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Post subject: Replacing S1 switching with regular volume pot?
Posted: Wed Feb 29, 2012 11:56 am
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Hi Folks ~ I have a 2006 A.D. QMT Strat, with the S1 switching and would like to replace this with a regular old volume pot. I've read some conflicting things regarding what needs to be done. Some say the pot is the only thing that needs to be changed, others say that the 5-way switch needs to be changed as well. Some straight answers would be nice!

Also, I believe that the stock pot in this guitar is a 500k. Is this to accommodate the s1 switching some how? Most Fender pots are 250k, if I'm not mistaken, so when replacing it with a 'regular pot', do I want a 500k, or 250k?

Thanks!

jason


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Post subject: Re: Replacing S1 switching with regular volume pot?
Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 4:29 pm
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~sounddjinn~ wrote:
Hi Folks ~ I have a 2006 A.D. QMT Strat, with the S1 switching and would like to replace this with a regular old volume pot. I've read some conflicting things regarding what needs to be done. Some say the pot is the only thing that needs to be changed, others say that the 5-way switch needs to be changed as well. Some straight answers would be nice!

Also, I believe that the stock pot in this guitar is a 500k. Is this to accommodate the s1 switching some how? Most Fender pots are 250k, if I'm not mistaken, so when replacing it with a 'regular pot', do I want a 500k, or 250k?

Thanks!

jason


Welcome, Jason.

If I am interpreting your aim correctly, you want your Strat to operate with more 'traditional' features; please correct me if I'm wrong. Premising I'm correct, replacing the S-1 pot/switch with a 'regular' pot can certainly be done. However, there would be rewiring beyond the pot involved for obviously, the switch aspect would be gone and so those leads which were wired to it have to be rerouted or outright removed (as the case may be). And yes, the OEM SuperSwitch can be kept but here too, this would have to be rewired. Most will tell you it has to be replaced with a conventional 5 way because the SuperSwitch is too complicated for them to figure out and that's the truth. Lastly, premising your bridge pickup is not a full sized HB, a 250K audio pot is what you would use.

I refer you to this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50101

Notice the outstanding diagram at the bottom of the page by our own Andybighair.

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Post subject: Re: Replacing S1 switching with regular volume pot?
Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:08 pm
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Martian wrote:
~sounddjinn~ wrote:
Hi Folks ~ I have a 2006 A.D. QMT Strat, with the S1 switching and would like to replace this with a regular old volume pot. I've read some conflicting things regarding what needs to be done. Some say the pot is the only thing that needs to be changed, others say that the 5-way switch needs to be changed as well. Some straight answers would be nice!

Also, I believe that the stock pot in this guitar is a 500k. Is this to accommodate the s1 switching some how? Most Fender pots are 250k, if I'm not mistaken, so when replacing it with a 'regular pot', do I want a 500k, or 250k?

Thanks!

jason



Welcome, Jason.

If I am interpreting your aim correctly, you want your Strat to operate with more 'traditional' features; please correct me if I'm wrong. Premising I'm correct, replacing the S-1 pot/switch with a 'regular' pot can certainly be done. However, there would be rewiring beyond the pot involved for obviously, the switch aspect would be gone and so those leads which were wired to it have to be rerouted or outright removed (as the case may be). And yes, the OEM SuperSwitch can be kept but here too, this would have to be rewired. Most will tell you it has to be replaced with a conventional 5 way because the SuperSwitch is too complicated for them to figure out and that's the truth. Lastly, premising your bridge pickup is not a full sized HB, a 250K audio pot is what you would use.

I refer you to this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=50101

Notice the outstanding diagram at the bottom of the page by our own Andybighair.



Thanks for your help! Yes, I do want it to operate in a more traditional manner.
There is a humbucker in the bridge, so I will need a 500k pot, correct?
Also, once I've determined what leads I will need, would it be O.K. to just clip off, or tie up, the unneeded leads?

Thanks again,

jason


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Post subject: Re: Replacing S1 switching with regular volume pot?
Posted: Fri Mar 02, 2012 7:38 pm
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~sounddjinn~ wrote:
Thanks for your help! Yes, I do want it to operate in a more traditional manner.
There is a humbucker in the bridge, so I will need a 500k pot, correct?
Also, once I've determined what leads I will need, would it be O.K. to just clip off, or tie up, the unneeded leads?

Thanks again,

jason


Jason,

You're quite welcome.

Yes, use a 500K pot and yes, clipping or tying the leads up is fine.

One additional item for your consideration: The 500K pot will make the two single slotted pickups sound sterile and clanky. To prevent this, when soldering the positive wire of each of the singles to their respective terminal of the pickup selector switch, solder one 470K ohm resistor along with each wire to the terminal. You would then solder the other side (tail) of the resistors to ground. What this does is it will make the singles respond as if that volume pot was a 250K. These resistors are 2 for 99 cents at Radio Shack and will make a world of difference with your pickup combo.

Again, you're quite welcome.

If you have any questions, just yell!

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Post subject: Re: Replacing S1 switching with regular volume pot?
Posted: Wed Mar 07, 2012 5:19 pm
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Howdy!

+1 on all that good stuff Martian wrote!

Smart move on retaining the Super Switch. Now, should you wish to have the humbucker split in say position 4 (Bridge & Middle) for a slightly more traditional "quacky" tone but still have the full humbucker in position 5 (Bridge), you can.

How cool is that! 8)

Andy

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