SSS style Jazzmaster wiring with the capabilities of both a Strat and a JM(?)

WhatIsAUserName

SS.org Regular
Joined
Jan 24, 2024
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
So for background I am building a guitar with an unusual setup; it'll be an 8 string electric with passive singlecoil pickups set up in an SSS configeration. However, the two outer pickups are basically JM pickups, and the inner pickup is effectively a strat single coil (AKA an 8 string version of Robert Smith's Jazzmaster).
My question here is: how do I wire it to be able to act like a jazzmaster and a strat at the same time/at the flip of a switch? I am assuming using a 10-way switch with a JM rhythm/lead circuit included, but I am unsure of how to wire it and if that using the 10 way would be the best course of action or if I should use a separate switch?
I'll note that this was somewhat inspired by the switch on the ESP Snapper 7.
Thanks!
(Likewise, I apologize if this does end up being a duplicate of another, older, thread. I am new here and used the search function to see if I could find something similar, but was unable to find anything.)
 

This site may earn a commission from merchant links like Ebay, Amazon, and others.

Concerto412

Aeternae Sonus
Joined
Jul 24, 2007
Messages
638
Reaction score
339
Location
Kingston, ON; CAN
My immediate thought is to keep the JM pickups on a 3way toggle, and use a secondary on-on-on DPDT to switch between 1. JM switch output (solo), 2. JM + Middle (parallel) 3. JM + Middle (series)
Just keep in mind, if the JM pickups humcancel together (if a matched pair, they likely do), the middle single will only humcancel effectively with ONE of them.
 

WhatIsAUserName

SS.org Regular
Joined
Jan 24, 2024
Messages
3
Reaction score
1
My immediate thought is to keep the JM pickups on a 3way toggle, and use a secondary on-on-on DPDT to switch between 1. JM switch output (solo), 2. JM + Middle (parallel) 3. JM + Middle (series)
Just keep in mind, if the JM pickups humcancel together (if a matched pair, they likely do), the middle single will only humcancel effectively with ONE of them.
Thanks for the response! Admittedly this is my first time doing anything like this so I didn't even know about using a second DPDT switch. I was admittedly hoping with the 'freeway' switch to reduce the amount down but I'll look into that. Regarding the pickups, I don't believe they will? I am actually using fender lapsteel pickups from the late 50s/early 60s so I am assuming it will be unable to humcancel together like that (pickups were taken from 3 different lapsteel guitars I believe.
 

Rubbishplayer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 13, 2014
Messages
84
Reaction score
96
Location
London
Unless you're dead set for getting the exact same switching set up, a 7-way Strat harness might be the way to go. This adds a push-pull pot that allows you to dial-in the bridge and neck together, something a standard 5-way harness can't do.

As I understand it, the Jazzmaster basically has two separate harnesses that give you either a 3-way "tele"-like switching arrangement, or just the neck, with its own volume/tone. You can get the same switching effect (e.g. from neck only to bridge and neck combined) from a 7-way harness in position 5 (neck only) by pulling the tone pot, which brings in the bridge. Admittedly, you won't have a separate tone and volume for the neck pickup, but do you really need that?

The advantage of this loom is that you have all the standard 5-way Strat sounds, you get the JM switch combo, plus all pickups on (7 tones in total), all in a package that looks identical to a standard Strat switching arrangement. I personally think it is a simpler system too. I fitted one to a guitar I made for my son and it works a treat.

This is as popular right now as Jimmy Page wiring looms, so are quite easy to find as prewired solutions online, if you're not so handy with a soldering iron.
 
Top