Blade vs Rotary Selector

[Chester]

I have a number of CU24s, of which one has a rotary PUP selector. The single coil sounds in P7/8 in particular are outstanding. I have a CU24 LTD with a blade switch wired differently, and less "usable" for what I want to do in the single coil settings. Less punch and clarity, and thinner sounding through my rigs

From the PRS website:

ROTARY POSITIONS
• Position 10: Treble pickup
• Position 9: Outside coils- deep and clear - parallel
• Position 8: Series single coils – Warm version of the "in between the treble and middle pickups"
• Position 7: Parallel single coils – Crisp version of the "in between the treble and middle pickups"
• Position 6: Bass pickup

BLADE POSITIONS
• Position 1: Bridge humbucker
• Position 2: Bridge humbucker with neck singlecoil, in parallel
• Position 3: Bridge and neck humbuckers
• Position 4: Neck singlecoil with bridge singlecoil, in parallel
• Position 5: Neck humbucker

Has anyone modded their blade wiring to produce the rotary configurations? Results? Any schematics available? If I was based in the US, no doubt the boys at PCT could sort it in a heartbeat, but I need to rely on others in the UK to do the work, and would welcome guidance before letting them near my guitars

 

[garrett]

I don't know the particulars of the new blade switch PRS are using, but the rotary positions can definitely be replicated with a four-pole, five-way blade switch. There will be diagrams on the web for the Super Switch and the Megaswitch (they have a model P for this purpose, or you can get the model M).

Might be doable with the PRS switch, but I would need to see how it's made.

 

[rugerpc]

I have had older rotary switches on PRS guitars become noisy and poppy. The switches are sealed, so there is no way to get contact cleaner in there.... One of my very few PRS disappointments.

 

[Gyro]

This really confuses me. I have a CE-22 Alder with the five way rotary switch and a Custom 24 with the five way blade. In my HO, the rotary switch give me more useful sounds, particularly clean single coil sounds. I like manipulating the blade more, but the rotary settings are better. Too bad they don't have a five way blade which does what the Rotary switch does. Another confusing aspect of modern electric guitars is what's the real difference between parallel and series? Sound like a bunch of useless techno speak to me. i was fine with up- Neck pup, Middle- Both, Down- Bridge Pup. Works fime on my '67 SG.

 

[JRod4928]

This really confuses me. I have a CE-22 Alder with the five way rotary switch and a Custom 24 with the five way blade. In my HO, the rotary switch give me more useful sounds, particularly clean single coil sounds. I like manipulating the blade more, but the rotary settings are better. Too bad they don't have a five way blade which does what the Rotary switch does. Another confusing aspect of modern electric guitars is what's the real difference between parallel and series? Sound like a bunch of useless techno speak to me. i was fine with up- Neck pup, Middle- Both, Down- Bridge Pup. Works fime on my '67 SG.

That is what the modern PRS's do with positions 1, 3, and 5.

As far as parallel/series. Electricity and water are the same in terms of how they flow. Think of a water system with a manifold that separates one line into 10 lines, all with their own valve - that's parallel. Now take another water system that has one pipe that doesn't separate, but goes into a series of 10 valves - that's series. I'm sure you can see that the water flow would differ between the two.

I'm no expert in electricity, but I did take a few classes on it in engineering school, but my understanding is this::: An electric guitar set up to run in 'series' will take the signal from one pickup to the other pickup in series, so the voicing of one pickup will affect the voicing from the "downstream" pickup, just like the first water valve will affect the water flow through a series of valves downstream. Contrast that with 'parallel' where the signal is taken from both pickups simultaneously without affecting the voice of the other pickup, just like the manifold of water valves in parallel that I explained above. If you affect how the electricity flows, you'll affect how it sounds. This is simplified, but I think it helps explain why you get different sounds.

Check this thread out - it has sound clips comparing the two. http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/183013-series-parallel-switch-how-does-work.html

 

[sergiodeblanc]

I have had older rotary switches on PRS guitars become noisy and poppy. The switches are sealed, so there is no way to get contact cleaner in there.... One of my very few PRS disappointments.

That's when they start to get good! You just gotta switch on the "and" of the beat before a solo and unleash a distorted castanet roll as your lead in to badassery.

 

[CantankerousCarl]

...and unleash a distorted castanet roll as your lead in to badassery.

Have those words ever been uttered before in the history of the universe? Likely not. Sergio, you indeed make this planet a more interesting place.

Also FWIW they kinda killed the single coil Custom sounds when they switched to the blade. The new combinations don't sound bad, but I like the old rotary combos the best. I will hoard my old CEs, Customs and Standards lol...

So I guess I am going to sort of going to ask the same question if anyone has been able to replicate the original rotary with the blade. I am sure the PTC could...THAT would rock...

 

[garrett]

This really confuses me. I have a CE-22 Alder with the five way rotary switch and a Custom 24 with the five way blade. In my HO, the rotary switch give me more useful sounds, particularly clean single coil sounds. I like manipulating the blade more, but the rotary settings are better. Too bad they don't have a five way blade which does what the Rotary switch does. Another confusing aspect of modern electric guitars is what's the real difference between parallel and series? Sound like a bunch of useless techno speak to me. i was fine with up- Neck pup, Middle- Both, Down- Bridge Pup. Works fime on my '67 SG.

You could always convert either five-way to three-way.

Some five-way blades can be wired to match the settings of the rotary.

The real world audible difference between series and parallel is that series will be louder, with more emphasis on the mid frequencies; conversely, parallel is quieter with a sweeter, more trebly tone ("scooped" mids is a common term).