Calling Martian and experts to help with the experiment.

Currently working on the new setup for my zebracaster and have a bunch of parts in the bin and trying to match an interesting balanced mix of pickups for experimentation.

We can either go HSS (black pickguard) or SSS (parchment pickguard)

What I have
1. Fender CS 69 [Set] - all 3 pickups are the same according to Fender output/polarity/winding (vintage stagger=louder G string).
2. Fender vintage noiseless [Set] - Different outputs modern stagger, I believe.
3. Vintage Alnico III [Set] - No stagger, I still have to measure output .
4. Fender ceramic single coil [Set] from the 09 MIM higher output RW/RP middle modern stagger.
5. Gibson Classic 57 HB - I still have to measure output (screw type magnets to accommodate any stagger).


- Orange caps .047 and .022 mf,
- CTS 250, 500, and 1M pots.
- Regular 5 way fender switch or a super switch (dual blade)

Given that we call position 1 on the switch to be a bridge position, one of the options that I would like to have is to configure the 4th position to be neck-bridge.

With the super switch configuration, I would appreciate if someone has a diagram because this one puzzles me a bit. I am not a fan of extra buttons/toggles on the pickguard so if you have an interesting wiring suggestion think of the super switch.

This is just a tone experiment on my test guitar so no worries how it comes out.
Thanks everyone for the cool ideas and input. The end result is going to be recorded and published for the review.

Dan

Howdy!

Though I was born on this planet and I'm not an expert, I can provide you with a 5 Way Super Switch diagram that will replace the position 4, Neck & Middle combo for Neck & Bridge.



Keep us posted on your pickup and tone control requirements and I can update the diagram for you, if you wish.

Have fun experimenting!

Andy

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Pending Greatness

Sling the Gibbo 57 in the bridge. Use the Alnico 3's in the other two positions.

You're not going to get any kind of balance out of the 69's to the bucker. I won't repeat my feelings on Vintage toneless pickups.

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No no and no

Hey there, Dan!

I'll just, "Call 'em the way I see 'em":

With the CS69s, I would only use one in the neck position as they are void of any midrange which translates to clanky in the middle position and weak and ice picky in the bridge position. And yes, there's that loud G string issue due to the high polepiece. On the up-side, they have a nice, percussive bass.

Vintage Noiseless? Well, Mother always said if you don't have something nice to say about something, don't say anything at all.

The Alnico III set with level polepieces would definitely be worth pursuing. These would give you a nice midrange and singing high end. The bass may be a touch mushy though but nothing so terrible.

Ceramic single coils? Nah, Alnico is the way to go.

The Classic 57's polepieces won't line up properly under the strings. Chances are too, it will be naturally out of phase with the Alnico IIIs so you'd have to reverse wire the A3s.

If you do go with the Alnico IIIs for the middle and neck positions, put the most powerful in the middle position and the second most powerful in the neck. This will help balance with the 57 in the bridge a bit better.

The .022 uf cap is your best bet if using only one cap. With my guitar, in addition to having it wired like you've requested and Andy has most wonderfully illustrated (as usual), I used a .047uf for the bridge tone pot and a .022uf for the other tone pot which controls the neck and middle pickups. The Super Switch is a must because although you can use a regular one, the regular one will not get you the the combinations you want in the order you want.

OK, now here's the tricky part, the pots. First off, megohm pots are right out. IMO, they shouldn't be used in guitars, period.

The volume pot is the most critical. Having said that, using a 250K pot for the 57 will make it fizzy and condensed. So, for the 57, you need a 500K volume pot. I would also use a 500K as a dedicated tone pot for this pickup.

Conversely, if you use a 500K on the Alnico IIIs, they may sound quite anemic. So, here's what you should do: On the selector switch, at the terminals where you solder the hot wires from the Alnico IIIs, solder a 470K resistor to each terminal along with the hot wire from the respective single coil. With the other wire from the resistor, solder it to ground. This way, when either of the single coils are selected, the circuit will 'see' a 250K volume pot. Again, I suggest dedicating the upper tone pot to the Alnico IIIs. This of course, would be a 250K pot as well.

With the wiring of my guitar, I do not need the resistors. However, I've inserted a diagram of exactly the way my, "Fratocaster" is wired for the sake of seeing how the tone pots would get wired into the mix. Again, this is with many thanks to Andy for the phenomenal illustration:



If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

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You dig?

Thanks guys, the diagrams are awesome. I will not be confused eventhough they depict a different wiring scheme.

Interesting thing to me is that I did not expect that Alnico III would be a pick of choice with the Gibson 57 HB. I printed both diagrams as a reference and have started assembling parts and taking pictures last night. Gibson HB was already in the black HSS pickguard.

I will post updates.

Again, many thanks to Andy for these outstanding diagrams!

FYI: You have an Alnico II in your 57 HB.

Do keep us posted!

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You dig?

Anytime!

Cheers Chaps...

Andy

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Pending Greatness

Have you considered the Blender control? It allows the bridge and neck to be blended (little to all) as well as all three.

Yes I did, however don't have it in my parts bin. I do have a super switch, basically building something different out of parts that I have. I did have a snag. My soldering iron went [kaput] so I had to wait for the weekend to get a new one. I have to unsolder some parts that are already installed in the pickuard, etc. Have some pics will post update soon.

You can also experiment with other configurations such as HH, HSH and HHH.

HHH is by far the ultimate pickup configuration in terms of versatility.




With a 5-way super switch and the S-1 system, you can get every sound you want, from bright and glassy single-coil to fat and dirty humbucking. You can't go wrong with a Clapton mid-boost kit to let your creative imagination decide which of these sounds is best suited to your taste and playing style.