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Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 12:57 pm
by Lamf77
I'm back! Quick wiring question for my strat. I am putting a humbucker in the bridge. Simply remove current single coil and put humbucker hot/ground wires in same location? Not interested in any kind of coil split.
And, saw a few videos about adding a jumper wire to add tone control to bridge pickup.....look about right? Thanks!
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:25 pm
by mozz
Ok, If the humbucker is in phase with the mid pickup.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:29 pm
by Chocol8
That will turn the middle tone into a middle and bridge tone. Keeping in mind that one is a single coil and one a HB, you might want two different cap values and maybe pot values too. I would consider two alternatives.
First option would be to jumper the neck and mid to the same tone pot and then use the mid pot for the bridge only. I would replace the bridge tone pot with a 500 ohm pot as well.
Another option would be to get a pair of no-load tone pots and wire them both as master tones in parallel. With the pots on 10, they are out of the circuit. Turn either to 9.5 and it is like a regular pot on 10 and it behave like a regular pot below that. Using different cap value on each pot would let you chose from 3 different values, either or both added. You could also have two different pot values. The different tone options would be available with all pickup positions. Both off is noticeably brighter than a standard pot on 10 and a nice tool to add IMHO, but one or both rolled partially down also give you much more control. For example with a .01 and a .022 tone cap, you could have the equivalent of no tone cap, .01, .022, .032, and also blended mixes.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:56 pm
by Lamf77
Chocol8 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 20, 2022 2:29 pm
That will turn the middle tone into a middle and bridge tone. Keeping in mind that one is a single coil and one a HB, you might want two different cap values and maybe pot values too. I would consider two alternatives.
First option would be to jumper the neck and mid to the same tone pot and then use the mid pot for the bridge only. I would replace the bridge tone pot with a 500 ohm pot as well.
Another option would be to get a pair of no-load tone pots and wire them both as master tones in parallel. With the pots on 10, they are out of the circuit. Turn either to 9.5 and it is like a regular pot on 10 and it behave like a regular pot below that. Using different cap value on each pot would let you chose from 3 different values, either or both added. You could also have two different pot values. The different tone options would be available with all pickup positions. Both off is noticeably brighter than a standard pot on 10 and a nice tool to add IMHO, but one or both rolled partially down also give you much more control. For example with a .01 and a .022 tone cap, you could have the equivalent of no tone cap, .01, .022, .032, and also blended mixes.
So if I jumper the neck and middle to the one tone pot, I would move the middle tone connection over one lug to the right, then jumper the neck tone on the far left to the one right next to it?
And how would I know if in phase? Thanks
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 1:13 pm
by Chocol8
Yes, I think you have the tone part. Jumper from the neck tone pot lug to the one where the middle is now. Move the middle pot lead over to the one that is empty now (assuming it now has traditional 5 way wiring).
The phase issue only matters if you are going to use the bridge and middle together. If you don’t already own the new humbucker, check with the vendor. Someone like SD, or any of the forum winders should be able to make you one that will work with whatever pickups you currently have.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 4:05 pm
by mozz
You have to know the phase and magnetic orientation of the mid pickup to see if the bridge is going to match. Classic vibe may have all 3 pickups the same so your middle would not work. Depends how classic it really is. You may be able to flip the magnet/magnets in the middle pickup and then swap the wires. Are the stock pickups ceramic or alnico?
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:37 am
by Chocol8
All the stock CV Strats I have played have had a RWRP middle pickup, but that is only relative to the other pickups in the set.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2022 8:30 pm
by Lamf77
mozz wrote: ↑Fri Jan 21, 2022 4:05 pm
You have to know the phase and magnetic orientation of the mid pickup to see if the bridge is going to match. Classic vibe may have all 3 pickups the same so your middle would not work. Depends how classic it really is. You may be able to flip the magnet/magnets in the middle pickup and then swap the wires. Are the stock pickups ceramic or alnico?
I believe they are Alnico.
Regarding the guitar. A guy who was Eddie Clarke's guitar tech with Motorhead actually posted about the guitar years ago....and has answered a few of my messages. Regarding the middle pickup, phase etc. Here are a few posts:
"
No - At the time the neck and middle pickups were std fender - ie whatever came in the guitar. (Eddie did change some stuff down the line post motorhead but that was after my time) The bridge was a Dimarzio SDS humbucker and that was the only electrical change from stock on the guitar - Wiring was stock fender nothing special - no wiring changes no pot changes all as it came - but i do remember flipping the polarity on the middle pickup to be in phase at one point in time cant remember if we ever flipped em back but the premise was simple - in phase is louder!"
"
yip was just swapping the hot and ground wires over on the middle pick up - custom pickup winding in the way it is done now just didnt exist - this was late 70's almost 50 years ago"
So if I just wire in Humbucker, no way for me to actually check for phase? Guess I will have to see if it is louder? Anyway...thanks for the wiring help.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:04 pm
by jtcnj
"So if I jumper the neck and middle to the one tone pot, I would move the middle tone connection over one lug to the right, then jumper the neck tone on the far left to the one right next to it?
And how would I know if in phase? Thanks"
I dont know the 5 way switch terminals off hand, but what you say looks / sounds right.
You will hear if if is out of phase immediately in the middle + bridge position.
It might be easier to swap the lead polarity and flip the magnet in the HB if you dont like it that way, and you keep the noise cancelling in with the neck + middle.
FWIW, the 2020 50's CV strat I got recently already has the middle tone pot tap to bridge pickup stock.
I didnt notice if the middle in mine is RWRP or not.
On my HSS Jackson Dinky, I swapped out the stock Duncan Designed HB bridge pickup out for a Duncan Custom I got from a member here.
The middle and bridge are out of phase on accident. I left it because it is an interesting tone, but play mostly on the bridge anyway.
Re: Fender Squier Classic Vibe 70s Project - Help With Wiring
Posted: Sat Jan 29, 2022 12:36 am
by Lamf77
jtcnj wrote: ↑Tue Jan 25, 2022 12:04 pm
"So if I jumper the neck and middle to the one tone pot, I would move the middle tone connection over one lug to the right, then jumper the neck tone on the far left to the one right next to it?
And how would I know if in phase? Thanks"
I dont know the 5 way switch terminals off hand, but what you say looks / sounds right.
You will hear if if is out of phase immediately in the middle + bridge position.
It might be easier to swap the lead polarity and flip the magnet in the HB if you dont like it that way, and you keep the noise cancelling in with the neck + middle.
FWIW, the 2020 50's CV strat I got recently already has the middle tone pot tap to bridge pickup stock.
I didnt notice if the middle in mine is RWRP or not.
On my HSS Jackson Dinky, I swapped out the stock Duncan Designed HB bridge pickup out for a Duncan Custom I got from a member here.
The middle and bridge are out of phase on accident. I left it because it is an interesting tone, but play mostly on the bridge anyway.
One thing I just considered are the pickup mounting screws. Will the standard ones work, or do they need to be shorter for a strat?