Here's a useful mod for Strat lovers who want more sounds from their guitars, but don't want to hack `em up, change components, or clutter their pickguards with knobs and switches. It delivers seven combinations from the three pickups, yet uses existing stock components and requires changing only a few wires.

In lieu of the stock master volume and twin tone knobs, our altered Strat has two volumes and one master tone. To understand how to use this hot rod, first view it as a dual pickup guitar with a 3-position switch and one volume control for both pickups. Between these two pickups we add a third pickup with a dedicated volume knob. The rewired volume pots will be independent. enabling you to turn one up or down without affecting the other. By combining the switching capability of the two volumes with the 3-position switch, we get seven pick-up combinations (my favorite is the outside two together). We also have the advantage of a master tone that works on the lead pickup too, something stock Strats don't offer.

Here's the procedure using the above diagram as a guide. Carefully make the following changes:

1. Move the output jack's hot lead from the volume control's center lug to the outside non-grounded lug. Also connect the outer lugs of the second volume and master tone to this lug.

2. Remove the middle pickup from the toggle switch and solder it to the center lug of the second volume pot. This volume control now turns the middle pickup on or off.

3. The toggle switch, as wired in the "modified" diagram, gives you either the bridge or neck pickup, or both together. The first volume now controls the 3-way switch.

Want some cool variations?

* Install push/pull pots in place of the existing volume pots. This gives an instant on/off effect without necessitating changes in the preset volume levels.

* If you're not opposed to changing a pickup, install a middle pickup with a reverse magnetic polarity This greatly reduces hum in the three positions where the middle pickup is used in combination with the others.

If you have a newer Strat with a foil-backed pickguard (rather than the older style with its sheet metal common ground), connect ground wires to all three pots and the switch. This eliminates sporadic noises, hums, and poor operation resulting from faulty grounding through the thin foil.