The quarter blend Strat mod is quite possible the coolest Strat wiring mod going.
The Strat blend control setup is a genuine favourite for Strat players due to the master tone control and the blend control adding the ability to blend in the neck pickup - resulting in the neck and bridge pickups being on together, or all three pickups together.
The neck and bridge combination is well loved and sounds great! However, the option of all three pickups together, which seems appealing at first, is very underwhelming. So much so, that some players avoid it.
The below setup overcomes this - the blend control works in the bridge position only and is disconnected from the pickups in the other switch positions.
This is a slick trick using a 2 pole 5 way switch. So why bother - why only have the blend control available in bridge position only?
Lots of Strat players enjoy position 4 the most on a Strat. This is the in-between switch position, i.e.. middle and bridge pickups together.
With a blend control working in all positions, you lose the classic position 4 if the blend control is already in use (for example, if you are in position 5 with the neck pickup blended in, then decide to move into position 4, you then have to dial the neck pickup back out again).
The advantage of the quarter blend mod is the ability to quickly change positions from 5 to 4 without faffing around with the blend knob. If you do not like having all three pickups on together, then this is a great get around.
Obviously, if you do like all three pickups, stick to the standard blend wiring.
More Superswitch Diagrams
