Wiring Woes

Much to my surprise, the wiring diagram for the Stagemaster which I downloaded from the Squier web site, does not match up with the way the guitar is actually wired. Furthermore, the DiMarzio pickups I bought have more wires than that original pickups. The original pickups have 3 wires, red/white/ground. The DiMarzios have 5 wires, red/white/black/green/ground.

If this wasn't confusing enough, the instructions that came with the DiMarzio pickups are not what I would call "user-friendly" at all.

I was totally confused as to how to proceed, so it was necessary to get on the web and do some research. Interestingly enough, I found some completely "user-friendly" wiring diagrams right on the DiMarzio web site--you just have to dig around for them. Why this information isn't included with the pickups is beyond me.

I decided to go with this set up (pdf). This is the diagram and a complete description of the sound that is likely to be achieved. I have now finished the wiring and will post a photo in the next entry.

Crispy

P.S. And come to find out, it DOES matter which way the pickups are facing. More on that later...