theodoropoulos Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 i intend to use 2 humbuckers and want the following positions: 1)bridge humbucker 2)bridge single coil 3)bridge +neck humbucker 4)bridge+neck single coil 5)neck single coil 6)neck humbucker i wanted to use the stewmac 6way rotary switch but i have no wiring diagram.My alternative is to use mini switches on/on or similar...I have also no diagramms...any help would be usefull Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 its easiest to do this with a normal 3-way and two mini-toggles or push/pulls which would also give you neck single coil & bridge humbucker and bridge single coil & neck humbucker. i also find it a bit easier to know which coils are active, which is often a problem on rotary switches if you dont want those extra settings you can use one mini-toggle or push pull as a master coil split or you could use the free-way switch from stew-mac as you pickup selector which offers you the 6 positions you want as standard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 its easiest to do this with a normal 3-way and two mini-toggles or push/pulls which would also give you neck single coil & bridge humbucker and bridge single coil & neck humbucker. i also find it a bit easier to know which coils are active, which is often a problem on rotary switches if you dont want those extra settings you can use one mini-toggle or push pull as a master coil split or you could use the free-way switch from stew-mac as you pickup selector which offers you the 6 positions you want as standard well i like to experiment in every project.my last project had 2 push/pull and now i wanted something different.i guess you are right about active coils..taht would be a problem.. what is this free-way switch???and do you have any diagram with mini-toggle?? thanks!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 1, 2011 Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 here is the free-way switch http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electronics,_pickups/Components:_Switches_and_knobs/Free-Way_Pickup_Switch.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=49249 wiring diagram for master coil split and normal 3-way pickup selector (same wiring if using a push pull or mini toggle) http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3T10_01/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers3-Way-Toggle-Switch1-Volume0Tone001.html http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3L10_01/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers3-Way-Lever-Switch1-Volume0Tone001.html or with independent toggles or push/pulls for splitting each pickup http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3T10_02/2-Humbuckers3-Way-Toggle-Switch1-VolumeIndividual-Coil-Taps.html http://www.guitarelectronics.com/product/WD2HH3T11_02/Guitar-Wiring-Diagram-2-Humbuckers3-Way-Toggle-Switch1-Volume0Tone001.html I like to experiment too, but its the sounds that are most important to me - and having them easily accessible. dont rule out push/pulls because you have used them before Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted July 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 1, 2011 wow..thank you very much!! i 'll study them right now!!i think mini toggles are more easy to access... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 It sounds like you know a bit about this already. I'd encourage you to just learn how the switch works and develop a diagram on your own. Here's the switch: That's the 3516 from StewMac. Think of the zeros like inputs and everything else as outputs. The simplest way to do this would be to think as each coil like an individual pickup. The problem there is that you'd end up with parallel wiring on your humbuckers - not series. I'm not sure how to get series out of that configuration. It may be possible, but it makes my head hurt, and right now I've got to go join an acoustic top. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WezV Posted July 2, 2011 Report Share Posted July 2, 2011 its just not worth it. i have done some fairly funky schemes on rotarys, but if you can get the same thing out of controls which show you where you are and are easy to use then why would you ever bother with a rotary? from the settings described a simple master coil split and 3-way switch is all that is needed - why make everything difficult with the rotary? i do like them for doing odd stuff or squeezing many options into a small place - like this switch i drew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theodoropoulos Posted July 3, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 thank you guys so much....i think this switch is much more complicated than push -pull or mini toggle...i will examone them both to see what is more worthy!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted July 3, 2011 Report Share Posted July 3, 2011 I like and use rotary switches on my lap steels, but I'm not too fond of them for a "normal" guitar. With lap steel being played horizontal, its easy enough to operate and if you add markers you can see where your at. Anyways, rotary switches are not too hard once you figure out the pairings and how they work. I find it helps to take a DVM and as you pin it out, mark out the positions, its pretty intuitive once you jump in. I use a scribe to number them, then use a few different colored sharpies to color code the banks / pole groupings. Once you have it pined out and marked, just draw it out and one by one connect the dots for your chosen combination's. . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansil Posted December 7, 2011 Report Share Posted December 7, 2011 actually quite easily done assuming you don't mind taking your singe coil from the coil cut side. of the coils you have two rows of contacts with six possibilities and a common each. make both commons the output. we will call them row a and row b. this wiring assumes that you have two hum buckers that are set up for coil cutting the hot wire will be the traditional switched wire. the cc wire will be where the two coils are joined a b 1 bridge hot nc 2 nc B cc 3 bridge hot neck hot 4 B cc N cc 5 nc N cc 6 Neck Hot nc now nc is no connection, and N cc is neck Coil Cut and B cc is Bridge Coil cut. i get accused of being to technical and not clear enough in my writings so i am attempting to do better at clarity. as a side note my fret guy wanted this same thing in his ibanez some time ago and it has served him well for around five years now but use a quality switch and if you have the tools drill a small hole in the shaft for set screw in the knob. this will make switching much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whidbeyisl7 Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 What about a Freeway switch instead? I have converted several of mine to Freeway switches and love the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
henrim Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 35 minutes ago, whidbeyisl7 said: What about a Freeway switch instead? I have converted several of mine to Freeway switches and love the results. That’s an option but I guess OP got it solved somehow since the thread is already 11 years old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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