MOD GARAGE
DIRK WACKER
Stratocaster with Individual On/Off Switches
Hello and welcome back to “Mod Garage.”
Thanks for all the emails during the last few
weeks. Lots of people have asked me about
modding a Stratocaster with three indi-
vidual on/off switches for the pickups, to
replace the traditional 5-way pickup selec-
tor switch, so here it is.
are selected; 2. it looks cool and will get some
attention because it’s different; 3. with three
push-pull or push-push pots for controls, it’s
possible to build a pickguard without any
switching controls on the surface (this will look
even cooler on a beautifully grained wooden
Strat pickguard) 4. three on/off switches are
much cheaper than a 5-way switch, so it can
be economical when building a new Strat pick-
guard from scratch; 5. it’s easier to do some
special mods with this configuration, so you’ll
often find this on heavily modified Strats.
combination. This is also possible and could
raise a few eyebrows. As always (in case you
haven’t done it before), printing out the stan-
dard Stratocaster wiring and placing it on your
workbench is a good way to start. This way, it’s
much easier for you to see and understand the
differences from the modded schematic.
Replacing the common 5-way pickup selector switch on a Strat with three individual on/
off switches is more or less a variation of the
“7-sound Strat” mod we discussed in detail
earlier. With three individual switches, it’s
possible to dial in the bridge/neck pickups
together in parallel (as you can do with any
Telecaster) as well as all three pickups together
in parallel. You can’t do this with the traditional
Strat wiring and a 5-way switch. The easiest
solution is to simply route the neck pickup via
an additional toggle switch and you’re done
(for further details please see my earlier column
about this subject).
So why would someone replace the traditional
5-way switch on a Strat with on/off switches?
There are several reasons: 1. with three switches in a row, it’s easier to visualize what pickups
In a nutshell, this is like cutting a 5-way switch
into three equal pieces and connecting each
pickup to one of the pieces. Electrically, it’s
the same as having the 5-way switch, so it
will have no influence on your tone. To start,
you need three on/on SPDT toggle switches
of your choice. You can also use on/on SPDT
push switches, push-pull or push-push pots,
or any other switching device of your choice.
For this mod, I recommend you use a new
pickguard without the routed slit for the typi-
cal 5-way switch. Such pickguards are available
from many sources and will definately look
better than drilling three new holes in addition
to the (now unpopu-
lated) slit. Naturally,
you can use your stock
pickguard and drill
away. It’s your axe, and
you have to like it!
Wiring diagram courtesy Seymour Duncan Pickups and used by permission. Seymour
Duncan and the stylized S are registered trademarks of Seymour Duncan Pickups,
with which Premier Guitar magazine is not affiliated.
As mentioned earlier,
a beautiful wooden
pickguard allows you
to use three push-pull
or push-push pots to
switch pickups, so you
won’t have anything
on the surface besides
the three knobs. This
really looks cool and
will definitely get your
axe noticed. Some time
ago, I had a customer
who wanted three
touch-sensitive switches
underneath the pickguard, so he just had
to tap a certain spot on
the pickguard to dial
in the desired pickup
Let’s Get Started
First of all, desolder all connections from the
5-way switch and take it off. Naturally, you
don’t have to do this when you’re building
a new pickguard from scratch. Decide what
switching device you like best, and install it
on the pickguard. Now connect everything as
shown in the drawing below and you’re done.
It’s very easy to do, and if you compare this
wiring with a traditional one, using a 5-way
switch, it’s very easy to see how these switches
substitute for the function of the 5-way switch.
Each toggle switch has an input (middle lug)
to connect the pickup, and an output (
bottom lug), to connect to the next switch, and
finally to the input lug of the master volume
pot—just the same as on the 5-way switch,
but with individual switches. The upper lug of
each switch is connected to ground. To make
this connection easier, each of these lugs is
connected together, and only one has an additional ground connection, to ground all three
switches. This will save you from a cable mess
on the pickguard. Alright, that’s it! It’s a simple
mod, and you have only to decide if you want
it or need it. Based on the number of requests
I received, I assume a lot of players need it.
Stay tuned for more Strat mods coming in
the months ahead. Until then... keep on
modding!
Dirk Wacker
Dirk Wacker lives in Germany and has been addicted to
all kinds of guitars since the age of five. He is fascinated
by anything that has something to do with old Fender
guitars and amps. He hates short scales and Telecaster
neck pickups, but loves twang. In his spare time he plays
country, rockabilly, surf and Nashville styles in two bands,
works as a studio musician for a local studio and writes
for several guitar mags. He is also a hardcore DIY guy
for guitars, amps and stompboxes and runs an extensive
webpage www.singlecoil.com about these things.
