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I've always liked the stock wiring on Mustangs but what works great sitting in the bedroom is not necessarily the best setup when I'm rehearsing or on stage, so I've been working on making the Mustang work better for me.

Ever since making my '73 RI my primary guitar, I've had a few issues with the stock wiring, especially since I wired a series option into it. I'm not a fan of most wiring diagrams for hot-rodded Mustangs, because I feel like they're hard to remember. So instead, I used a push-pull on the volume knob. That worked great, until I actually took the guitar out to shows and started playing more exuberantly, which would result in knocking a slide switch and turning off the volume.

After a few different attempts, I think I finally have my ideal Mustang wiring setup. It finally does everything I want it to do. The wiring setup consists of:

1. No slide switches at all.
2. A 3-way On-On-On DPDT switch for Neck-NB Parallel-NB Series option, in between the two control pots.
3. A push-pull switch on the Tone knob (or Vol, if you prefer) for Bridge On, regardless of where the DPDT is pointing.

So there are four pickup combinations. Bridge (activated w/ the Push-Pull), Bridge-Neck Series, Bridge-Neck Parallel, and Neck only.

Anyway, this is idiot proof because none of the switches can be hit in the flight path of the strumming hand, and because no matter where the switches are pointing, there is always sound. There is no kill position at all. Even a toggle or a blade switch, IMO, is not always ideal because I'm prone to hitting those things inadvertently. That just can't happen with my newest setup. Also, I think it's easy to remember and use.

There are downsides, however. It's a fair bit of wiring, and also your pickup leads will probably need a splice to reach all the way into the control area. Also the Mustang has a very shallow control route and you have to be very tidy with your wiring. You need to drill the control plate and you also need an On-On-On DPDT switch, which are not cheap. I use the All Parts one and I highly recommend it, it's better than the DiMarzio one.

If phasing is important to you, you can easily add a push-pull on the other pot as well. I often like to wire a strangle switch as a push-pull as well, but I'm not doing that on this guitar.

I figure you want the wiring diagram so here it is:



Here are some various other pics:

Looks clean. Nice!

or just strum infront of the neck pickup

see all that black shit on my pickguards? its from these.

http://www.allparts.com/Black-Allparts- ... 00-023.htm




My jagstang was my only guitar from 95-2001. 6 years of playing only one guitar with sliders, you just develop a way to play that doesn't turn your guitar off.

robroe wrote:or just strum infront of the neck pickup

strangely this is the way i naturally strum, but have never owned a stang.

singlepickup24 wrote:

robroe wrote:or just strum infront of the neck pickup

strangely this is the way i naturally strum, but have never owned a stang.

it does work, and i have had the experience of relearning how to play particular guitar setups. however, if you play with a lot of energy, you can still turn off a signal or mess things up some other way. i am NOT a big effects guy, and most of the sounds in my arsenal are products how i actually a play particular part of a song or riff. picking at the edge of the neck versus by the bridge yields a much throatier tone which may not suit what the musician wants to express. add on top of that my natural strumming position being back near the bridge anyway (makes muting much simpler), and i think there comes a conclusion that there is no perfect solution. there's a trade-off no matter what you do.

Nice mods. I think you can deep set the switches using a few extra nuts as well so the switches are less protruding.

I have 3 mustangs never had this switching problem and i play really wild.

dots wrote:

singlepickup24 wrote:

robroe wrote:or just strum infront of the neck pickup

strangely this is the way i naturally strum, but have never owned a stang.

it does work, and i have had the experience of relearning how to play particular guitar setups. however, if you play with a lot of energy, you can still turn off a signal or mess things up some other way. i am NOT a big effects guy, and most of the sounds in my arsenal are products how i actually a play particular part of a song or riff. picking at the edge of the neck versus by the bridge yields a much throatier tone which may not suit what the musician wants to express. add on top of that my natural strumming position being back near the bridge anyway (makes muting much simpler), and i think there comes a conclusion that there is no perfect solution. there's a trade-off no matter what you do.

True, I do strum or pick close to the bridge for particular sounds or when i need to mute (tho i'm not inclined to do so naturally).

I'm spoiled by the simplicity of the musicmaster and its lack of switches, but a single pup guitar is a tradeoff in and of itself.

singlepickup24 wrote:
I'm spoiled by the simplicity of the musicmaster and its lack of switches,

BINGO!!!!

TANGMASTER II STYLE!!!