Wiring up an Ibanez

[AcousticSmash]

Hey everyone, I am new to the forum and am having some techinical difficulties with my Ibanez RT650. I recently ran into a problem with the original rotary style switch which came with the guitar and have to replace it, but I also bought a couple of pickups to put into it, a Duncan SH-5 and a Dimarzio Super Distortion for a couple of different tones. Since the guitar initially also had a single coil in it, I just opted to make it a dummy pickup and leave it sitting in the pickguard unwired and go for a 3 way pickup switch. Since the guitar also has coil splitting on the tone knob, and has both a master tone and volume knobs on it, I can't seem to figure out how to wire up both the humbuckers so they can be coil tapped with the tone knob, all the schematics I have come across are for volume knob coil tapping. I called SD (all the way from Canada) and was told to use the Tele diagrams whic don't really work because the H/H with 3 way switch and push-pull pot are for the volume knob.

Any advice on how I would go about wiring up this guitar would be greatly appreciated.

[AcousticSmash]

I did not want the middle pickup since I never use it, it's just a dud pickup now, I may rewind it some day, it's not a bad single coil, I just don't ever have any application for it. I am going to post some pics of what I am doing right now a little later.

[AcousticSmash]

Thank you very much!

[AcousticSmash]

Upon further inspection, the switch I am using is a rotary 3 way, not the Gibson style switch. How do I go about wiring that up? I would assume the colour code is inverse for my bridge and neck humbuckers?

[AcousticSmash]

bump

[AcousticSmash]

It's a blade switch, typical Fender style one really. I was told to use this diagram here for my setup:



I think I may have got it, only I am confused about how this wiring works exactly. On the switch there are two connections on the upper left and bottom right of the switch. Are these supposed to be wired together exactly like in the diagram?

[AcousticSmash]

Yup, it's a blade switch NOT a rotary switch so, the diagram that you posted really fits your needs.

Yes, all the conections shown in the diagram must be done, exactly as shown.
ALSO, take into account that you have to translate the wire colors from Seymour Duncan to Dimarzio, to solder your DMZ pickup!!!

Looks like the wirings should be correct cause I figured based on the diagram you posted that I had wired it correcly, we shall see when I fire it up. I have some wires that came in the guitar initially, one is a ground that was soldered from the volume pot to the cavity of the body, another that has white and silver wires and another that is red/white/silver in it. Unfortunately I accidently cut the white/silver wire too short and it was for the output jack. Am I ok to use the red/white/silver wire and just not hook up the red wire to either contacts?

[AcousticSmash]

Here is what I have done so far, tell me if there might be anything wrong

[AcousticSmash]

I am not sure what I did wrong, but when I plugged the guitar in, the tone sounded like the humbuckers were already coil split, I know what the Duncan sounds like coil split and I am 100% positive that both were. I am curious as to know what I might have done wrong. Did I wire the pickups to the wrong positions on the tone pot?

[AcousticSmash]

Most pull/pushes work "naturally". That is, when the pull/push is down (pushed), the lugs that are in contact are just the middle and lower row and, when up (pulled), the lugs that are in contact are the middle and upper rows.
But, there are some pull/pushes that work in the oposite way.

So, first of all, to be sure that the pickups are splitted by default is really easy, just pull the tone pot and hear what happens. Are they now sounding as regular humbuckers?
Then, the fix is really easy.
Swap what you soldered in the lower lugs with what you soldered in the upper lugs of this pull/push.

There was no click when I pulled the knob up, the tone stayed the exact same. Looking at the diagram, I forgot to put a wire on the two lower lugs of the tone pot and hook it to ground on the volume (inverse of what the diagram says mind you).

[AcousticSmash]

I dunno, something seems wrong with the sound of my guitar now, the DiMarzio sounds like crap distorted, it's all tinny and thin. the coil split sounds awful too. Maybe I will just wire it without the coil split.