Guitar Wiring.. way beyond me. please help!

[aettin]

Hello! I've recently begun building my own guitar, and am looking forward to it. It's my first project, so please excuse me if I use the wrong terms here and there. I've built a couple stompboxes before (with many thanks to this site), and so I am going to be a bit adventurous and try wire 3 pedals (boost, overdrive and fuzz) as onboard electronics coming from a 9V sitting in a battery box. I want to have 5 DPDT flip switches that control the circuitry as follows:
- Boost pedal on/ off
- Overdrive on/ off
- Fuzz on/ off
- Killswitch ( I realize I don't need a dpdt for this, but I want to have all the switches the same)
- General on/ off for all 3 pedals so that they aren't just on because there is a cable plugged into the guitar (draining the battery). I'd like this switch to be secondary to the cable-in-jack-presence on/ off  i.e. this switch will not turn effects on if there is no cable plugged into the jack.

I've created a parts layout, but am struggling with the wiring. Particularly with the fact the the guitar sound signal needs to go in series? from one pedal to the next while power supply to the pedals needs to be in parrallel? I'm also used to using 3pdt switches, so this is all new territory for me.

In the interest of making things as easy as possible I've attached a parts layout picture with pickup/ tone-vol pot wiring done. If you can help me, I'd really appreciate you drawing in wires for this picture and posting it back. That would be the easiest way for me to understand what you recommend.

Thank you so much for your time.

[blooze_man]

Simply wire your effects to their appropriate switches and use true bypass, just like a pedal. Your "General on/off" should be wired to cut the positive lead. A killswitch simply switches the signal to ground. Use a stereo jack and wire the negative battery lead to the ring to cut power when the guitar is unplugged. Try to think of it not as a guitar, but as a stompbox and it makes a little more sense.

Edit: I'd be willing to draw you a layout if you don't mind me making my own.

[aettin]

Thank you blooze_man! Can't tell you how much I appreciate your advice.

The way you explained it definitely helps me understand how to go about this project. I was wondering something about the killswitch routing you recommended.. From what I've read online this killswitch method creates a pop/ hum when dis/engaged (like yanking a cable out of the guitar when the amp is on), and wiring the killswitch to the volume pot is a pop-free way to go about it. Is this incorrect?

I had one or two other follow-up questions, but perhaps I should hold off on them until I see your diagram. Speaking of which, if you wouldn't mind, I would really appreciate you drawing up a layout for me.

EDT: sorry, I totally get what you mean with the killswitch now. Would still loooove a diagram though. Thank you.

[blooze_man]

Here you go. I hope it's clear I'm not very good at drawing on the computer. I didn't label the effect switches because I figured you probably had an order you wanted them in. If something doesn't makes sense feel free to ask

[Thomeeque]

 Hi!



- killswitch grounds output, not pickups
- signal goes only thru one switch per fx
- fx input is grounded when fx is bypassed

T.

Edit: or maybe:



Less switches in the signal path = better.

[WorkBench]

Check out www.Waldelectronics.com and see how Jerry Garcia did all of his guitars.  Just for fun.  There are some similar ideas to yours.

[Thomeeque]

Check out www.Waldelectronics.com ..

http://www.wald-electronics.com/

[WorkBench]

Thanks man!

[blooze_man]

- killswitch grounds output, not pickups

On my guitar, if I ground the pickups I don't get the pop even on a clean sound.

[Thomeeque]

- killswitch grounds output, not pickups

On my guitar, if I ground the pickups I don't get the pop even on a clean sound.

Hmm, but if you wire it like on your picture, the "hot" wire (wire leading signal to volume pot and then to output) stays open in "kill" position and makes small receiving antenna - don't you get some hum this way?

T.

[blooze_man]

I never thought of that before, but I don't get any hum.