12 November 2012

Wiring Diagram: Mike Richardson mod 01

Classification

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 5-way switch.
Difficulty Level

Medium
Features

  • Provides standard SSS switching mode plus an alternative mode with interesting combos.
Wiring Diagram

This is the original sketch from Mike Richardson's:


What can be a bit hard to understand for some people. Even that the wiring of the 5-way is clear, there is no specific information about what to do with the 3 pots (volume and 2 tones).

I translated that sketch to a more friendly diagram and decided to have a master volume an independent tone controls for neck and bridge pickups. This is the diagram:





Comments

Mike Richardson was providing few tricky and usefull diagrams. This one is the first I would like to introduce to you but, a couple more will come soon.

You can see that when the pull/push is pushed down, the 5-way switch behaves in a regular strato way, delivering the typical strato combinations but, when the pull/push is pulled up, we enter in an "alternate" mode and the positions deliver the following:

1. Neck in series with Middle
2. Neck in series with Middle-out-of-phase
3. NOTHING
4. Middle-out-of-phase in series with Bridge
5. Middle in series with Middle

Not sure about positions 2 and 4.
For position 2, having the bridge negative grounded in one side and it's positive ground thru the cap on lug M but, also linked to neck's negative (also grounded thru the cap on lug M), it seems like if the middle pickup was shortcut and therefore, just the neck pickup should work.
Same case applies for position 4 and the bridge and middle pickups.
Maybe the cap between the ground and the link spot for both pickups is reversing the polarity of the middle pickup without shortcutting such a pickup. I am not 100% positive on this but, I have to rely on Richardson's design.

The weirdest thing of this wiring is the middle position that gives you no sound. I don't like mods were some position can accidentally shut up your guitar.

But, wait, Richardson have some other tricks in the hat. Wait for next mod.

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