Added a nice simple mod to my 3-pickup guitars...

[Boggs]

...A simple SPST switch that converts position 1 and 5 (Strat 5-position switch) to the Tele configuration (Bridge + Neck) and back again to just bridge in position 1 or just neck in position 5. Nice for not only adding a new tone option, but making a really quick to change tone ability.

[Boggs]

All you need to do is put a switch between the hot lead of the neck and the bridge pickup where it connects to the 5-position Strat switch so you are essentially putting the bridge and neck pickups in parallel when the switch is on (closed). When the switch is off (open), you are back where you started since the bridge and neck pickups are no longer connected in parallel. You could do the same thing using a volume or tone pot with push-pull switch. In that way, no toggle switch is necessary to install. You do need to change the pot you would use though. With the switch "on" (closed), it also gives you all 3 pickups in positions 2 and 4...

[pinkjimiphoton]

hey boggs, great trick, i have a couple strats set up like thaqt..ya can use a push on spdt, too...all ya need then is a small hole for the switch. the gilmour black strat is set up like that, kinda cool

[Scott Fraser]

Both of my 3 pickup Steinberger clones just have 3 toggle switches instead of a knife switch, so there's never any question about access to the 2 combinations not available with a normal 5-way switch. I don't do a lot of fast on-the-fly switching, but I do need those combinations, so it works great for me.

[p90jr]

I put the loaded pickguard from a Deluxe Players strat (the American component on a MIM guitar) into a Highway 1 strat (replacing the Mexican component on an American guitar) and it does that: bridge + neck or all 3. That's my cover gig guitar, the pickups are the vintage noiseless stacked humbuckers so with a Villex mid-boost on the guitar and my THD Quintet tone pedal (plus the other preamps and pedals on my board) I can cover most tones close enough to not need to switch guitars.

[Caevan O’Shite]

That's cool, Boggs, very cool.

 

Although a switch that would simply add the bridge-pickup in parallel to whatever combination that the 5-way selector-switch is set to would be really good, too, allowing for any conceivable parallel combination of the three pickups- including all three on in parallel, one of my very favorite three single-coil or H/S/S sounds. (Well, it'll allow for any combination except for all three off, that is! )