Strat Wiring

[Kazz]

I won a strat style guitar off our local shopgoodwill.com deal. I figured save the shipping might as well give it a try. The pick guard has been removed and looks like a shoddy attempt to rewire or install new pups gone bad.

The jack is disconnected. There are 3 pups in here. They are labeled:
Neck - 7.65k
Middle - 7.87k
Bridge 8.2k

I am loading several pictures up to my photobucket to see if you guys can help salvage this guitar. The color is a candy apple red metallic and is so cool. Totally not what I was expecting from the bad photos posted on the shopgoodwill.com auction site.

I picked this up for $42.00 and figured I would learn a lesson in guitar wiring and modding. If it ever plays a single note it will be money well spent. I have been wanting another strat since I got the Squire from Strum in June 2008 for my son's 17th birthday present....man that guitar had tone for days.

Looks like the body is routed for SSH but is currently SSS. I do have an extra bucker around here somewhere...so after we get it wired up SSS politically correct I might want to try SSH.

Ok...fire your suggestions at will.

[Kazz]

The link to the bucket

Strat Project (http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u132/sarrkazztic/strat%20project/)

[markb]

All the variations you could possibly want. Scroll down for strats.

http://www.deaf-eddie.net/drawings/drawings.html

[Kazz]

I am game for just about anything...but I have no idea what I am dealing with here. So far I have looked at 5 different images...and none of them look like this switch. It has 3 lugs in the back that a wire from all of the pups are connected to individually, then one lug in the middle that has a ground wire going to the middle of the first tone pot and then 2 more lugs in the front one is connected to the middle of the first tone pot and the other has solder on it but no wire connection.

[Kazz]

ok here is where I am really confused...all these diagrams I am seeing shows the switch having 8 connectors 4 for pups 4 for tone/volume my switch only has 7 connections and really only 6 that can be soldered to since 2 are joined together.

I have the +s from all the pups connected individually to the 3 lugs on the rear of the switch.

there is a lug directly in the center of the switch and it connects to the back of the middle tone knob (looks like it is grounded) then up on the front of the switch there are two lugs that are connected together....I put the outside lug from the volume control here and there is one other open lug that is connected to the middle lug of the middle tone pot. I have nowhere to connect the outside lug of the bridge tone pot and so far that bridge tone pot is not grounded. I think I need to run a wire from the backs of both tone pots to get that ground....but I have no idea what to do with the wire from the bridge tone...nor if I have the connection for the volume pot correct.

I cannot find a picture of this type of switch anywhere and there are no markings on it to research.

Frustrated to say the least.

[Kazz]

I guess I probably should not have paid a visit to GFS to see there wired guard....I think I might be better off starting with something that we actually know what is going on with it. I think I am going to order up one of these

http://store.guitarfetish.com/alpiprgublma.html

[Kazz]

Let me ask this of any of you wiring guru's. Say I buy 2 of these GFS pre-wired guards one SSS and one SSH or HSS however it should be written. Can I wire in quick connects to the jack so it would be simple plug and play when I would want to swap out guards?

[wingsdad]

... Can I wire in quick connects to the jack so it would be simple plug and play when I would want to swap out guards?

Although I've done some pickup, pot, switch and jack swapping, I'm far from a 'guru' when it comes to wiring. While this 'modular' idea sounds feasible, Kazz, one potential hangup could be if you find you want/need to try to eliminate or minimize the classic SSS strat's annoying radio reception tendencies (rf noise, 60-cycle hum, etc.) & shield the strat's cavity with copper foil or such, since that requires a ground connection to seal the deal...or at least mine did with a Stew-Mac kit.

[bek]

You can use twist-on wire nuts for the connections to make it easier. Make sure you use the right size, and if you think it needs it you can always put on one wrap of electrical tape to hold things together. Markb set you on the right path for Deaf-Eddie. You can email him for your specifics and he'll help you out. I use his Fat-O-Caster switches, and they are amazing. His diagrams make it easy, and he can probably tell you what to solder to what on your switch (although it may be an odd one, and he might advise you to buy a good switch). He wired up a special Superswitch for me for an SSH setup, and I just can't believe how great it sounds and how intuitive everything is to use. I bought a wired-up pickguard from him, but you already have everything you need, so just email him.