New Tools: Guitar Wiring Graphics and Switch Mapping Worksheets
I’m taking a slight a detour for this email. It’s all related to the guitar wiring subject, though, so check it out.
As well as a new book, I’ve also got two new downloadable tools that I think many of you will find useful.
Guitar Wiring Graphics
When I was writing Complete Guitar Wiring, I needed some great-looking pickup and component graphics. I was pretty picky about this and didn't think anything available felt quite 'right' to use in my book.
So, I made my own.
Say hello to Guitar Wiring Graphics from Haze Guitars.
There’s a huge range of pickups, pots, switches, and other components and they're all available as PSD, SVG, and PNG files for inclusion in just about any graphics app. There's a list of everything that's included here.
These are the exact graphics I used to create the wiring diagrams and modification circuits in my book. They're professional-looking, easy to use, and available for use in your own wiring drawings.
And, as well as all those components, I’ve included a large selection of pickup layout ‘maps’ so you can indicate the active pickups for each switch position.
Guitar Wiring Graphics come with some instructions for use and a little bonus—a 'Wiring Brush' for the Procreate drawing app. Guitar wiring graphics are available at $20 for a personal use license. Click the link to learn more about Guitar Wiring Graphics.
And now for an infomercial-style, "But that's not all…"
It's not all.
I've also got Switch Mapping Templates.
Switch Mapping Worksheets
Many wiring circuits are straightforward or already planned out for you. The red wire goes here and the black wire goes there. But now and then, things get more complicated. Maybe it’s a crazy modded circuit or maybe it’s some wiring that just won’t do what you want.
Something that I’ve been doing for a while is using switch mapping worksheets like these to help me figure out the wiring for more involved circuits.
Switch Mapping Worksheets break out every individual position on a switch and clearly show the active wiring lugs in each. This makes it easy to build your wiring up step by step.
It turns an annoying job into one that’s a lot less hassle.
Let’s say I want to figure out the wiring for selecting a series of humbucker and split-coil switching for a HH-equipped guitar. It’s a complicated arrangement but having a Switch Mapping Worksheet can really help me build up each switch selection as if I’m dealing just with that one position. I draw in and ‘wire’ the switch on paper first, using the active wiring lugs in each switch position to achieve what I need.
Building things up step by step like this makes things much more easy to figure out. Then, when all positions are mapped, I can fill in the blanks to add any jumpers or other wiring so that the positions work with each other. For instance, above, I’ve ended up with an output for the bridge and for the neck pickups. I’ll need to join those in the final circuit to combine the outputs. I end up with something like below.
Looking at the final wiring diagram makes it seem complicated but because I built up each stage in isolation, the whole job was much easier.
I’ve packaged up a heap of common switches for these mapping worksheets (click here for a list). I’ve also included many common pickup layouts (and blanks for anything non-standard) for many of the switches. The worksheets can be printed for drawing on or can be used digitally in a graphics app. The come with instructions outlining some ways to use the templates.
Not everyone needs these Switch Mapping Worksheets but, if this is a job you sometimes have to do, I think you’ll find them really useful
Switch Mapping Worksheets are available for $10. Find out more about the Switch Mapping Worksheets by clicking the link.
But wait… There's more…
Book & tool bundles
It seemed to me that these two new tools complemented Complete Guitar Wiring quite nicely. So, I've created some bundles and built in a bit of a discount. All of this stuff is still available individually but you can save a few bucks buying a bundle.
Complete Guitar Wiring: Diagramming Bundle
The first bundle is the Diagramming Bundle. Included is a digital copy of Complete Guitar Wiring ebook and a personal license for the Guitar Wiring Graphics. The Diagramming Bundle costs $55, saving $5.
Complete Guitar Wiring: Guitar Tech Bundle
The second bundle is the Guitar Tech Bundle. This includes everything we’ve talked about: A digital copy of Complete Guitar Wiring ebook, the Guitar Wiring Graphics, and the Switch Mapping Worksheets. The cost for the full Guitar Tech bundle is $60, saving you $10 overall.
These new tools are not for everyone but they will definitely make some people's lives easier.
The tools and the bundles will be available at the same time as Complete Guitar Wiring launches—Friday 18th February.
One last thing to note: These tools are bundled only with the digital (ebook) version of Complete Guitar Wiring that's available from my website. I'm not able to offer bundling like this on the print edition sold through Amazon. Sorry.
I hope you'll like these new tools. I'll be back soon with news about the launch.