A different Brian. Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 My first post. AWESOME board folks! You've put together a collection of knowledge and experience that is invalueable. I'm truely greatful for the time and effort everyone has put into this board. I've read quite a bit over the last couple of days, yet there is soooo much more to see. I'm getting ready to try building my own guitars as a hobby. Before I start, I want to fix up my old guitars. Right now I'm working on my Strat that I bought used and "customized" back in the 80s. I say "customized" because I was a young idiot who just threw components together without any consideration for compatibility. I removed the bridge single coil, routed a larger space for a Dimarzio Super Distortion humbucker, and just hooked it up to the existing controls. The Strat had 3 single coil pickups, a 5-way switch, a volume pot, a tone pot (which I removed) and another matching knob that I guess must be a two position phase switch. I have a short in the volume pot so I took a look at it today. It's a 1 Meg pot and I was able to find a replacement at Stew Mac. I noticed the phase switch has a broken component and should probably be replaced as well. Stew Mac didn't have anything like it and I'm at a loss were to look next. I'm still an absolute novice at this so I'm hoping some of the more experienced folks here can point me in the right direction. I admit I was amazed when I saw how this guitar was wired. I would never have guessed it was that complex. That phase switch especially has quite a few wires attached to it. I figure several close-up digital pictures of the existing wiring would probably be a good idea before disconnecting it and installing the new one. If anyone sees a need to share any valuable insight on what I'm about to "fix", I'm all ears! Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Normally a phase switch will be a 2-way DPDT mini switch , with 6 lugs on the back, arranged 2 x 3. On Seymour duncans website in the schematics section there are wiring diagrams showing how it should be wired up. Is this the type of switch you mean? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A different Brian. Posted October 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 It seemed like a phase switch, so that's what I called it. It has two positions, but it looks just like the volume knob. Click it one way and it makes the sound more "hollow". My uncertainty about what to call it just comes from a recent revelation that when I was younger I knew *everything*. The older I get, the more I question what I thought I knew. This is probably a common feeling. Here's a thousand words about the switch... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeAArthur Posted October 6, 2006 Report Share Posted October 6, 2006 Radio Shack has a pretty decent rotary style 4pole double throw switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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