Who Can Best Describe My Super Switch Problem?

[Stew]

Hey, my friend just called me and said the guitar I built for him sounds funny. So I went over and checked it out. The guitar utilizes a 5 way selector Super Switch. He has two John Suhr DSV humbuckers which select in the following order:

5 = full neck humbucker

4 = split bottom neck coil, split top bridge coil

3 = both full humbuckers

2 = split bridge humbucker

1 = full bridge humbucker

What we're hearing is:

5 = full neck humbucker

4 = split bottom neck coil, split top bridge coil

3 = sounds like split bridge humbucker, I'll need to do a screwdriver tap test to find which coil is being used.

2 = sounds split but tone does not match a split bridge humbucker like it should

1 = sounds same as #3 position

Also #3 position lacks the honk that most middle position Tele's and Les Paul's have. So I'm wondering if maybe the bridge is splitting top coil on one position, then bottom coil on the other, removing the option of full bridge humbucker. What could I do to identify this problem? I'm not familiar with the 24 lugs on the switch to know how to correct.

There should be a fuller, somewhat boosted tone coming from the #1, #5 positions, a somewhat Stratish tone out of #4, a Tele tone from #3 and a cross between a Tele/Strat bridge single coil tone from #2. But right now the neck #5 position is the only full humbucker tone, and darker to indicate it truely is the full neck humbucker position.

Below is how the switch is wired. Could there be a possibiliy some soldering may be touching an adjacent switch tab and eliminating the full bridge humbucker signal?

Plus he's complaining that the overall volume is weak and then while playing, all of a sudden the full signal kicks in and messes with the sound engineer. Grounding problem?

Feel free to email me with any advice to problem solve (www.stewplaid@earthlink.net). There are four groups of tabs on the switch, each group has 6 tabs; 1-5 for wire locations a the 6th is a ground tab. Could someone provide some answers as to what each group refers to and how the numbers represent certain options. I'm new to this concept of Super Switchs and have a limited knowledge with electronics. I'm used to Seymour Duncan simpleton diagrams. John Suhr provided this diagram to me and it took me about a month to figure out, what's considered wire crossings versus wire attatchment sites. I'm sure this is simple once I get past the mental block. Thanks for any help.

My wiring diagram

Edited June 20, 2005 by Stew

[psw]

Sorry Stew...I cant help with a super switch but I thought if I made this reply someone in the know might have a look and help you out....at least it will put you above the sustainer thread....for now....

[JohnH]

Its hard to be sure, but i think the diagram does not seem to relate to the intended sounds.

Im assuming that the bridge pup is on the right?

the poles of the switches are the unnumbered ones?

they connect to the 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 connections per the switch positions described in your post?

If so, I get, after a couple of goes (and also a couple of beers!)

5 Neck Hb

4 Neck single coil

3 Bridge Hb

2 Bridge single coil and Neck single coil

1 Bridge Hb

I could be the pups are swapped on my list, or the 1 to 5 numbers are the other way round, however, I cant see how both pups are connected in the middle position, only the one on the right seems to be so.

good luck

John

[Stew]

I did check out the Stew Mac website and they have a little blurb about the Super Switch. I've also checked out the Fender website regarding the schematic on the American Double Fat Strat.

So to get the middle switch position (bottom coil of the neck and top coil of bridge humbuckers), should I move a jumper to one of the switches #3 poles? Only because after looking at the Stew Mac diagram (which shows the numbered poles are reversed from my diagram) in order to include that split neck coil, there needs to be a hook up to a #3 lug on the switch. Am I interpretting this correctly?

Oh and thanks psw.

Stew Mac Super Switch information

Edited June 21, 2005 by Stew

[Stew]

Thanks John.

Yeah neck pickup is to the left, bridge to the right. The Stew Mac shows the poles numbered as 0 5 4 3 2 1 - 5 4 3 2 1 0 instead of my 0 1 2 3 4 5 - 1 2 3 4 5 0.

I might just rewire to match the American Double Fat Strat, since I'm not a big fan of the single coil Strat bridge tone, I'll eliminate the split bridge humbucker. The A.D.F. Strat has this arrangement:

#5 position = full neck humbucker

#4 position = split, top coil neck humbucker

#3 position = full neck and bridge humbuckers together

#2 position = split bottom coil of neck humbucker, and split top coil of bridge humbucker

#1 position = full bridge humbucker.

BTW, John Suhr says his pickup color codes match Seymour Duncans.

Edited June 21, 2005 by Stew

[psw]

Stew and other's...have you seen this japanese site (in english BTW)

DGB STUDIO pickup schemes of ever type...

This is the most mindblowing collection of wiring diagrams...ever....

100's of combinations of different splits, blends, switching arrangements for every tipe of situation from a single pickup to three humbuckers and beyond...as simple or as complex as you can imagine....terrific...

I'm hoping to see some new themed guitars too...got anything in mind? Perhaps something with so many switches it looks like a porcupine....

pete

[Pr3Va1L]

Just so you know, on that site there are also, for some pickup models, some # of turns to wind the pickups!

[psw]

Yeah...it's so cool...fret calculator's...note frequencies...but the wiring diagrams are my faves...where do they get them all from...it's scary...

[lovekraft]

Here's a shot at your original choices:

Click here for a full size diagram

As always, check my work, but I think this'll give you the choices you listed.

[Stew]

lovekraft,

Thanks for your help. It's interesting how I can get so many different wiring attachments for the same config. How would your wiring diagram differ from this one below?

Fender American Double Fat Strat with Super Switch

[lovekraft]

Mine's easier to read? Seriously, I can't make hide nor hair of those Fender diagrams unless I have the guitar sitting in my lap and I've had my second cup of coffee. Are the pickup choices the same?

[Stew]

Yes. Fender uses Seymour Duncan 59's in the neck and a Pearly Gates in the bridge. John Suhr said that his color codes match Seymour's.

I do like your schematic lovekraft. In my schematic for my current wiring, there are some jumper wires that cross over to different poles. Also the Double Fat Strat schematic shows about three jumpers from 5,4,3 on pole 1, a jumper from pole 4 to pole 2's connecting both #4 lugs, 4,3,2,1, lugs on pole 3 have jumpers with an additional jumper wire starting at #1 lug of pole 2 ending at lug 2 on pole 1 (see the above link to visualize).

It's so confusing since I feel that John had reversed the number order of the lugs on his schematic (Super Switch lists as 5-4-3-2-1, John lists as 1-2-3-4-5 as pole lug order)

I'll go by what Stew Mac says about the Super Switch.

I just want to add I'm very grateful for your help.

Stew Mac's Super Switch explaination

Edited July 1, 2005 by Stew

[Stew]

This is what John Suhr just emailed back to me:

"On my pickups, Green and shield are ground, Red and white together are Tap and Black is Hot.

Look closely at the switch for any overlapping extended wires that could be shorting out."

[lovekraft]

Here's the limited time, non-transferrable, void where prohibited deal of a lifetime - tell me exactly what you want in each position, and I'll work up a diagram for ya. That way, we don't have to mess with anything but your choices, rather than trying to adapt somebody else's naff ideas (no offense to Fender or John Suhr).

[transient]

I had designed a superswitch wiring diagram for the following configuration:

1) bridge humbucker, in series

2) bridge split

3) one coil from bridge, one coil from neck, in series

4) neck split

5) neck humbucker, in series

I can post it if it will be of any use. But don't miss LK's offer

.

e

[Stew]

Here's the limited time, non-transferrable, void where prohibited deal of a lifetime - tell me exactly what you want in each position, and I'll work up a diagram for ya. That way, we don't have to mess with anything but your choices, rather than trying to adapt somebody else's naff ideas (no offense to Fender or John Suhr).

←

That is so cool, thank you very much.

5 = full neck humbucker

4 = split neck humbucker (Strat neck tone)

3 = full both humbuckers, (parallel, I'm looking for a Les Paul type middle 3 way tone)

2 = split bottom coil of neck humbucker, split top coil of bridge humbucker (parallel, Strat type "bell" like tone)

1 = full bridge humbucker.

I rarely use the bridge position in a Strat so I'm opting for the full bridge humbucker rather than splitting. I know I won't get a true out of phase Strat tone out of the parallel split humbuckers but I'll be close which is fine.

I'm using 1 volume pot with a treble bleed, and 1 tone pot. But it sounds to me that I can just keep those output wires where they are currently (no pun intended).

Thank you so much for putting up with my questions. I really would like to learn more about these switching options rather than just rely on a recipe schematic. This will help me out with time since my customer needs this by Monday. It's embarrassing to build something you can't explain, and have come back to tweek the switching. That's just sad.

RE:link,

Just ignore the tone pot correlations on the chart. My config is using a master vol/tone anyway.

Example, check top chart to see which pickups are on depending on switch position

Edited July 2, 2005 by Stew

[Stew]

In regards to John Suhr, I just don't think he has time to educate me about wiring his pickups. He has answered every email I've sent him but his advice always seems to leave out one element, which in turn warrants another question to him. I hate wasting his time. I have a feeling there is no short tutoral explaination regarding these Super Switches and nobody really has time to explain.

How did all of you get to know about this stuff, because I'm prepared to take an electronics class at my local Jr. College. But I'm just wondering how that knowledge would help me understand something like a Super Switch. Is a switch a switch no matter how many lugs and junk are all over?

[lovekraft]

No disrespect was intended towards John Suhr - he's been my hero since he was working with Rudy Pensa! Gimme a few, Stew, and I'll get you something drawn up.

<EDIT>Give this a try - let me know if there are any problems.

Click the thumbnail for a full size diagram.

Edited July 3, 2005 by lovekraft

[Stew]

Dude, you are the best! I'll give it a shot tonight. BTW, I was not hinting that you had any problem with John, nor do I. He has really bent over backwards to try and help me out. Plus he's been very polite about it when most would have said, "get a book"!

Now one last clarification, the tapped wires coming from the neck pickup. You show two red wires, one going to pole 2, lugs 4 & 2. I'm assuming this is the red and white wires going to lug 4, then a jumper wire between lugs 4 and 2, right?

Why do you have a black wire connecting to the red/white tapped wires coming from the bridge humbucker? Just to better separate connections from both humbuckers?

Thanks again. Now you are probably starting to see what John was going through with me.

[lovekraft]

You show two red wires, one going to pole 2, lugs 4 & 2. I'm assuming this is the red and white wires going to lug 4, then a jumper wire between lugs 4 and 2, right?

Yes, that was my intention.

Why do you have a black wire connecting to the red/white tapped wires coming from the bridge humbucker? Just to better separate connections from both humbuckers?

Well, I probably would have used black for both center taps, but since the neck tap wire had to cross over the black neck output wire, I figured it would help eliminate any ambiguity about which was which. Since white is the background color, it's a lot easier to use red. Red for the bridge center tap would probably have been better for consistency, but laziness won out!

[Stew]

Cool, I'm set then. Thanks again.

[Stew]

One last thing, most of the schematics I've seen show some sort of jumper between the input connections; 0 lug on pole 1 connected to 0 lug on pole 3. Is one side of the switch input and the other side output?

lovekraft, why does your diagram not have these jumpers crossing over to other poles of the switch?

[lovekraft]

...why does your diagram not have these jumpers crossing over to other poles of the switch?

"Cuz I'm just that good! Seriously, take a look at the output of the upper left and lower left switch quadrants - the outputs are paralleled ("jumpered", if you prefer). The upper right simply switches the ground on the bridge pickup (the coil split), and the lower right isn't used at all. There's no need for anything further, so there's no point in complicating things any further. So long as you don't start getting into running series connections between pickups or (yecchh!!! ) switching coils out of phase, it's pretty straightforward. All you need to do now is wire as per the diagram. Let me know how it works out.

[Stew]

The soldering pen is heating as we speak. Thanks again for going over this with me. Dang, you are that good!

[lovekraft]

Naw, I just look good in print - I'm not very impressive in person!