Question about a middle pickup

[CruzinLow]

Pickups.jpg

I am thinking about pulling the trigger on a K series.

I have a question concerning the 3 pickup configuration as shown in the pic:

Is it possible to use all 3 pickups at once with the selector switch that is provided as shown?

I ask because I have a Strat that does not allow this...

[wickid]

With their current 5-way, no. (3 discrete lugs, pos 2, 4 internally linked.)
But if you had a push/pull knob (vol I suppose?), that could be wired as an always-on (add-in) for the bridge, and then you could get that selection.

[Casual Madman]

I ordered my ST300 with a (returnable) Option 50 wiring scheme for the pickups. The middle switch position was the three inner pickup coils, with the center pup reverse-wound (or "out of phase"). Yielded a remarkable honk, like an angry Jeff Beck.

[spudmunkey]

a remarkable honk

I can't decide if that would make a better band name, or album name.

[Casual Madman]

a remarkable honk

I can't decide if that would make a better band name, or album name.

It's one step below A Joyful Noise.

[Doctor Turn]

I'd like to chime in here.

I don't know if you were around the board when I was yammering a lot about what I did to the triple pickup guitar in this photo:



They're 3 single coils (P90's) and the guitar came with a 6 way rotary. When I got the guitar I brought it over to my tech who I wanted to just junk the chinese pots and put in some CTS 500K, and whatever best quality rotary he could find.

I'm going to go thru the whole thing as it may be of some use to you:

It came w a rotary as stated, plus a master volume and three tone pots. The rotary did everything but get me all 3 pups on at once, which I thought needed three on/off switches to get.. otherwise there were too many other higher priority configurations to squeeze that into a 5 way or a 3 way or even the 6 way rotary.

My tech shook me by the shoulders via email:

"Junk this stupid rotary, they're noisy and get scratchy-- and wire your guitar Frampton Style," he said. Frampton likes to use 3 pups in his LP Custom black beauties, as well as his Specials. His Specials explain it thusly:

Each single coil P-90 pickup on the Frampton Signature Junior has a dedicated volume control, allowing each pickup to be blended in with or isolated from the others. The volume knob for the middle pickup allows it to be added to any pickup arrangement selected with the 3-way toggle switch, which functions as it would on a 2-pickup guitar: up for the rhythm pickup, down for the treble, and middle position for both. A master tone knob controls all three pickups.

So basically after junking the old pots of 3 tone/master vol, he put in CTS 3 vol/1 master tone. And he jettisoned the rotary. Put in a switchcraft 3 way... so it's thus:

The three way functions as it would on any les paul as regards the neck and the bridge pickup. In the center position both the neck and bridge are both on. Now, the middle pickup is always on. You blend it in or out of any position with its dedicated volume knob.

So the volume for the middle pickup acts as an on off switch, in a way. It's unaffected by the 3 way, it's always on. You turn it off or blend it in to any of the three positions on the 3 way with the volume knob. So via this wiring route, every single pickup configuration is available, even beyond a 6 way rotary. It's absolutely mind blowing that a 3 way can give you each and every position (including all 3 pups on.. which btw really isn't worth all that much once you hear it. it's kind of undifferentiated, very wide and flat).

For you to be able to get at all three pups on with a 5 way and avoid drilling, I'm guessing you'd need to have to have a tech rewire your switch connections to the pups. But there are so many tints and shades within all those positions, I'd at least ask for 3 volumes even if you don't want a tone.

Or--ask for 3 mini switches and just junk the switch and use them as on/off, wired to each pup.

But then you're going to want to split on neck and bridge.

5 mini switches? 3 on/off, 2 splitters?

You could do Frampton style wiring and have push pulls on the bucker volumes. Master tone, volume for each pickup, push pulls on the bridge and neck. Bango! Absolutely everything is available to you!

[Casual Madman]

... a 3 way can give you each and every position (including all 3 pups on.. which btw really isn't worth all that much once you hear it. it's kind of undifferentiated, very wide and flat).

You need that middle pickup reverse-wound ("out of phase" - or at least switchable that way) to get the most joy from a 3 pickup setup.

[Doctor Turn]

Yep--I didn't even get into the fact that when bridge - middle or neck middle is selected on my Super Swede, you get a virtual humbucker and the 60 cycle mains hum is jettisoned.