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A *nearly* universal ibanez wiring diagram

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116K views 44 replies 18 participants last post by  toddkent03  
#1 ·
VLX91? Not here :D (If theres some bizarre demand for VLX91, I can do that, I just dont feel like it). Please note, this is OBVIOUSLY not discussing guitars with 3 way switches like the JS1000. This covers EVERY stock H/H and H/S/H Ibanez that doesnt use a VLX91 or 3 way. I.e. 97% of ibanez guitars. I didnt feel like doing H/S/S as most neck "singles" are still humbuckers anyway.

Anywho, I frequently see "I dont have a diagram for my RG58346!!" Well, that doesnt really matter. To start, I'll go over some basic things really fast. I dont feel like explaining DC theory to the masses, so Im gonna have to toss out a "trust me" here for the explanations.

To start -> humbucker wiring and what it means

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Next -> Potentiometers

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Next up -> the common switches you'll find on ibanez guitars

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Finally -> the "diagrams"

It DOES NOT MATTER WHAT GUITAR YOU HAVE. If you have an RG270, an RG520, an indonesian RG470, a chinese gio, a korean RG350, IT DOES NOT MATTER. Again, IT DOES NOT MATTER! (Unless you have a vlx91 or some kind of aftermarket switch, then well, youre on your own there).
Im not covering capacitor values as theres just way too much "tone voodoo" involved with that, and I frankly couldnt care less.

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If you have questions, comments, "but what about my ....", or something appears incorrect or needs better explanation, please let me know.
 
#2 · (Edited)
Note. the 2502 SC5 is really only used for HH setups in an Ibanez.

The VLX53 has the same layout as the YM50 and GAE5, which is now replaced by the new dual bank switch. The GAE5 is dead, you can only get a YM50 or VLX53 anymore to use that wiring. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other switches that can be wired or have that same internal switching, I just know Ibanez and what's in them.

The VLX91 is the biggest PITA to wire of any switch you'll ever work on, why they decided to use that in so many guitars is beyond my pay grade.

You're missing the switch case ground lead also.
 
#3 ·
The VLX53 has the same layout as the YM50 and GAE5, which is now replaced by the new dual bank switch. The GAE5 is dead, you can only get a YM50 or VLX53 anymore to use that wiring. That doesn't mean there aren't plenty of other switches that can be wired or have that same internal switching, I just know Ibanez and what's in them.
Honestly I was just gonna do the cortek switch, as that seems to be the most common one used/needed, but ibanez in their infinite wisdom put that stupid @#% switch as its replacement part. VLX53 is pretty well documented, I just wanted to show the correlation between them; i.e. you dont really "need" a "wiring diagram" if you know what youre looking at. Theres no way I can cover everything, really.

The VLX91 is the biggest PITA to wire of any switch you'll ever work on, why they decided to use that in so many guitars is beyond my pay grade.
Preach brother!

You're missing the switch case ground lead also.
If people cant figure THAT part out, maybe its time to get a luthier/tech to do that kinda work haha
 
#5 ·
Ill sort it tomorrow then; I just remember the 53 being basically "backwards" to the cortek ones. I have negative experience with the sp5 honestly. In short my general rule to people when they are swapping in a new pickup is simply trace the old wiring out and just snip the wires and splice the new one in.
 
#6 ·
Never snip, always unsolder, it's already pre-tinned and much easier. I suck at wiring, I'm one of those guys that has to have a wiring diagram, and I have an electronics degree. Just like calculus I forgot it as soon as I closed the book. It just gives me a headache 8O

I'd have to pull an old FP or something just to verify, I'm sure I have a few back there with 53's in them.
 
#7 ·
I dont mean snip at the switch; I mean just cut the wire at a convenient place and splice the wires together. Dont even have to take the switches out if thats your bag. I have no problem with "proper" wiring, but others arent dextrous or dont trust themselves enough to do it like that. Its 100% fine to do it this way.

But yeah, I lost my "parts" collection in my house fire, wouldnt mind a pic or two to make some better references.
 
#10 ·
You mean 2 seconds of putting electrical tape on? haha

Do bear in mind, this type of thing isnt for you or me Rich, this is for the person that has never soldered before but wants to put his new pickup in; its for the person with shaky hands that wont have an easy time sticking a 24 gauge wire into a 1mm hole thats 3mm from the next hole, etc. Theres "doing it right" and then "doing it properly". Splicing in wires is good enough for Nasa, its good enough for putting a pickup in. Ill even cover that part too, I have a few "tricks" that should probably be shared anyway.

Edit: I do want it understood that I will always attempt to teach the "proper way", I always have time for that. Some people dont want to, dont care to, arent capable of, etc.
 
#12 ·
Thanks for the information, excellent work. Allow for some corrections or proposals:

This is not DC theory just to be precise, it is all AC theory, as a guitar signal is alternate current.

You left this out, but as magnets are involved for inducing voltage and as it very often made wrong when combining coils, your sentence in Ex. 4 could be "You only get noise cancelling (i.e. "humbucking") effect, if both coils are wound the opposite direction AND have the opposite magnetic polarity."

You are right that the capacitor is not necessary, but you could mention that it is the ominously "treble bleed", that useful but simple high pass filter Ibanez is repeatedly marketing as the greatest invention since man harnessed electricity.

Finally the VLX91. I prefer this switch and not because you can use it for almost any wiring you can think of (I almost never use anything else than the standard RG/Jem wiring). I just like the feeling when switching and to me it seems to be of better build quality. It has more lugs and therefore maybe harder to work on, but once you understand the layout, it is even easier to remember than the other ones. When in Position 1, the 1's are connected to the P's and this on all four rows.

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#15 ·
Thank you for posting this information! I just had to replace the switch on my Ibanez RG421 H/H setup and this really helped

1 thing I have come across with Ibanez's weird wiring colors though, is that my split coil position seems to be using the outermost coils instead of the innermost (see pic below). Everything else seems to work correctly

The bridge INF4 pickup has blue going to ground and red as hot, and the neck INF3 pickup has red going to ground and blue as hot.

If I've understood everything correctly, swapping these on each pickup should fix the issue?
(The white and black on the bridge INF4 are connected together, so should be able to simply swap blue/red)
(The white and black on the neck INF3 are on separate switch poles, so would have to swap these too I believe)

Thanks in advance
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#16 ·
Just a heads up for you guys:

Dimarzio has a hreat diagram for the HH 5 way switching with neck parallel and inner coils.

They use an oak grigsby switch to accomplish it. It can easily be ported over to the vlx91, but why?

Those things are stupid as all get out!! Why have all 6 tabs flat on the circuit board? One drop of solder, and the pads can be "fused" together. The O/G has floating tabs that are much easier to solder jumpers on.

Though ive never felt a vlx91's action, i can say that the O/G feels super solid compared to the stock ibby switches.
 
#19 ·
I think THIS is what I need, but being a completely inept electrician (who can barely solder), here's my dilema:

Got a problem with wiring in new humbuckers on an S670. It comes with Quantum pickups and an a 3SWLSP5 switch on it. I'm trying to install a Seymour Duncan knockoffs into it, and the wiring system is different than the Ibanez but the same as SD's (4 wires as opposed to 3 wire Ibanez).

As per the instructions, their black wire is hot, the green/bare wire is ground, and the red/white is for "accessory". Through a few things I've read, it would appear that the black wire goes where the white Ibanez wire went, the green/bare goes where the black Ibanez wire went, and red/white wire should go where the Ibanez wire went into the "bridge tap" slot is.

When I hook it up this way, the #2 position sounds like it's maybe getting one coil off the bridge pickup in the #2 position, and isn't even hooking up with the middle pickup. Same goes for the #4 position. They could be just way out of phase with the standard Ibanez single coil pup in the middle.

I've tried a couple of different variations, but not having any luck.

I just need to know where to hook the wires up! Should I be sending the grounds to the pots? I've got a feeling it all lies within the red/white wires that I'm hooking to the "coil tap" terminals.

I have searched 69.1% of the internet for an answer to this, and I'm afraid I'll die from old age before I get a definitive answer, so here's my cry for help! And yes - I've sent this to Ibanez - with no response (so far, anyways)...

Thanks for any help!
 
#23 ·
Well - maybe not out of the woods yet on my problem. After I hooked up the wires in reverse polarity (green & white ground on the hot terminal and black on the ground) on the bridge humbucker, I'm having a bit of a ground buzz. Very noticeable if I touch the metal pickguard ring on the bridge pickup. I left the hookups the same on the neck pickup, as I'd read that the Ibanez middle pickup was reversed with the bridge.

Sorry to be a bother, but just need to get this thing going...
 
#29 ·
Screws into the body that (is supposed to...) has a conductive lining under the pickguard. Ibanez uses a black carbon paint. Should be one spot under the middle pickup and one spot under the controls section. Sometimes goes to a bridge ground; either way youll see some unoccupied holes.

Edit : if the body doesnt have said conductive lining/paint/foil then those dont do a whole lot.