[Solved] Need help with wiring (D activators in 5way config)

[Exchanger]

Hi everyone,

I recently bought an Ibanez RG8. Knowing in advance that the stock pick-up weren't great, I also got DiMarzio D-Activators (bridge and neck). Another thing I wanted to do is have the same pick-up selection as my RG7321.

I found wiring diagrams for this, including on the DiMarzio website. Also when I compare to my RG7321 it looks like it is correct (the color code in that case is a bit weird so it's not 100% sure but a good 99%). I even found another one for Seymour Duncans that confirms it. (see attachements)

So I put my heart and a lot of soldering tin into it :

Now, I do get a sound, the volume and tone knobs do their jobs, only the pick-up selection is a total mess. I used a metallic object and touched the pick-up directly to detect which ones were active.

I've checked and re-checked the diagrams and the wiring and I can't find a proper explanation to this.

So I turn to you fellow guitarists, does any of you have an idea what might be wrong there ??

 

[elkoki]

Let me start by saying that this should be pretty easy. I'm not good with words so i'll try my best to explain it..

Your guitar is HH configuration right? Humbucker,humbucker? No single coil in the middle right?

I upgraded my Ibanez' pickups with the same HH configuration and it was extremely simple. The Ibanez' pickup color codes are almost the same as the Dimarzio ones. From what I remember Dimarzio wires are : red,black,white,green and bare right? For Ibanez they are the same except there is no green and instead it's blue... You basically need to wire your guitar the same as it was before. So follow your guitar's diagram, how it's shown and when it calls for a blue wire it's really green. I remember doing this and I was done in like 5 minutes.

First look at your diagram for your guitar, and then look at this color code chart.

 

[elkoki]

here's the chart

 

[elkoki]

I just remembered that I had out of phase sounds when I did this. so I swapped the hot and ground for the bridge pickup and everything was fine after.

 

[Exchanger]

Yeah that's the thing, I already did that once, changing pick-ups, just HH in 3 way selection, that went fairly easy. I also once wired a HSH 5 way from scratch.
I think I got the color code right, and the schematic is for DiMarzios anyway, it's just that the end result is really not what it should be and I can't figure out why

 

[Exchanger]

Oh dear boy... I found out what the problem is. The standard 5-way switch I got (which I also used to do the HSH wiring) doesn't do that specific circuit I want to do. Now, where to find it ? It's apparently a Cor-Tek 2502N switch.

 

[elkoki]

Oh dear boy... I found out what the problem is. The standard 5-way switch I got (which I also used to do the HSH wiring) doesn't do that specific circuit I want to do. Now, where to find it ? It's apparently a Cor-Tek 2502N switch.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ibanez-3PS1...078243?hash=item569130be63:g:pcMAAOSwA3dYPyVn

they're all over ebay. just type in Ibanez 5 way switch

 

[aqa]

Oh dear boy... I found out what the problem is. The standard 5-way switch I got (which I also used to do the HSH wiring) doesn't do that specific circuit I want to do. Now, where to find it ? It's apparently a Cor-Tek 2502N switch.

Exactly, you need the ibanez switch, i did it in a friend's Ibanez some years ago

 

[Exchanger]

Yep I finally found them. I spent 2 hours looking for 2502N, but once I looked for 3PS1SC5 I found a couple of shop who have it.