[BluesJam]

+1 Harlow.

I would only add plugging into a pedal and switching pedals and guitar settings at he same time.  Many famous guitarists have techs changing pedals/patches on the fly.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a tech on payroll.   My Esquire, (1) pickup and 3 usable tones is my favorite go to axe.  Sometimes keeping it simple is the better choice.

[HarlowTheFish]

+1 Harlow.

I would only add plugging into a pedal and switching pedals and guitar settings at he same time.  Many famous guitarists have techs changing pedals/patches on the fly.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a tech on payroll.   My Esquire, (1) pickup and 3 usable tones is my favorite go to axe.  Sometimes keeping it simple is the better choice.

Ahh but now Boss makes affordable 4-, 5-, and 8-loop pedal switchers so no excuse BluesJam 

[Virtuoso]

You’re going to have a Swiss army guitar with a lot of useless  combinations... for just because. Maybe you should buy an Esquire or Les Paul Jr.

I have 5 super strats from Ibanez so I'll pass. The TAM and EGEN switchings which I posted are wirings for well respected guitarists of this era, I understand this looks strange and not of a necessity (if one is still listening or playing from a certain era) but modern guitar evolution is a reality and most of us younger people don't bother with the 80s, 90s or even early 2000s blues scale guitar playing.
Anyway thank you for the detailed information you gave me on this thread BluesJam

I'm not gonna tell you to get an Esquire, but I'll say this: go to a guitar store, get an HSH ibanez, a Tele, a LP, and an SSS strat. Plug them all in and try every position for at least 3 minutes. Take notes on what you liked about each one and why and what you'd use them for and whatever. Then make an informed decision about what sounds are essential for you and you need on quick access, and make those the ones available on the 5-way. If you desperately need some other position, then consider adding it to the switch, but I'd recommend giving yourself a week or so to play around with it before you do that, because you'll be able to get a feel for how you use each position and whether you're actually missing anything.

For not telling me to get an Esquire
I grew up with Teles, Strats and Les Paul's. I liked the strats and LP's for different reasons, the hybrid of a strat and les paul together is what I call my HSH Ibanez's.

Thing is, I'm going to make the story short as possible. All guitars of mine have DiMarzios, this new particular guitar is dropped down to drop C. So after trying 3 different models I finally got satisfied with the set I have now.

As I meantioned earlier, bridge is used for solos and rhythm (distortion), middle coil alone for percussive slap riffs (distortion) neck for soloing (distortion)
2 pos (clean) 3 pos (clean) on all HSH guitars. On my HH config I love the 3 pos inner neck and inner bridge. In other words I use ALL positions and really just wanted to see if there was a way to get that HH bridge and neck split in to a HSH config with a rail pickup in the middle.

So last question:
The EGEN wiring I posted which is a HSH config and can coil tap it to use the inner neck and inner bridge. Is it possible to use a rail coil/pickup in the middle ? and split it in pos 2 and 3 when coil tap is off ? Or is it just possible but both rails will be active and not splitted in pos 2 and 3 when coil tap is off ? 

[HarlowTheFish]

So last question:
The EGEN wiring I posted which is a HSH config and can coil tap it to use the inner neck and inner bridge. Is it possible to use a rail coil/pickup in the middle ? and split it in pos 2 and 3 when coil tap is off ? Or is it just possible but both rails will be active and not splitted in pos 2 and 3 when coil tap is off ? 

You can use a rail, but no production superswitch I know of has enough contacts for the specific switching with all the splits you want so if you're really set on this you're gonna have to get one custom made and that's a lot of $$$

[buddroyce]

You’re going to have a Swiss army guitar with a lot of useless  combinations... for just because.  And many of them will almost be inaudible to the casual listener in a band setting.  Have fun and think about practicality beforehand. Maybe you should buy an Esquire or Les Paul Jr.  They’re simply the best in my book.

I've had swiss army guitars before with more pickup combinations that I can make use of and even if I did, it was nearly impossible to remember what the setting was. However, as useless as it was (and I'm going to admit there were a LOT of useless settings that to me sounded identical), I believe there's nothing wrong with letting someone experiment with things because first hand experience let's them make up in their own mind on what works and doesn't work.

One of the things we've always promoted here is experimentation and there's no reason to hinder anyone at it, because hey, maybe they stumble on something really awesome and are willing to share. The more feedback we have here the better.

As for the whole Esquire and LP Jr. thing. I think they're great guitars but I don't know if it's for everyone. I honestly don't think I could do them myself. I love my super strats with floyds and the screwed up part is that I barely even use the trem!. I stopped recommending specific guitars to people unless they're asking about it because I know a LOT of folks out there would not like my preferred guitars 'cause seriously... setting up floyds can be a pain in the ass but I like 'em for some unexplained reason.

[darkbluemurder]

Fully agree to Budd - experimentation led me to find the results I want.

Cheers Stephan

[Guitar74]

I live this “the reality of this younger generation is we don’t play this blues scale anything because we have evolved”. From people that probably weren’t there and are either regurgitating something they heard or are just making up an erroneous statement.

I know I am reading like I’m trolling, but I am not. I just love the whole idea that they are somehow doing something new that nobody else is or has. So here’s my potshot: Before you take a stab at someone because of their tag on a forum, try and make sure that a) they aren’t trying to give you advice from having been there and done that and b) that your statement or little off the cuff remark has some basis in fact.

If your generation has evolved playing so much,  then please by all means show me these new “evolved”  and “exotic” scales and modes that have been unlocked so the rest of us old guys can quit playing pentatonic.😂

[HarlowTheFish]

I live this “the reality of this younger generation is we don’t play this blues scale anything because we have evolved”. From people that probably weren’t there and are either regurgitating something they heard or are just making up an erroneous statement.

I know I am reading like I’m trolling, but I am not. I just love the whole idea that they are somehow doing something new that nobody else is or has. So here’s my potshot: Before you take a stab at someone because of their tag on a forum, try and make sure that a) they aren’t trying to give you advice from having been there and done that and b) that your statement or little off the cuff remark has some basis in fact.
If your generation has evolved playing so much,  then please by all means show me these new “evolved”  and “exotic” scales and modes that have been unlocked so the rest of us old guys can quit playing pentatonic.😂

https://www.amazon.com/Guitar-Cook-Book-scales-chords/dp/2953112243
This and the new Periphery album, Hail Stan 
It's not like this stuff hasn't been done before, because there's only a finite number of ways to work in 12-tone based Western theory, but a lot of the modern guys (from prog like Periphery to math rock like Covet to bluesy guys like Nick Johnston) are incorporating elements from other genres and regions that guitar-focused music has avoided for a really long time.
It's not like it's some higher plane bullshit like a lot of these guys seem to think it is because their heads are too far up their butts, it's just a different palette: Les Pauls into cranked Marshalls playing pentatonic-based blues-rock can be a killer combination if the music is good, in the same way that some fancy headless fan-fret 42-fret 13-string in Drop Q through a massive pedalboard into a 6-channel 300-watt head (with obligatory AxeFX in the loop of course) can be. It just depends on the music.
Different tools for different situations. You wouldn't use a 3-way CNC to put a knob in a door, but you also wouldn't use a drill to make a heat sink.
Tosin Abasi couldn't play AaL on an Stimer-equipped Selmer through a PA, the same way Django Reinhardt couldn't do his thing through Tosin's rig.

. . . actually on second though Django would probably kill it on an 8-string, freakin' madman

[BluesJam]

I would be happy with the returns of classic rock.  It can’t get any better than that.  The Beatles took music from other genres and some of those songs were popular. 

For the wiring scheme, you best bet is to get a looper/ backing tracks and play rhythm and solos through the tracks.  For me, you only use positions which makes your instrument cut through the mix.

Here is a 2019 PRS which has over 30 pickup combinations. There was no mention of a phase/out of phase switching which would add several more sounds.   https://youtu.be/34vpqE4wBOE

[Guitar74]

I too like what Tosin is doing. Periphery isn’t my cup o tea. They just act like they’re trying too hard. I know it’s part of their whole persona, the whole self aware overboard thing, but they just unnerve me. To each their own.

[Guitar74]

I would be happy with the returns of classic rock.  It can’t get any better than that.  The Beatles took music from other genres and some of those songs were popular. 

For the wiring scheme, you best bet is to get a looper/ backing tracks and play rhythm and solos through the tracks.  For me, you only use positions which makes your instrument cut through the mix.

Here is a 2019 PRS which has over 30 pickup combinations. There was no mention of a phase/out of phase switching which would add several more sounds.   https://youtu.be/34vpqE4wBOE

So did Roy Clark (yes Hee Haw’s Roy Clark), Glenn Campbell, Eric Johnson. We all do. And much like you, even though I ‘m a metal/instrumental rock guy, the return of classic rock wouldn’t hurt my feelings in the least. I have ALWAYS liked the Beatles. When I was a kid my mom would spin Revolver over and over. Such a great record.

Back on subject, my favorite switching is my Big Apple Strat. Two buckets 5 way super, and I get bridge full in, split, the inner coils of bridge and neck, neck split, neck full on. It is my “one guitar for any gig” axe. Yes it does require using a compressor to compensate for volume drops on the splits, BUT, set right, you don’t really hear the compressor until it’s off.

Going parallel, and having all the in and out of phase, is like a few posted kind of redundant.

[Virtuoso]

I live this “the reality of this younger generation is we don’t play this blues scale anything because we have evolved”. From people that probably weren’t there and are either regurgitating something they heard or are just making up an erroneous statement.

I know I am reading like I’m trolling, but I am not. I just love the whole idea that they are somehow doing something new that nobody else is or has.

If your generation has evolved playing so much,  then please by all means show me these new “evolved”  and “exotic” scales and modes that have been unlocked so the rest of us old guys can quit playing pentatonic.😂

I understand The same was said about The Beatles, Hendrix, Page, Blackmore, Frehley, Van Halen, Malmsteen, Satriani, Vai the list is TOO long to name them all. Every era of 'music evolution/guitar evolution' there would be oldies complaining about the newcomers and the younger generation listening to them. I remmember growing up with Vai being one of the relevant guitar gods in the 90s, Vai then became to be a old god today and to be put in the list of old guitar heroes. My generation who listened to him and the others in the 90s are the younger generation evolvin guitar playing and making new music today, its an ongoin cycle. My father grew up with 70s and 80s music, he ended listening to anything new after Vai and Satch and a few others made their thing on guitar in the 90s. 7-8 string virtuosos of today is out of question and garbage to him, with the exception of Petrucci which is still somewhat relevant today but in my opinion soon to be put in the old guitar heroes list aswell.

some fancy headless fan-fret 42-fret 13-string in Drop Q through a massive pedalboard into a 6-channel 300-watt head (with obligatory AxeFX in the loop of course)

I'd love to try that! 
I remmember my father telling me how stupid the Ibanez Universe was for having a 7th string, look at what it has done to music 25 years later. Floyd Rose, active pickups, don't even start talking about amp sims or else he will have a heart attack, not tube amp ? only Roland JC120 

There is nothing more satisfying than waiting 15 minutes for those trusty good old tubes which can't be replaced because the amp wont sound the same right ? 
And of coarse lets not forget about how dead and sterile sounding digital effects of today is compared to the warmth and trueness of the analog gear of the past 

[Virtuoso]

For those who are interested to hear whats going on today, heres a few links:

Animals as Leaders
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt-RoSzsEKA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVSQnsuTs-g

Polyphia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_gkpYORQLU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHcAi2FPrTM

Periphery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mZXwSME7rU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3WQvLKgCd0

I ended up with a normal 5 switch pos config, full humcanceling on the HSH guitar. I'll just use my HH config, 5 switch pos guitar when I need it and lay off the dream to combine these two switching options into 1 guitar. Thanks again for all the answers! My intention here is not to step on anyones balls and make enemies, fellow guitar players

[BluesJam]

No worries....we’re all in this together.  It seems you’re still compromising.


 There are wiring diagrams on the DiMarzio site

https://www.dimarzio.com/support/wiring-diagrams

[Guitar74]

It's just a passing of the guard/torch if you will. At some point though, melody has to stick it's head in the mix. I LOVE the tones, and appreciate the musicianship. I even like heavy riffing, although my post doesn't seem like it. It just doesn't speak to me in the way it does others. The tones are to die for though. I love that fat mid heavy slab 'o' distortion. I am sure a lot of people said the same thing about my guitar heroes, so all is well. If you like it, fly that banner proudly. Play it with pride, and make people feel what you are.

Just because it isn't EXACTLY my cup of tea doesn't make it suck, or make it less legit. Much like 90s music it will probably grow on me.