I've got one of these on the way..
http://www.guitarpartsresource.com/GPEL-AP026.jpg

A DPDT ON/ON/ON Mini Toggle switch. I plan on having it like Neck/Both/Middle like a normal 3 way pickup selector.

There are no other controls so it's just the switch, so both the Pickup hots will be wired to this as well as a wire from the switch to the jack. My question is, which Lugs do I have to solder to in order to do this, and do any of the lugs need to be grounded?

If you're running everything in mono, it's very straightforward.

You don't need to attach the ground to any of the tags on the switch.

As you can see, the switch has 3 pairs of tags (because it's really two switches operated by one lever). First, bridge together each pair of tags by soldering little naked bits of wire between them, so the switch now looks like it's only got 3 tags.

Next, run a wire (preferably screened) from the centre tag of the switch to the tip ('hot') tag of your output jack, and connect one pickup to each of the outer tags. Job done!

However, if you're hoping to run the bass in stereo (I saw your previous thread), things get a good deal more complicated. It's possible that this switch may not be the right one for the job. You see, there's more than one variety of DPDT ON/ON/ON switch available! Without resorting to diagrams, though, it's difficult to explain all the various switching options here. If you'd like more explanation, send me a PM and I'll go into it in detail.

If you're running everything in mono, it's very straightforward.

You don't need to attach the ground to any of the tags on the switch.

As you can see, the switch has 3 pairs of tags (because it's really two switches operated by one lever). First, bridge together each pair of tags by soldering little naked bits of wire between them, so the switch now looks like it's only got 3 tags.

Next, run a wire (preferably screened) from the centre tag of the switch to the tip ('hot') tag of your output jack, and connect one pickup to each of the outer tags. Job done!

However, if you're hoping to run the bass in stereo (I saw your previous thread), things get a good deal more complicated. It's possible that this switch may not be the right one for the job. You see, there's more than one variety of DPDT ON/ON/ON switch available! Without resorting to diagrams, though, it's difficult to explain all the various switching options here. If you'd like more explanation, send me a PM and I'll go into it in detail.


Thanks mate, definitely intend to go Mono. What is the purpose of connecting each pair of lugs? Just curious. :) Also, how the hell are you supposed to do that when the lugs are so close together?!

Connecting the lugs together achieves two things:

1) It ensures that you're using the full surface area of all the available switch contacts. This helps to ensure good signal transfer across the contacts and increases the switch's long-term reliability.

2) As mentioned, there is more than one type of DPDT ON/ON/ON switch on the market. The two most common types work like this:

Type A: when the lever is thrown to one side, both switches go to the contacts on that side; when in the mid position, both switches connect to both sides at once.

Type B: same as above, but when it's in the mid position, one switch connects to the left and the other goes to the right!

(Type B is the one most commonly sold for use in guitars, but you never know...)

So, wiring the pairs of lugs together avoids any possible confusion between switch types and guarantees that the switch will work the way you want it to for mono.

Linking the lugs together is indeed a fiddly job, but so is soldering on the pickup wires. It's just a matter of patience, skill and the right tools - in particular, a soldering iron with a fine tip.