Handmade prewired SSS CERAMIC Strat pickguard with COIL TAP on N&B, volume TR BL and mid PU cutoff switch

Pre-wired Strat pickguard, with closed covers and WHITE knobs on a BLACK plate.

Upon request, it is possible to replace the closed covers, knobs and pickguard plate with others of different colors, without price changes. Please ask for current availability before purchasing.

The Strat single coil at the neck and the one installed at the bridge have COIL TAP type coils. Therefore, if you leave the push pull switch of the third knob down (the one that controls the tone of the bridge pickup only), these two pickups work with quantities of wire corresponding to 8.2 and 8.8 Kohm for the neck and bridge respectively. If the knob is pulled up, then the two pickups work with all the wire that has been wound on their coils, corresponding to 13.3 and 14.3 Kohm respectively.

The middle Strat single coil, on the other hand, has a traditional coil (with single output) and, therefore, its Rs value is always 8.5 Kohm.

The push-pull switch on the second knob (the one that controls the tone of the neck and middle pickups) controls the "Telecaster mode". This means that if the knob is pulled up, the middle pickup is electrically muted while the neck and bridge pickups are activated and wired in parallel, regardless of the position of the 5-way selector switch and the position of the third knob's push-pull selector switch. The Telecaster mode therefore works whether the neck and bridge pickups are set to COIL TAP or FULL COIL.

Using both the 5-way selector switch and the two push-pull switches, 11 different pickup configurations are possible with this pickguard.

When the neck and bridge pickups are set to COIL TAP, their sounds are aligned and balanced with those of the middle pickup. These are, therefore, the dynamic and bright sonic characteristics that fall within the typical Stratocaster tonal sphere.

When they work in FULL COIL mode, their sounds are very similar to those typical of the P90s, that is, characterized not only by slightly higher output levels, but also and above all by a certain fullness in the low and mid-low frequencies range.

CONTROLS:

- VOLUME (B500K, Alpha), equipped with ASAR full range treble bleed;

- FIRST TONE KNOB (500KA push-pull, with 10 nF/ 100V MKP capacitor, acts on the neck pickup and the middle pickup).

- SECOND TONE KNOB (500KA push-pull with 10 nF/ 100V MKP capacitor), acts on the bridge pickup.

- Five-way pickup selector;

All pickups were wound and assembled by hand. Waxing was done in a mixed bath of paraffin and beeswax (3:1 weight:weight ratio). The neck pickup is RW/RP compared to the other two.

Rs (Series coil resistances): NECK pickup 8.2 Kohm COOL / 13.3 Kohm HOT; MIDDLE pickup 8.5 Kohm; BRIDGE pickup 8.8 Kohm COOL / 14.3 Kohm HOT.

As you can see from the attached photos, in each pickup the relative row of pole pieces is not equipped with the traditional single magnetic bar, but with two opposing bars (i.e. mounted “sandwich”), with all that this entails in terms of sonic output, definition, attack and output levels.

The wire used to wind the pickups is AWG 44.

All pickups have coils completely shielded by a copper foil coating, to reduce the electromagnetic interference captured, and are supplied with professional coaxial cables.

To complete the electromagnetic shielding of the pickguard, the back of the pickguard plate is completely covered with aluminum foil (see attached photos).

The pickups, like the pre-wired pickguard itself, are also self-produced (and therefore marked ASAR, acronym for AlterSonusAudioResearch).

This pickguard has been tested.