10-Way Stratocaster Wiring Diagram

Do you want to wire your Strat to have 10 options that are truly meaningful but can’t afford a Freeway switch?

Here’s a way to do it with a super switch (a quality one from AliExpress will set you back only ~AUD$10).

How does it work?

It takes the standard 5-way super switch wiring for a standard 2 pickup Telecaster and applies it to the middle and bridge. 

Then it wires your neck to a separate volume (tone pot is shared).

Both your neck and whatever you select with the switch are “always on” but you don’t need to fret: if you don’t want one or the other, you turn the relevant volume knob to zero.

Otherwise you get at least 10 positions:

Without neck:

1. Bridge (the classic No. 1 position)
2. Middle and Bridge in series but out of phase or “OOP” (a gloriously scooped but powerful tone, where series restores the volume that OOP attenuates)
3. Middle and Bridge in parallel (the classic No. 2 position)
4. Middle and Bridge in series (a powerful sound that is as close as you’ll get to a humbucker)
5. Middle (the classic No. 3 position)

With neck:

6. Neck and Bridge in parallel (the classic “No. 6” Gilmour position)
7. Neck and the powerful scooped tone of our No. 2
8. Neck, Middle and Bridge in parallel (the classic “No. 7” position)
9. Neck and the “humbucker” tone of our No. 4 position 
10. Neck and Middle (the classic No. 4 position)

You can use this wiring diagram with any 3 single coil pickups.

The reason I say “at least 10 positions” is because you have the volume adjustments - which effectively let you dial in almost infinite tonal differences.

You’ll notice that I have added 2 P90s in my wiring diagram. They are in fact humbucker-sized P90s (HB90s). You might wonder why I have chosen to do this. The simple answer is that it is what is going into my own build - a guitar I call the “Fenocaster” (after my pen name of decades ago, “Fen”).

I have attached a mock-up below.

I will post the finished guitar soon, along with sound samples.

Happy wiring!