I have an American Special SSS and have an SD Custom Custom humbucker to put in the bridge, but the diagram for either is non-existent. Does anyone have a good gut shot of the HSS or a diagram so I can clone it on mine?

I had a look at the Highway 1 diagram but the Special doesn't have the resistors from what I can see inside mine so I think the wiring is different.

Also, I've bought 2 500k pots to replace one tone and one volume. Will this be fine?

Welcome!

To wire the CC into the circuit, wire the red and white wires together and tape them off. Solder the black and solid wires to ground. Solder the green wire to the terminal on the pickup selector switch where your OEM bridge pickup was. That's it. If you find that the CC is out of phase with your middle pickup, reverse the CC's black and green wires.

OEM, your guitar shouldn't have any resistors.

As to the 500K pots, the CC needs them. However, they may make your middle and neck pickups sound a bit sterile. YMMV.

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Thanks for the reply.

Excuse my ignorance, but what ground do I solder the black and solid to? The volume pot?

As far as pots go, does the greasebucket circuit give a tone pot to the neck and bridge?

Yes, ground it to the volume pot.

The Greasebucket should be to the middle and bridge.

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Thanks. Last question - how can I tell if it's out of phase other than it sounding tinny?

Other than that tinny, hollow, nasal sound, you'd have a immediately noticeable volume drop.

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A tip I've learned when wiring Strat pickups (guitars without a rear electronics cavity), when you solder in the humbucker, connect the guitar to an amp and tap on the pickup. If you hear a thin, tinny tapping sound, it's probably out of phase. It will sound thin and weak. Reverse the wring, and tap it again. It should sound stronger and punchier when you tap on it.

Better than putting it together and striging it up, only to have to take it all apart again to re-wire!

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'10 American Special Strat
'02 Les Paul R8
'08 Charvel US San Dimas
'85 Jackson Soloist

Splawn Quick Rod

Thanks for the help. I just finished putting everything in and it works perfectly.
It's 4am though so I'll have to wait til tomorrow to test it properly.

I wired it backwards initially because I read that the Texas Specials are out of phase and it seems to have worked.

Cool!

Since my new to me American Special has a humbucker route (I have the SSS model), I was thinking of wiring an entire different pickguard, with one humbucker and one neck single coil. That way, I could swap them back and forth at will!

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'10 American Special Strat
'02 Les Paul R8
'08 Charvel US San Dimas
'85 Jackson Soloist

Splawn Quick Rod

Enjoy!

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