Options for Mustang style switches

[SonicMustang]

Anyone ever done anything cool with the Mustang slider switches that weren't the intended use?

I've got both the slider switches and a 3-way toggle in the pickguard I'm using and I only plan on using the 3-way to switch pickups.

 

[Peegoo]

Other than for their intended pupose (phase)? In a simple guitar like the Mustang, with two single coils pickups, your options are limited. You could wire it up for both pickups on in parallel and both pickups on in series.

The weird thing about the Mustang is even though there are nine different combinations of switch settings, there are only four sound options (bridge only, neck only, bridge and neck in phase, bridge and neck out of phase), and both switched off.

You could use the switches to activate an onboard battery pack to light up some LEDs or something.

This is a 1965 Mustang. Other than a short dalliance with Lace Sensors in the 80s, it's wired up like Fender intended. It was originally red.

 

[AAT65]

There used to be a Mustang (Pawn Shop ?) that has 2 humbuckers and uses the slide switches to select the coils individually or as a humbucker pair for each pickup, plus a 3-way toggle to select the pickup.

 

[guitarbuilder]

Anyone ever done anything cool with the Mustang slider switches that weren't the intended use?

I've got both the slider switches and a 3-way toggle in the pickguard I'm using and I only plan on using the 3-way to switch pickups.

Slide switches were popular in the 1960's on entry level guitars. Gibson even put one in a Non Reverse Firebird. I used one here. It takes a split second longer to switch pickups with a slide switch, as least that's what I think.

Gibson Firebird V Non-Reverse 1965 - 1969 | Reverb

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[Freeman Keller]

I've assembled three JagStang style guitars for a friend and each of them had different pickups and switching options. They did whatever he asked me to make them do, frankly I don't remember what that was. I could look it up since I kept the wiring diagrams somewhere

 

[SonicMustang]

Hmmm it is as I feared....I'll probably leave them unconnected to anything then as I'm

I've assembled three JagStang style guitars for a friend and each of them had different pickups and switching options. They did whatever he asked me to make them do, frankly I don't remember what that was. I could look it up since I kept the wiring diagrams somewhereView attachment 940069

It would be great to know what they did! That is a really cool Guitar btw. Body is wicked cool

 

[Freeman Keller]

Hmmm it is as I feared....I'll probably leave them unconnected to anything then as I'm

It would be great to know what they did! That is a really cool Guitar btw. Body is wicked cool

Well I found my notes and the little drawing that I made of the wiring, but I'm still not totally sure what the switches are doing. It looks like the neck is either series or coil cut, the bridge puts the coils in phase or out of phase. It also has a three position toggle for pickup selector. The pots are treble cut, bass cut and volume. He wanted a treble bleed on the volume pot, I didn't have the right size cap so that didn't get installed.

I could scan the wiring diagram and my notes and send all of that to you, but it probably would be more confusing than helpful.

Here is another variation on the Jaguar/Mustang idea with the little edge mounted pots. Frankly I do not remember what any of them do but I think this is a standard configuration. Two pots and a slide switch in the bass side, three more selectors on the treble, two pots - probably volume and treble cut. My role in this was to change the pickups and do some setup stuff.

 

[Deaf Eddie]

Here's an edit to the Mustang scheme that gives you MANY more tones with the on/on/on sliders:

The proviso here is, I haven't done this one myself...

 

[solfege]

If it were me, I'd use one of them to swap the phase on one pickup, so I could still get that classic mustang sound. Then for the ****s and giggles, i'd do something fun with the other that affects all three switch positions, like 1) a high pass filter (a la the jag strangle switch) for a different variation on what the mustang phase switch gets you, or 2) a switch to bypass the tone pot entirely for another variation on bright, punchy tone. Especially if you're using traditional, fairly hot flat poled Mustang pickups, it can be nice to have ways of brightening things up where need be.

 

[Paul Danielson]

Other than for their intended pupose (phase)? In a simple guitar like the Mustang, with two single coils pickups, your options are limited. You could wire it up for both pickups on in parallel and both pickups on in series.

The weird thing about the Mustang is even though there are nine different combinations of switch settings, there are only four sound options (bridge only, neck only, bridge and neck in phase, bridge and neck out of phase), and both switched off.

You could use the switches to activate an onboard battery pack to light up some LEDs or something.

This is a 1965 Mustang. Other than a short dalliance with Lace Sensors in the 80s, it's wired up like Fender intended. It was originally red.

I’m about to embark on a Mustang project and was wondering about the switches. I’m going to leave them as-is for now, but if I can’t find a use for being out of phase, I’ll probably just ditch them.

But here’s the real reason for this late response. I’m looking for a Mustang to refinish. Thinking I would have to buy a new one and strip the poly. But it turns out that, for some unknown reason, historically, Mustangs are the top choice for amateurs refinishing a vintage a guitar. The number of refin vintage mustangs is actually hilarious. Dang. I mean I can buy a 1965 mustang that someone already sanded all the value out of, and refinish as I see fit. Thank you, Kurt!