3 way switch question

[KRKBAB]

Is there any way with a 3 way lever switch and 2 'buckers to get the middle position to be something other than what it normally would be (without using a push/pull or anything)?

something like
1- Neck series
2- Neck parallel/ Bridge parallel
3- Bridge series

or

1- Neck series
2- Neck full/Bridge parallel
3- Bridge series

? ?

Every site I looked at only had variations with a push/pull or a 3 way DPT switch.

Is that because there's only on choice with 2 'buckers (4 conductor) and a standard 3 way lever switch (Strat style, not toggle)?
(still being able to get each p'up by itself)

[octavedoctor]

Changing a humbucker from series to parallel requires a lot of switching and there aren't enough independent contacts on a standard switch. You could do it with a multi wafer rotary though and possibly with a 4-pole, 5-way like the superswitch.

[uOpt]

The "three-way" as used in Les Pauls can do nothing else in the middle that both on. It's not a real 3-way switch.

Even if you had a real one, you would need more poles than normal do to in-series.

[arellanon]

Yeah, you really can't do those operations with only that switch involved. You are going to need other switches for that.

[Funkfingers]

This should be possible with a 24-contact Superswitch.

There are various Ibanez circuits in which the coils of at least one the humbuckers is connected in series in one selector switch position and in parallel in other. I am sure that one of these circuits could be adapted to suit the OP. The downside is that the guitar will end up with five selections rather than three.

[uOpt]

In case you don't know, Stewmac sells a 6-position switch that has a bunch of such switching combinations precoded in it.

It needs a minor amount of wood work to fit a regular LP switch cavity, and I didn't like the specifics of the combinations they put in. I would prefer a bunch of poles to do what I want with it.

[arellanon]

In case you don't know, Stewmac sells a 6-position switch that has a bunch of such switching combinations precoded in it.

It needs a minor amount of wood work to fit a regular LP switch cavity, and I didn't like the specifics of the combinations they put in. I would prefer a bunch of poles to do what I want with it.

You mean this one?

[uOpt]

Yes.

[octavedoctor]

This should be possible with a 24-contact Superswitch.

There are various Ibanez circuits in which the coils of at least one the humbuckers is connected in series in one selector switch position and in parallel in other. I am sure that one of these circuits could be adapted to suit the OP. The downside is that the guitar will end up with five selections rather than three.

Ibanez use the OTAX VLX91 switch, which is essentially the same as the superswitch but is slightly more elegant in construction and takes up less space, however I'm not sure that even a 4-pole 5 way like this will do what the OP wants. If I can work out a circuit I'll post it. I think you need a modular rotary...

[DrNewcenstein]

(Strat style, not toggle)

Strat-style 3-way blade switches generally behave the same way as LP-style 3-way toggles: the middle position is an automatic bridge between position 1 and position 3.

However, there are 3-way blade switches that require the middle position to be wired manually. While usually this is merely a jumper from the outer contacts to get bridge+neck, this separate center contact can instead be wired for one of many combinations, including parallel of either or both pickups.

[octavedoctor]

Strat-style 3-way blade switches generally behave the same way as LP-style 3-way toggles: the middle position is an automatic bridge between position 1 and position 3.

However, there are 3-way blade switches that require the middle position to be wired manually. While usually this is merely a jumper from the outer contacts to get bridge+neck, this separate center contact can instead be wired for one of many combinations, including parallel of either or both pickups.

I think that the OP was looking for a way of having each humbucker wired in parallel internally; the default with a standard three way switch would be to have them globally in parallel. It seems unlikely he'd be asking how to do this...

[uOpt]

A Strat style 3-way is not similar to a LP style 3-way.

The LP style switch can only be wired up to do both sides at the same time in the middle.

In a Strat style you can do whatever you want in the middle position (as long as you have enough poles for what you want, with 2 pole you can't do in-series for example).

[DrNewcenstein]

I think that the OP was looking for a way of having each humbucker wired in parallel internally; the default with a standard three way switch would be to have them globally in parallel. It seems unlikely he'd be asking how to do this...

I was under the impression he wants each pickup in parallel with itself, but in series with each other, rather than merely in parallel with each other.

It can be done, since the green and white would go to ground for parallel, with the black and red going to hot. In series, the red and white would be taped off and soldered together. If the center can be wired manually and is not automatically bridged, there should be a way to divert the black and red of each pickup to the hot lug and send the white to ground with the green.