AL MM90 - Full Blast!

[xjbebop]

I finally got the soldering iron out for a couple of projects and installed a 'bridge pickup on' switch on my MM90 "Spanky"...
In the down position the 5-way works like normal, but in the up position the bridge pup is on in all positions. This only makes a difference in the 4&5 (or 1&2, depending on how you count them...) spots with the 5-way.
So now I can get the bridge and neck (very Tele like...which is what I was after...) and all three pups full blast!
A super simple mod that really adds some fabulous sounds to an already fabulous guitar!

 

[ozzyrules]

That is very cool....

 

[mtrejo]

What a cool mod!!!
I've been playing my True Gold AL MM90 over the last two days discovering some new patches in JamUp Pro. Man, those pickups can GROWL with a smooth clarity that only this kind of pickup can offer. I'd love to do a mod like yours to mine. You mentioned it was pretty easy?

 

[Spudmurphy]

Great stuff!! I was wondering if a similar mod could be achieved via a "pull up pot" ? Beej 'll know

 

[Tollywood]

What a great mod. Looks like you did an excellent job, including the location. Well done!

 

[KEOKI]

Great information. Can't wait for mine. That tele sound would be a useful mod/option. Thanks

 

[xjbebop]

Thanks all... and yes, a push-pull or push-push could do the same thing.
I'll share more info soon...I'm late for work right now!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Thanks all... and yes, a push-pull or push-push could do the same thing.
I'll share more info soon...I'm late for work right now!

great stuff -look forward to that.

 

[xjbebop]

OK...finally got a second to give a basic explanation.
As for the placement of the switch, I wanted to do this as simply as possible. It was just luck that the best choice spot under the p/g put the switch right where I wanted it. Had to make sure it would clear the body and that the p/g would lay flat with it installed... (see the red switch body before wiring it up...)

Drilled the p/g -very- carefully to not crack it!

As for the wiring, it's pretty butt-simple. Remove the bridge pup hot wire from the 5-way and solder it along with a short extension wire to a center lug on the switch. Solder the other end of the extension wire to the 5-way where the hot wire was removed to re-complete the original circuit.
*Test the on/off switch first to find which sides are open/closed...
Run another wire from the appropriate lug to the output lug of the 5-way.
(please excuse the generic diagram...)

And there you have it! I searched around before doing this and was surprised that I didn't find any prior threads...
I'm sure there are a few other ways to accomplish this mod, but this is how I went about it, and I'm super happy with the results!

 

[DrKev]

I did the same thing to my first strat to get the same sounds. Very cool tones! On a later strat I used one of the tone controls as a blender pot rather than adding a switch. The Silhouette Special comes factory wired for neck/one bridge HB coil in the middle selector position. I've re-wired mine to go full HB and neck single, which is even squanky-er (squankier?).

 

[xjbebop]

Nice! I was surprised by the 'all pups on - full blast' position on this. I expected a thick, woolly sound, but instead it combines the upper quack of the bridge+middle setting and the lower quack of the neck+middle setting into one 'super quack' tone that sounds unusual but yet very funky...in a good way...

 

[Jack Zawacki]

Hi there, My name is Jack and also have a Gold Rosewood MM90 and was wondering the same thing. I see this is a very old post but was wondering what mods you may have done since. Thanks and any help would be great. Jack...