Guitar Modded
Fender Stratocaster SSS
Description
- SSS pickup layout
- 3 single coils, direct Fender replacement pickups
- 1 volume pot with pull/push
- 2 tone pots
- 1 Fender Super Switch
Medium
Features
- Provides standard SSS switching mode plus an alternative mode with interesting combos.
This is the original sketch from Mike Richardson's:
What can be a bit hard to understand for some people. This time, there is specific information about what to do with the 3 pots (volume and 2 tones).
I translated that sketch to a more friendly diagram. This is the diagram:
Comments
One more tricky design by Mike Richardson. This time using a super-switch and getting rid of the black out issue with the middle position of their mod 01 (see previous entry in this blog).
Also, in my opinion, the alternate combos that provide the "alternate" mode are more usefull for the real work.
While the volume's pull/push is pushed down, standard strato wiring takes place but, except for the middle position that, instead of select the middle pickup is selecting Bridge in parallel with Neck pickup.
When the the pull/push is pulled up, we enter in an "alternate" mode and we are getting the following combinations:
1. Neck in series with Middle in series with Bridge
2. Neck in series with Middle
3. Bridge in series with Neck
4. Bridge in series with Middle
5. Neck in parallel with Middle in parallel with Bridge
I would probably swap positions 1 and 5 to make the combos go from the weakest to the loudest one, by example in this way:
1. N + M + B (all parallel)
2. N & M
3. N & B
4. B & M
5. N & M & B
To me this makes more sense but, Richardson's design is very clever, anyway.
The drawback is that you loose your middle pickup alone sound but, you replace it with neck and bridge pickups in parallel, what is very similar to the center position of a Telecaster and, not a bad sound, anyway.
The tricky part of this wiring is related to that cap linking the neck negative and the lug 3 of the neck's tone pot. Not positive about the function of this cap there.
I will still introduce two more Richardson's designs in next entries.
Also, in my opinion, the alternate combos that provide the "alternate" mode are more usefull for the real work.
While the volume's pull/push is pushed down, standard strato wiring takes place but, except for the middle position that, instead of select the middle pickup is selecting Bridge in parallel with Neck pickup.
When the the pull/push is pulled up, we enter in an "alternate" mode and we are getting the following combinations:
1. Neck in series with Middle in series with Bridge
2. Neck in series with Middle
3. Bridge in series with Neck
4. Bridge in series with Middle
5. Neck in parallel with Middle in parallel with Bridge
I would probably swap positions 1 and 5 to make the combos go from the weakest to the loudest one, by example in this way:
1. N + M + B (all parallel)
2. N & M
3. N & B
4. B & M
5. N & M & B
To me this makes more sense but, Richardson's design is very clever, anyway.
The drawback is that you loose your middle pickup alone sound but, you replace it with neck and bridge pickups in parallel, what is very similar to the center position of a Telecaster and, not a bad sound, anyway.
The tricky part of this wiring is related to that cap linking the neck negative and the lug 3 of the neck's tone pot. Not positive about the function of this cap there.
I will still introduce two more Richardson's designs in next entries.
Awesome, thank u so much for your great work ! So glad I found your site
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome.
DeleteThanks to you for your interest.
What values are you using on the caps?
ReplyDeleteWhat capacitor values does this call for?
ReplyDeleteWell, this is really your decision.
DeleteI would go myself for a 0.047 mF PIO cap, as the Vitamin Q (affordable).
Hi i really appreciate you putting this into a more user friendly version. This maybe a dead board but i am going to try anyway.
ReplyDeleteI recently built this circuit in my start except i have only two pots so i did a master tone and a push pull for a neck phase. Everything works great except i get a very low out put through my bridge pick up in all combinations of which it is in. I checked the pick up and it has the right ohms, I have lace sensors so the green and white wire are running to the star ground, my cap is instead of grounded to the back of the pot it is going to star ground, i have quadruple checked all my soldering with a meter and it all seems right, i am completely stumped, though i have wondered if the cap is sneaking its way into the bridge signal since it and the green and white wire of the beige all is grounded there. Is this even possible? haha the tone works great by the way. Or maybe the white wire should go somewhere else? any suggests would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
not beige *bridge
Delete