Wiring a guitar

[Veenture]

Thanks folks! I've been doing a lot of reading and especially taking into considertion your posts. I think what I want to do is outlined below. Please give me a sanity check.

A. On the bass side horn I would like two SwitchCraft 3-Way toggle switches to switch between pickups"
#1 will be Neck / Neck & Bridge / OFF
#2 will be Middle / Bridge / OFF

This should give me every pickup combination except Bridge&Middle, which I never use anyway. It will also give me a kill switch when both are in the OFF position

B. On the treble side horn I want a Master Volume with a 500K Linear Taper pot.

C. On the lower bout near the input jack will be two ToneStyler tone post, wired as one for the Neck pickup and one wired for the Bridge pickup. The middle pickup will not get a tone pot at all.

D. I want to use Mogami W2944 cable with shrink wrapping over the soldered joints.

Okay. Any feedback?

Sarah, allow my two cents' worth:
For live playing I personally prefer a simple/basic circuit configuration sothat I don't get confused or distracted(!) by a whole bunch of 'switch options'. I know that Nokie Edwards' HithHiker guitar has an overwhelming range of sound options to choose from and he can cope with them but I'm sure you can too
Just remember -for practical use of the guitar- to give priority thoughts to only those options you'll ever be using yourself

[Mr. Bill]

You're switching plan is possible, but one of the two switches needs to be a special switch with an added terminal. This type of switch is used with the 3 pickup Les Paul Customs.

The only problem is that when the pickups are "off" the hot lead to the pickup switches will be left floating. If you use a separate switch as a "standby" you can ground the output to the amp which will be the quietest.

The only other question that I would have is why the special cable and why the heat shrink?

[Sarah93003]

You're switching plan is possible, but one of the two switches needs to be a special switch with an added terminal. This type of switch is used with the 3 pickup Les Paul Customs.

The only problem is that when the pickups are "off" the hot lead to the pickup switches will be left floating. If you use a separate switch as a "standby" you can ground the output to the amp which will be the quietest.

The only other question that I would have is why the special cable and why the heat shrink?

Thank you. Where would I find a special switch with the extra terminal? The cable is the wiring that Gretsch uses in their Pro Line guitars and was recommended by the ToneStyler people. As was the heat shrink tubing. I use the heat shrink tubing when I solder things on my sailboat so the salt air does not corrode the joints. I think he suggested it as an added precaution. I'm not sure why, exactly.

[sleeperNY]

he suggested it as an added precaution. I'm not sure why, exactly

Sarah, I think it would also help just a small amount toward's shielding the wires.

Jim

[Mr. Bill]

Here's the one that I was thinking about.
http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/Switches_2/Switchcraft-Straight-Type-3-Way-Toggle-Switch-for-3-Pickup.html

Adding the heat shrink will not hurt anything and will as you say help protect the joints, so not a problem.

[oigun]

Sarah, heres a bunch of wiring options...

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/

Shielded wire is the way to go in a hollow-body guitar.

My opinion is keep it simple just like veenture said. Maybe that is a Dutchie thing but the advantage is that you get a reliable guitar, less parts to go south on you...YMTC

[Sarah93003]

Here's the one that I was thinking about.
http://www.mojotone.com/guitar-parts/Switches_2/Switchcraft-Straight-Type-3-Way-Toggle-Switch-for-3-Pickup.html

Adding the heat shrink will not hurt anything and will as you say help protect the joints, so not a problem.

Thank you Mr. Bill. If I get this switch, what would the other one need to be, a regular three way switch?

[Sarah93003]

Sarah, heres a bunch of wiring options...

http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/

Shielded wire is the way to go in a hollow-body guitar.

My opinion is keep it simple just like veenture said. Maybe that is a Dutchie thing but the advantage is that you get a reliable guitar, less parts to go south on you...YMTC

Thanks Oi. I will start studying!

[vetovideo]

Just my opinion on 'heat shrink' with electronics and soldering .... A) It protects the solder connection from becoming 'cold' due to different types of erosion. B) It secures the wiring to the posts and prevents insulation from shrinking to further expose strands of wire. C) It prevents the connection from breaking or pulling away due to vibration. D) It further isolates the connection from outside RF interference (ground noise). (Now, why I know .... LOL) I rebuild, repair and refurbish Jukeboxes, pinball machines and video games. I get to see on a daily basis what happens to solder joints on wires, switches and controls. IF it was me, I'd use the heat shrink. I'd also agree with the idea of using shielded cable to prevent ANY RF from being picked up or transmitted.

[Mr. Bill]

Yes, the second switch is a standard selector switch.

Here is the diagram.