New wiring project

I just got a yamaha rgx 421d baritone/dropped tuning guitar.

The electronics are all knackered up.

Great tone from the h/h pickups, but the 5-way (yes, a 5-way with an h-h!) doesn't do anything, and the bypass mini-toggle has become a cut-off switch.

So this is a candidate for a complete re-wire.

So: how do I know if the problem is with the switches or the wires? Or the pickup, for that matter?

Whether I keep the switch hardware and replace the wiring, or replace the switch hardware, too, I figure this is a good candidate for another Frankenstein wiring project.

The last one was about tones.

This one is about maximizing the configuration already present.

So what are the most useful or creative options I can do with an h/h configuration, 5-way switch, and mini-toggle?

I'm inclined to keep the bypass, but I'm not committed to that. It could also be a coil tap or serial/parallel switch.

Keep in mind that I dislike the HB sound in the neck, so the neck position HB switch should be in parallel (for a more thin/strat-like sound, right?) or auto-tapped.
A waste of a humbucker, I know, but that's the way I roll.

Brainfertilizer wrote:So: how do I know if the problem is with the switches or the wires? Or the pickup, for that matter?

i would start by checking out the pickups with a multi-meter. if you don't know what each wire is, then check all the wire combinations to figure out if you have an open winding.

the 5-way could be set up for coil splitting, so it may be set up: N(h),N(s),N+B(s),B(s),B(h).

Brainfertilizer wrote:the bypass mini-toggle has become a cut-off switch

that may be intentional or it may be bad wiring. switches are easy to check to see if they are defective.

Brainfertilizer wrote:Keep in mind that I dislike the HB sound in the neck, so the neck position HB switch should be in parallel (for a more thin/strat-like sound, right?) or auto-tapped.
A waste of a humbucker, I know, but that's the way I roll.

maybe you should try a different pickup.
have you heard of Entwistle Pickups
i have a pair of HV58 in this guitar (a PRS copy by Olson) and they are quite good.

N(h),N(s),N+B(s),B(s),B(h)

If I had to bet, that's what I would say. But since it isn't working, I wasn't sure whether position 3 would be S combo or H combo.
Is there any advantage to having both pickups on and tapped to SC over having them both on and HB? You would have hum cancellation either way.

I guess what I could do is wire it up to have:
N(s), N(s)+B(s), N(s)+B(h), B(s), B(h).

But I'm probably leaning toward the one from last time:
N(single), N(single)+B(single), B(hb-parallel), B(single), B(hb-series).

...it makes me pine for a 6-way or 7-way blade switch.

I can't believe I never thought of a multi-meter. Sure, I've never used one, but I've seen one used.



Anyway, for a soldering iron, I have a $2 cheap-o from Walmart. Do I need to invest in a better one? If so, about how much should I spend?

Finally, for this project, if the pickups work I'm going to stick with them. I may try the Entwistle at some point, but I'm more likely to try a HB sized P-90 if the HB doesn't work, or if I swap out in other guitars.

Quick n dirty way to measure your pups.

The soldering iron does not need to be fancy Nathan. Just keep the max wattage to around 40-50. And it's helpful if you can change the tip shape for those hard to reach areas. Finally, be sure to use rosin core solder!

Thank, guys!

and you can get a cheepo multi-meter from amazon, for about 10 bucks.
Digital Multimeter
it is plenty good enough for checking pickups and switches and simple circuits.