How To Wire A 12 Point Toggle

[Speed_Racer71]

first off..ive never installed pickups before and wanted to do it myself..the pickups are dimarzio's a super distortion / paf pro...the guitar is a ibanez sz320..it has 2 volumes, 1 tone and a 3 way toggle..but this is the toggle with the 12 connector points on the back of it...i want to keep it since the knob is a one piece chrome, not the black or creme screw on plastic knobs you find on les pauls/prs...i want to wire them in series...also i want to wire it so when its in the middle pos both coils on both pickups are going ..right now in the middle pos only the inner two coils are on...the guitar already has 500K pots...ill prb get a .022 ceramic cap to replace the poly film (not sure the measurement) one thats on it now since thats what dimarzio recommended...my big prb is where to put what wire on that 12 point toggle..any help would be appreciated

dimarzio wire colors are

red

white

black

green

and i dont really know what wire is which..as in i dont know which one is the ground, hot etc...i prb should take to someone to have it done , but be able to work on you guitar is part of the fun right?

here is how its wired now w/stock pickups..if i new what all the 12 points where i think this would be a lot easier but ive never seen one of these switches

[Speed_Racer71]

also in preferences in ceramic disc caps vs the poly film?

the poly film/green type is whats intalled and dimarzio said .022uf and all i see that in are the round/brown ceramic disks

[Speed_Racer71]

somebody?

[lovekraft]

Here's the wiring diagram:

http://www.ibanez.com/wiring/wire.asp?y=2005&w=SZ320

This page will give you DiMarzio's color code

http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/categor...ckupcolorcodes/

You already have the correct tone cap, so just leave it alone. All you should have to do is wire the pickups' hot and ground wires to the switch - a quick check with a multimeter on the continuity setting will tell you how the switch works (or you can dig around on the Ibanez website - they probably have a switching diagram somewhere on one of the old JPM models). Or trade that fancy switch in for a SPST on-both-on toggle, and eliminate the guesswork.

[Speed_Racer71]

i found those already..seems like i just cant find anything on the 12 point switch..i guess i may have to get just a standard 3 point toggle like a les paul/prs since thats pretty much cut and dry..the only reason i want to keep it is the lever is all chrome , it doesnt have a screw on cap and it goes with the scheme of the guitar, the knobs, pickup rings are chrome to ..and the switch doesnt stick up much..but ya know if im having this much trouble..spending a few more bucks may solve it the headache

also i really like the feel of the guitar..for a 400 dollar guitar i dont miss my prs mccarty much...i may get another ibanez like it and that was another reason i wanted to figure out the switch..because i know id swap out pickups if i got another one to..and id know what to do

Edited February 26, 2006 by Speed_Racer71

[lovekraft]

Like I said, just use a continuity tester to find out how to wire that switch - it's a 4 pole 3 throw switch, so each row of three lugs acts like a SP3T, with the center lug as the common and the outer lugs being switched.

Chances are if you simply connect two rows together in parallel (center to center, top to top and bottom to bottom) and use the outer lugs for the pickup hot leads and the center lug to feed the tone control/output jack, you'll get what you want. To verify that, set the switch up that way, and test continuity in each switch position - up should show continuity between bottom and center, down between top and center, and middle between all three.

[Speed_Racer71]

" continuity tester "

what exactly is that? ... honestly and dont take it the wrong way..i litterally dont know a thing about pickups..in the past..i always took my guitars to a tech to have new ones put it..but since the internet has become so popular the majority of the shops have closed down and the ones that are open dont have a thing.

so youll have to use lamens terms with me lol..i figued now would be a good time to learn instead of paying people everytime i wanted something new or changed

on the tone pots for instance there are 3 tabs..do each of them have a different function..as in..is one for the vol..one for the tone and one for the bleedoff? is there a set parameter..as in does one tab have a specific function...

any books you recomend? i have one i got the other day .."guitar electronic for musicians" by donald brosnac..didnt know when i got it that it was a 23 year old copyright..but i guess elecs dont change much...i saw it as stew-mac and there was another wiring book also..those are the only two i have seen that was just about wiring

all i really know and im not sure i know this is

with dimarzios and wiring in series everyone has said take the black + white wire , solder them together and tape it off..now does that mean tape the end that i soldered? if i do that i cant do anything else with them because the tape will be in the way..or are then meaning solder them together and tape the wires together so i know that they are connected ..as in put the tape back away from the soldered ends..

i wish i had friends that played this might be easier

[lovekraft]

what exactly is that?

I use a multimeter, set for the lowest resistance setting, but you can test continuity as simply as using a battery and a lightbulb - simply attach the bulb to the battery's positive end and attach wires to the other end of both battery and bulb, so the bulb lights when the two wires are held together. Now simply touch one wire to a center switch lug, the other to an outside lug in the same row of three, and cycle the switch through all three positions, recording when the lightbulb lights. Once you've check all four rows, you'll have a "truth table" for the switch - post that, and we can tell you exactly how to wire it for what you want. HTH

[Speed_Racer71]

ohhhh ok..ya know that actually makes sense to me

[Speed_Racer71]

FWIW

i talked to anothe guy that has the same guitar and installed the same pickups..he said that the 12 pint toggle its basically like two mini-toggle switches joined side by side