbluemurder]

PS: for guitar wirings the guitarnuts2 forum is my favorite resource.