EMG 707 with 5 way switch? Help Please

[jemandvai]

I just bought a RG7321 and i wanted to put 707s in i have already did the routing which turned out great now i am wondering if there is a wiring diagram for the ibanez 5 way switch, even if there are dead spots. The diagrams all show a three way. If i can use a 5way i have a tele/strat 3 way around somewhere could i use that or will i need to get like a dimarzio 3 way. All info and diagrams will be helpful thank you

 

[espman]

Any 3 way blade switch will work, so you'll be fine using one of the ones you have.

 

[SirMyghin]

a 5 way is just a 3 way where position 2 and 4 combine the 2 adjacent positions on a 3 way.

 

[BrainArt]

a 5 way is just a 3 way where position 2 and 4 combine the 2 adjacent positions on a 3 way.

But, with active EMGs, you won't be able to use 2 and 4.

 

[Kamikaze7]

Unfortunately, you can't use a 5-way properly with EMG's and require a 3-way in it's place. You can use the 3-way blade switch you have for this and will work fine. Just follow the diagrams for wiring everything to a 3-way and you're all set.

 

[Dionysian]

Contrary to what people say, you CAN use the 5-way with EMG's .. just not with the 707. You'd need the 707TW for that since it can be coil split.

 

[SirMyghin]

But, with active EMGs, you won't be able to use 2 and 4.

How does that work? I mean if you jump it and wire it up I would wire a 3W (1,2- B 4-C-to vol, 5-C-to vol , 2,3-neck) you should get Bridge, both, Both, both, neck no? What kind of magic do EMGs have preventing this?

 

[stevo1]

or, you could put a small pot, and a capacitor on the 2nd and 4th position of the switch, so in those positions, you get a different sound. mine was set up to sound like single coils on my ibanez a while back. pretty cool, but not for me

 

[Kamikaze7]

Contrary to what people say, you CAN use the 5-way with EMG's .. just not with the 707. You'd need the 707TW for that since it can be coil split.

Mmmmm, I'm not so sure of that... I'm not saying it's not possible, but there's a reason why EMG sends the push/pull pots with the TW's and the 89 for the coil split. If not using the push/pull for it, then you'd wire it to a 2-way DPDT mini toggle like I have on my Carpenter with the 707TW/707TW-R/SA-7 combo on a 5-way.

Even if you could wire the TW's to a 5-way, you'd still have to be able to figure out how to get both bridge and neck models to work in the mid position in humbucker mode, yet still get the coil split on positions 2 & 4 all while working correctly... I honestly don't think the TW's or the 89 would work the way you think it would on a 5-way as I've inquired about it before I put the TW's in my guitar. There's a reason why guitar with 2 EMG's use a 3 way, regardless of which pickup, coil-split or not. Unless it's a 3-pickup guitar, then it'd use a 3-way. 3-pickup guitars use a 5-way with EMG's.

 

[SirMyghin]

^^

Sounds like it is some for an experiment, who has some EMgs they want to send me. There is not logical reason why wiring a DPDT switch vs directly to a 5 way would make a difference. It is more likely sold that way as a lot of 2 pickup systems use that method, it is more flexible (you get 6 positions not 5).

 

[Kamikaze7]

^^

Exactly... and actually, it'd be 8 positions on this... With either the push/pulls or the DPDT's wired for the coil split in combination with the 3 way, you have more tonality choices than with a 5-way, and it's easier to get everything wired up and working correctly.

The choices you'd get in wiring it with a 3-way and either the push/pulls OR the DPDT's would be:
-Bridge/Both/Neck in humbucker mode (3...)
-Bridge/Both/Neck in single coil mode (6...)
-Bridge as humbucker, neck as single coil in middle position (7...)
-Bridge as single coil, neck as humbucker in middle position (8...)
And the real beauty of this is you can set the push/pulls for individual pickup volume, or master volume and master tone (with the newer solderless ones anyway... I have my Horizon set as both push/pulls are individual pickup volumes for a blend of the 2 pickups in the middle position, which is really nice to do too in either single coil mode or in humbucker mode.

The above method was done on my SC7 when it had the 2 pickups, 3-way and the 2 DPDT's for the coli split. Now that I have 3 pickups in the SC7, I get 12 different tones with the 5-way. These are as follows (as an example of my SC7 and how it's wired...):
-Bridge/Bridge&Middle/Middle/Middle&Neck/Neck, with bridge and middle in humbucker mode (5...)
-Bridge/Bridge&Middle/Middle/Middle&Neck/Neck, with bridge and middle in single coil mode (10...)
-Bridge in humbucker mode and middle in single coil mode in position 2 (11...)
-Bridge in single coil mode and middle in humbucker mode in position 2 (12...)

Now since my SC7 has the 707TW bridge and the 707TW-R (neck position...) middle, the TW-R has a much deeper, warmer tone to it as it IS a position-specific pickup. So to balance the tones between the 707TW, 707TW-R and the SA-7 single coil, I simply wired the neck position single as the middle, and the 707TW-R middle humbucker as the neck position. By doing this, it balances and keeps all 3 pickups tones going in order from bright to warm like a normal H-S-H configured guitar would have and be.

And I gotta say that by having it wired with the single coil in the middle, it really makes for some extra cool tones with both the 707TW bridge and the 707TW-R neck models in single coil mode. This is by far one of the most versatile and dynamic tonal ranged guitars I have ever played, along with my green Kamikaze that has the SPC and the EXG controls in it.