Help for wiring the Spectrum FX back to original

I want to make the FX original again. I'm a baby at wiring.

I'd purchased a set of pots from Ebay a while ago, they were from a Spectrum LX or something.

I pulled the wiring diagram from online, compared them to my factory wired pots, and they don't quite match up.

Please see the photo attached.

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Here's what doesn't match up: (all is in relation to the photograph above)

The switch wires (still attached on the right side of the photo) look to be factory wired a little differently than in the diagram, does that matter?

On the middle pot, there are two white wires that were cut off. What are those for?

Neck pickup white wire, where should that go in relation to my factory wired pots? Does it go to the cut off white wire on the front of my middle pot?

Middle pick up white wire, should that connect to the cut off white wire sticking out of the left side of the middle pot?

Both Neck and Bridge pickups, what should I do with the bare wire that each has (I assume it's the ground/earth wire)?

Other than those things, everything else looks good to go (except for the blue wire from the left pot to the middle pot that was cut and needs reconnecting).

All looks fine Chad.

Remember the black on the diagram are white in reality.

They're ground.

Pickup sheild wires go to ground.

So for ground, I just solder them to the pots?

And was I right about those white wires?

you are in good shape with what you have.

the minor differences you notice are only cosmetic, the wiring is correct. electrically there is no difference if you make a connection at one end of a wire or another.

for your 3-way switch you will just need to check the switch position when you reinstall it, so you get neck-up/bridge-down. white is the switch output(center tab on switch) that is attached to your master volume pot. everything looks good there.

the middle p/p-pot;
1) the p/p is the on/off for the middle pick up, so you attach your middle pickup blue wire to the switch, and white to the ground.
2) the pot is tone control for neck pickup so the white wire on the pot is the white wire from the neck pickup. the diagram shows the connection at the 3-way switch only for clarity on the drawing, in practice the connection is at the other end of the same wire, on the tone pot.

next, the bare wires. they should be connected to ground, probably on the body of the volume pot, at the same place the cable from the switch is connected. you may be able to see where they were connected before.


one thing to check closely, the connection of the bridge pickup is on the third push/pull(white and green). if not phased correctly the normal sound will be heard when the p/p is out, and the reverse phase sound when it is pushed in. not really a big deal but as a personal preference i want the reverse phase in the pulled-out position and the normal in the pushed-in position.

Gotta love the talent and experience on this board!

You guys rock, thanks! I'll try my hand at it tonight, if all goes as planned.

I may need to build up the wood a little bit in the cavity, they routed it out for the shorter pots.

When I'm done I'll have a nice FX that functions the way it's supposed too.

Well boys...

Soldered it up last night. My first real soldering job.

Guess what?

It worked!!!

Before it was wired like a Strat, as if it were 3 single coils (the humbuckers were wired in their tapped mode). And the neck pickup would only work when it wanted to. So the experience was limited at best.

But now... whoa momma, this thing is GREAT! Feels like New Guitar Day or something, amazing. This thing has the sweetest neck pickup on a clean setting, loving it. And versatile as anything. I'll test it more tonight when I push it through the Marshall. That'll be it's real test, as that's the amp I usually gig with.

And the FEEL of the Spectrum is top notch. This FX may end up being my #1 gigging guitar, it's already a little dinged so I won't worry about it on stage!

The Chad wrote:...And the FEEL of the Spectrum is top notch. This FX may end up being my #1 gigging guitar...

As it should be. Used my ST for years on stage.