strat bridge/neck pickup blender knob?

[_tom_]

I've read about this mod but have no idea how to do it. Basically I'd like to try having a blender knob in place of the bottom tone knob. Currently I have my guitar wired so that the bottom tone knob adjusts tone for bridge and the top one adjusts tone for neck and middle. All I want is to be able to blend in the neck pickup a bit so that the bridge position is a bit thicker so I can take the guitar into heavier territory if I want to, would make it a bit more versatile I think. The tone knob thickens up a bit, but I just want to try the blender thing out of curiosity.

Thanks for any help :)

[dave_mc]

interesting, i might have a lurk here for if i ever get a strat. :D

how about wiring the middle and bridge pickups in series? that could be quite cool too.

[Philly Q]

I think this might be what you want, Tom.  It's from Chris Kinman's site, the diagram for the blender pot is at the bottom on the left:

http://www.kinman.com/images/inside/toneWorkshop/tone/Strat_Wirogram.PDF

[WezV]

I have an extra volume for the bridge on one of my 3 pickup guitars - all it needs is a wire from the switch to the input on the extra volume pot then a wire from the new volume pot to the master volume input.

some people just do it with a switch but a volume pot is a better idea if you want to blend them.

you basiclly need to bypass the switch for the neck pickup

so:

1. disconnect all the wires from the tags on the old tone pot
2. attach a wire from the tag on the 5 way switch that the neck pickup is attached to
3.  attach the other end of this wire to the left hand tag on the pot(looking from the back)
4. attach a wire to the middle tag of the new volume pot
5. run this wire to the left hand tag of the master volume (there should be a wire from the switch already going there)
6. attach a short wire from the extra tag on the new volume to the back of the pot


you might need to rewire the (now) master tone to get that working properly but it depends how the capacitor was shared between the tone pots.  basically if you are left with one end of it floating free attach it to the back of the pot and you should be good to go

the problem with this mod is that the neck pickup is always on when the volume  is up - so it can take a bit longer to change between each pickup

[WezV]

I think this might be what you want, Tom.  It's from Chris Kinman's site, the diagram for the blender pot is at the bottom on the left:

http://www.kinman.com/images/inside/toneWorkshop/tone/Strat_Wirogram.PDF

well i couldnt find a diagram but thats pretty much it

[_tom_]

hmm right.. doesnt look too hard according to that diagram. Basically I still want to have the normal function of the standard 5 way switch but the ability to blend the neck pickup in on position 1/5 (the one where its pointing down to the ground - standard bridge switch position), is this possible?

Dave, any idea how you'd wire the bridge + middle in series and what kinda sound that'd give? I'm just looking to have the option of fattening up the bridge single if I ever fancy it, without sacrificing standard strat switching.

[WezV]

it affects the working of the 5 way switch because to go from just bridge to just neck you would need to move the switch and turn the volume up and visa versa,  so its a bit fiddlier and you have to decide if the extra sounds are worth it.

[Philly Q]

That Kinman diagram will blend in the neck pickup to whatever's selected on the switch; if you want it to only work in position 1, I don't know if that's possible.

When you have the neck added to the bridge that way, it'll be in parallel, so it's not really going to make the sound fatter - it'll be more like the middle position on a Tele.  

If you're looking for a humbuckerish sound, then Dave's suggestion is right, you need a pair of pickups in series.  Not sure how to do that - I know the Fender American Deluxe Strat has series wiring options with the S-1 switching system:

http://www.fender.com/products/s1/pdf/AmericanDeluxeStratSSS010-1200.pdf

http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/pdf_temp1/stratocaster/0101200_02A/SD0101200_02APg2.pdf

And I found this diagram, which gives a neck+bridge in series option.  You need a triple-pole, double-throw mini-switch though, which might be tricky  :? :

http://www.guitar-mod.com/wiring/andy_ultimate.gif

[_tom_]

hmm this all sounds a bit complex, I dont really know what I want :lol: Those Fender diagrams wont load for some reason Phil :?

[Philly Q]

The Fender diagrams are hideously complicated anyway, I suspect they're not much help!  :lol:

There might be a problem because they're pdf's I suppose.  The first one's here, scroll down to "American Deluxe Series Stratocaster®":

http://www.fender.com/products/s1/

And the second one (the actual wiring diagram for the S-1 switch) is here, scroll to "American Deluxe Stratocaster® Upgrade":

http://www.fender.com/support/wiring_diagrams_parts_lists.php

I was going to say maybe you should just go for a bridge humbucker, but you've got that on your Charvel anyway haven't you?

[_tom_]

Cheers Phil, those diagrams work now. I dont think I'll bother with this as it seems more fiddly to swtich between things, I was hoping I could just have it so that the neck blends with the bridge only on position 1.

About hss, I had that on this strat for a while but I didnt like the look of it, the humbucker didnt fit in properly and it wasnt level in the pickguard, which didnt fit properly anyway :lol: The Rebel Yell actually sounded really good in my strat, with 250k pots to tame some brightness, sounded better than it does in my charvel.. and that is hss but I'll probably sell that anyway, I dont play it enough and I think I got a bad piece of basswood because it always sounds a bit scooped and fizzy :(

[dave_mc]

http://www.treblebooster.com/brian_may_pickup_mod.htm

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/serpar.php

http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/stratlovers.php (this one is probably the pick, i think it does everything you want)

That was just from a quick yahoo search, and I haven't checked them to make sure they're correct.

:drink:

[Philly Q]

Well done Dave!   :D

There are a hell of a lot of switches on that Brian May guitar, aren't there?  I think it'd make my brain explode trying to remember what combination I needed for each sound.

[WezV]

i was trying to get that strat lovers strat thing up last night but the link i found wasnt working

[dave_mc]

Well done Dave!   :D

There are a hell of a lot of switches on that Brian May guitar, aren't there?  I think it'd make my brain explode trying to remember what combination I needed for each sound.

 cheers, philly :D

yeah, that's what i find. It's nice having options, but at the same time, there are one or two combinations that will probably do you 95% of the time- and if they can't be selected quickly and easily, that kinda defeats the whole purpose of all those knobs and switches.

I know one of the yamaha superstrats (i think it was a yamaha) had a switch on it, which, regardless of what setting your pickup selector and volume and tone pots were at, could select the bridge humbucker at full whack- that seemed like a really cool idea to me. obviously maybe not for a strat, of course, but for something with a bridge humbucker and several pickup wiring options, seems like a nice idea.

i was trying to get that strat lovers strat thing up last night but the link i found wasnt working

ah i guess i got lucky then!  :lol: