Need Help Putting the Middle PU in Series

[1ManGarageBand]

Hi--

I put a ClassicStackPlus-n in the middle on my tele between a PGn and CCb.

I don't want to wire the middle PU into my Torres wiring harness 5-way switch, so I wired it with a DPDT center-off (in-phase/off/out-of-phase) with the red (second coil) wire unconnected, the hot wire to the vol pot hot terminal, and the shield/drain and ground wires to ground.

When I turn on the middle PU with N/B/or both the volume is cut in half and I have to raise the middle PU all the way up to the strings get any of it's flavor.

QUESTIONS:

1.) The problem is that the middle PU is in parallel with the other PU(s), right?

2.) Is there a way to wire it in series with the other PU's without getting into the 5-way switch??

Thanks for looking and thinking about it!

[JRawk]

To clarify a couple things:

You want middle to be able to be in series with both neck and bridge (though obviously not at the same time) and you don't want to hookup the middle pickup to your 5-way switch at all?

Also - would you intend to be using the switch you already have to perform the series switching?

[1ManGarageBand]

Hi JRawk--

Right about about wanting the middle PU in-series with neck or bridge (whichever is selected by the 5-way switch) -and- I don't want to hookup to the 5-way.

I'd don't care about the DPDT I've got in there now and would change to any mini-switch that would fit and do the job (don't really care about the out-of-phase option either; just on/off).

Thanks! I'm on the edge of my chair waiting to hear back from you!

[1ManGarageBand]

Could I switch the middle PU in/out (in-series) like this with a DPDT?

(Ignore the periods in the diagram; it wouldn't work with spaces.)

5-way hot out
|
|
|....O--O
|---O...O--- to vol pot hot terminal
.... .O...O
......|....|
.....-***+
.......PU

If so, should I connect the middle PU shield wire to ground or connect it to the switch with the PU ground wire? (The 5-way switch floats the neck ground in order to connect the bridge/neck in series, when needed.)

Thanks-

[ArtieToo]

David; That looks good to me. The only thing is - you should use a simple on-on switch. In one position, you have your normal 5-way. In the other position, you have whatever is selected by the 5-way, in series with the middle pup.

I can't vouch for how it will sound, but thats how you wire it.

Artie

[1ManGarageBand]

Thanks very much, Artie!!!

Does anyone have thoughts about how the ClassicStackPlus-n will sound in SERIES with PGn (full/split/parallel) and/or CCb or Custom-b (full/split/parallel)???

[JRawk]

Hello again,

I can't vouch either for how the classic stack plus will sound in series, but from my experience running multiple humbuckers in series is often not a very defined sound. Running split halves of humbuckers (or stacks even, if you're looking to hum-cancel) is something I've done a few times though and always had great sounds with.

[1ManGarageBand]

Thanks JRawk--

I'm assuming that the "classic" strat quack and chime are related to the classic strat parallel wiring arrangement and that I'll lose some of these qualities if I put the ClassicStackPlus in series--is that your experience?

I've figured out a way to wire a DPDT on-on-on switch to connect the middle PU OFF/in-parallel/in-series with the others (and will try it when the switch arrives):

.......O---O................OFF
.......|
SW->O....O->Pot Hot...Parallel
..............|
........O....O................Series
........|.....|
........-***+
..........PU

What i'm hoping is that wiring the ClassicStratPlus in series will retain some of it's "classic" flavor but increase the volume so that I can lower the middle PU (because it drives me crazy when it's raised high enough to hear).

I'm wondering if I should just get a Hot Stack (or some other middle PU?)

Any thoughts/opinions would be appreciated!