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Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:30 am
by Kiwiaxe
Ok, I've ambitiously decided to try to install some Fishman Fluence pickups into a Strandberg today. I reckon if I totally balls it up, then Glyn can fix it later :) but it seems like a good project.

Where I'm absolutely stuck is how to wire up these pickups to the damn 5 way selector switch. This is because the Fluence pickups are active, and you don't wire them up in the same way as you would a 4 connector hum bucker.

The 5 way factory wiring for the Strandberg goes:
Switch positions:
1 - Bridge HB
2 - Bridge HB + Neck outer coil (in parallel)
3 - Bridge HB + Neck outer coil (in parallel), in series with the Neck inner coil
4 - Neck inner coil
5 - Neck HB

I understand that the Fishman can't run in series (at least in relation to its outer vs inner coils). So I'm thinking the following setup:
Switch positions:
1 - Bridge HB
2 - Bridge HB plus Neck tap (in parallel) - or would this be more useful as just Bridge tap (I like the Bridge HB + Neck tap setting as it currently is tho)
3 - Bridge HB plus Neck HB (in parallel)
4 - Neck tap
5 - Neck HB

Firstly, any comments to that setup?

Secondly, how the fuck do I wire up a 5 way switch for this with the FIshmans? Important note You don't tap the Fishmans like you do normal 4 wire HBs; see diagram at https://www.fishman.com/wp-content/uplo ... apping.pdf - so it would seem (if I went for inner coils when I tap) that I need to find a way to wire a specific connection from neck pickup to ground for the switch's middle pole.

Thirdly, any comments over using inner vs outer coils?

FYI, the reasons I'm not using a push/pull to activate coil tap are:
- I'd rather use the 5 way switch as that's more natural to me while I'm playing;
- I'm going to use a push/pull on the volume pot to switch between pickup voices 1 and 2; and
- I can't do a second push/pull due to physical constraints inside the guitar (just doesn't fit where the tone pot goes).

Re: Too fucking hard for me - wiring question please!

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 8:58 am
by TmcB
Have you got a super switch? Because I don’t think you can do what you’re after with a normal 5 way

Re: Too fucking hard for me - wiring question please!

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:05 am
by Kiwiaxe
TmcB wrote:Have you got a super switch? Because I don’t think you can do what you’re after with a normal 5 way
No (not yet). And that was the view I had also reached but hoped for someone more knowledgeable than me to know a solution!

Re: Too fucking hard for me - wiring question please!

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:45 am
by Single coil
Fancy shit requires a superswitch.
I empathise, but there’s not much else I can do to help :lol:

Re: Too fucking hard for me - wiring question please!

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 9:46 am
by Kiwiaxe
Ok fair enough

Anyone got comments re my proposed switch position 2?

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Tue Feb 06, 2018 11:26 pm
by Kiwiaxe
Right, after a full day getting my head around this project, shopping for necessary components, and a shit-ton of soldering and re-soldering, it would seem that I have succeeded.

This is one VERY full guitar cavity now, between the increased sized components (super switch, push/pull pots on both volume and tone), all the wires and a 9V battery :) but it all seems to work, including the push/pull switching of the frequency shift and voicing on command plus the coil tapped neck outer for position 2 and inner for position 4.

Got there in the end. Loving the sound so far, but haven't had the chance to crank it yet.

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 9:19 am
by Single coil
Yeeeeeeeeeeee

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:45 pm
by Jay
We like to see a full cavity photo please...

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 3:55 pm
by H671
jvpp wrote:We like to see a full cavity photo please...
Just don't ask JB to take the photo :lol:

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 6:26 pm
by Slowy
Kiwiaxe wrote:Right, after a full day getting my head around this project, shopping for necessary components, and a shit-ton of soldering and re-soldering, it would seem that I have succeeded.

This is one VERY full guitar cavity now, between the increased sized components (super switch, push/pull pots on both volume and tone), all the wires and a 9V battery :) but it all seems to work, including the push/pull switching of the frequency shift and voicing on command plus the coil tapped neck outer for position 2 and inner for position 4.

Got there in the end. Loving the sound so far, but haven't had the chance to crank it yet.
:thumbup: :thumbup: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :thumbup: :thumbup:

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:06 pm
by Kiwiaxe
Don’t know how to embed but here’s a photo of my cavity. Ooh err. Not the tidiest but frankly with that many wires I’m not sure how I could have made it tidier!

https://imgur.com/gallery/U8qvJ

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:10 pm
by Slowy
Kiwiaxe wrote:Don’t know how to embed but here’s a photo of my cavity. Ooh err. Not the tidiest but frankly with that many wires I’m not sure how I could have made it tidier!

https://imgur.com/gallery/U8qvJ
Nowt rong wi' dat!

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:55 pm
by MrDINO
Good on ya ...I ended up getting someone to fiddle around with the TA

Re: Maybe not too fucking hard for me after all

Posted: Wed Feb 07, 2018 10:00 pm
by Single coil
Nah man that’s a pretty tidy effort