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Al SSS switch settings Pleez?

This is a discussion on Al SSS switch settings Pleez? within the Music Man Guitars forums, part of the Gear Talk category; My searching has not found the answer, and I know that the sound itself is the important thing, but can ...

  1. #1
    Jack FFR1846's Avatar
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    Al SSS switch settings Pleez?

    My searching has not found the answer, and I know that the sound itself is the important thing, but can someone tell me what each of the 5 positions on the SSS Al are? I assume from the sound that pos 1 (toward the bridge) is just the bridge, 3 (middle) is the middle and 5 (neck) is the neck only. I'm using #2 now for upcoming songs and love the sound and I'm guessing it's some out of phase thing going on but hey.....I'm a techy and want to understand exactly what's going on. So position 2 and 4 are somewhat a mystery to me.....help please?
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    keep in mind that you are talking about four pieces of wood two pots one switch a trem along with springs two pickups and some wire.....BP

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    Two I believe is a combo of bridge and middle and position 4 is a combo of middle and neck. Is that what you are looking for, or do you what some deeper technical explanation?
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    Yep - glockaxis is correct about the pickup combos. It is the interaction of the two pickups and how they are wired - positions 2 & 4 are those tones that Strat people tend to call "quack". On the technical side I'm not sure if it is that the pickups are "out of phase" or if they are parallel wired in those positions instead of series.

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    Spudmurphy's Avatar
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    Go here Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee Guitar
    click on the diagram and schematic link and you'll have everything ya need to know.
    Spud
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    threeminutesboy's Avatar
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    yep Typical strat wiring

    2&4 position are 3 pups in parallel
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    Jack FFR1846's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spudmurphy View Post
    Go here Ernie Ball Music Man Albert Lee Guitar
    click on the diagram and schematic link and you'll have everything ya need to know.
    Spud
    Dead link....I went there first....


    I've never owned a strat, so don't really have that as a reference. So my understanding at this point is 2 is bridge/middle in parallel/in phase....and 4 is neck/middle in parallel/in phase.
    8/17/04 EBMM Axis SS MM90 trans blue (spaceball 3000)
    7/29/04 EBMM Sub1 X11376 oil/wax neck, gloss black body, faux binding, HSS w/5 way and silent circuit
    07 Albert Lee SSS Black Cherry Burst
    buncha non-ebmm guitars
    keep in mind that you are talking about four pieces of wood two pots one switch a trem along with springs two pickups and some wire.....BP

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    threeminutesboy's Avatar
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    Jack PM me your Email address I will send you the diagram if you want
    EVH Hardtail Red 1995
    Axis Sport SSS Trem Transparent Purple 1998
    Axis Sport MM90 Trem Transparent Orange 1999
    Axis SS Hardtail Piezo Honeyburst 2007
    Luke Dargie Delight 2007 Click here
    Albert Lee MM90 Hardtail Dargie Delight 2007
    Bongo 4HH Stealth 2007
    BFR 25th Anniversary Venetian Red burst 2009

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    Spudmurphy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Jack FFR1846 View Post
    Dead link....I went there first....
    That's strange - it works fine for me. When you click on the link it downloads a zipped .pdf file- that's got all the info you want.
    Suggestion - check your folder that holds files d/l'd to your computer - it's prolly sitting there just waiting for ya?
    Last edited by Spudmurphy; 02-27-2010 at 10:13 AM.
    Black Cherry Burst Albert Lee , SSS,Trem & Piezo 2005
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    jamminjim's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by threeminutesboy View Post
    yep Typical strat wiring

    2&4 position are 3 pups in parallel
    I don't think so....

    position 2 would be bridge and middle pups in parallel

    position 4 is neck and middle pups in parallel

    (the middle pup on modern strats is a reverse would reverse polarity pickup to help with noise cancelation )

    in pos 2 & 4 you get the strat quack sounds which is due to the positions of the pickups relative to each other

    (now, that might have been what you were trying to say, I don't know)

    Also looking back in this thread Jack nailed it first..... Sorry to duplicate ya Jack...
    Last edited by jamminjim; 02-27-2010 at 11:11 AM.

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    jamminjim's Avatar
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    the wiring is basically the same as this

    basic strat wiring diagram

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    Spudmurphy's Avatar
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    here ya go
    Black Cherry Burst Albert Lee , SSS,Trem & Piezo 2005
    Black LE Albert Lee MM90 2006 with solid 9k gold knobs
    6lb 1 oz VSB SSS Hardtail Albert Lee KTS Titanium saddles 2009
    Fully Loaded JP6 Mystic Dream 2004
    Red EVH Hardtail 1993
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    jamminjim's Avatar
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    what program did you use to convert the file Spud ?

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    ^
    I just displayed it on the screen then pressed the print screen button.
    Opened up adobe and pasted it into a new file then saved as a .jpeg.
    Nothing too technical for me!!

  14. #14
    threeminutesboy's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jamminjim View Post
    I don't think so....

    position 2 would be bridge and middle pups in parallel

    position 4 is neck and middle pups in parallel

    (the middle pup on modern strats is a reverse would reverse polarity pickup to help with noise cancelation )

    in pos 2 & 4 you get the strat quack sounds which is due to the positions of the pickups relative to each other

    (now, that might have been what you were trying to say, I don't know)

    Also looking back in this thread Jack nailed it first..... Sorry to duplicate ya Jack...
    Sorry I meant 2 pups and indeed it's what I was trying to say
    EVH Hardtail Red 1995
    Axis Sport SSS Trem Transparent Purple 1998
    Axis Sport MM90 Trem Transparent Orange 1999
    Axis SS Hardtail Piezo Honeyburst 2007
    Luke Dargie Delight 2007 Click here
    Albert Lee MM90 Hardtail Dargie Delight 2007
    Bongo 4HH Stealth 2007
    BFR 25th Anniversary Venetian Red burst 2009

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