Is this guitar wiring possible?

[ZiggyZipgun]

I've already been told by the Seymour Duncan forum that it's not possible, but I'd like a second opinion.

I have...let's call it a Les Paul (Hagstrom Swede).  I've changed the controls to Master Volume, Master Tone, and two "spin-a-split" which each fade out an inner pickup coil, which actually sound better if they're tapped to the same amount - so I'm going to combine those with a dual pot, no problem there.  The other thing I want to do is what they say is impossible.

I would like to have a blend control for when both pickups are on, but that doesn't affect the volume of either pickup when the toggle switch is up or down (and not in the middle).  Basically, the control is out of the circuit when only one pickup is on.

Any suggestions?

[hday]

What about a DP3T to select between pickups? I'm not sure about how to do this with Seymour Duncans, but wouldn't you just have one pickup to lead 1 with it's matching lead to master volume, the other pickup to lead 3 with it's matching lead to master volume. Then have both pickups to a blend pot that output to lead 2 with it's matching lead to master volume as well? 

I've got very little knowledge of pickup wiring, but I feel like there should be a really simple solution to this problem. It's got to be possible.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Actually, they're not Duncan pickups, though I did try a set in that guitar - I just like the stock Hagstrom pickups better, so I paid one of the guys on the forum to split the coils for me.  Each pickup does have four wires, but since two go to a coil split control, I only have to worry about the other two.  Does this help?

[slacker]

What's their reasoning behind it being impossible?
I don't why it can't be done, might need a rotary switch though, I'll see if I can post something later.

[slacker]

I think this should work. Just double the value of your volume pot and use the same value for the blend to stop the loading on the pickups changing too much. You'll get some volume drop when the blend pot is round the middle positions but it shouldn't be too bad nearer the ends, and it will mess with the taper of the volume pot, but hopefully the compromises are acceptable.

For the switch you ideally need a make before break type so the signal path isn't broken when you switch. You can get rotaries that will do this or you might be able to find some sort of toggle switch that will do the job.

Hopefully someone will come up with a better way to do it.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Of course it would be a DP3T switch - I've read every line of the Alco switch data sheets, and though they make a couple DP3T toggles, they're all with the skinny little actuator, and not with their nice fat one.

http://www.nkkswitches.com/pdf/MtogglesBushing.pdf 

NKK seems to have something that'll work, though I had to look at the chart and figure out what the model number would be, but M2044BB1W01 did show up on DigiKey and some other sites...now just to find one that has it in stock.  That would be a DP3T with a large bat actuator, which would do the trick nicely.  I read on the Alco datasheet that for their mini-toggles with the fatter actuator you need a 15/32" hole, so I unscrewed the toggle on my guitar and that's exactly what size hole it has. 

[ZiggyZipgun]

Mouser had 2 ready to ship, so I snapped them up.  The original Hagstrom Swedes had chrome toggle switches, so as long as they do what I need them to do, and fit without too much extra woodwork, I'll be stylin' and smilin'.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Good to see you're still kicking on here, Ian.  Good thing I bookmark all of my forum threads...one year later and I still haven't wired this up.  I did however find the right switch for the job - so perfect, the round nut from the stock pickup switch fits it perfectly.  http://www.mouser.com/Search/ProductDetail.aspx?R=M2044B2B1W01-ROvirtualkey63300000virtualkey633-M2044B2B1W01-RO

All that's left to do is find the right blend pot value, and I'll be set.

[mth5044]

Yikes! That is one expensive switch. Interesting idea though.

[ZiggyZipgun]

You're telling me - I bought two!  My Hagstrom has two big switches, the other originally designed to give you two additional tone caps you could add for a funky sound, but after replacing those caps with alligator clips and trying lots of different makes and sizes of caps, I do very little with it.  I did determine that Mojo Dijons do have a different sound than Mojo Vitamin T's, but I just put a .001µF Dijon in there for the option of cutting the highs a teeny bit.  That switch will either used for a 3-way coil tap toggle that uses trim pots instead of the two 100k linear spin-a-split controls, so I'd have split/full/in-between, or I'll add a piezo bridge and use the switch for that.