Professional hand-wired harness for rear-routed Strat-style guitars using either
an HSS or HH pickup configuration.

Designed specifically for guitars where the controls mount through the wooden top of the body rather than through a pickguard, this harness uses CTS 500K long-shaft pots (28 mm) for proper mounting through thicker tops.

Available in:

• HSS — Humbucker / Single / Single
• HH — Humbucker / Humbucker

Choose the switching configuration that best suits your guitar:

• HSS: CRL USA 5-Way
• HH: CRL USA 3-Way
• Other switching arrangements may be available by request.

Treble Bleed option also available.

Control Layout

Standard configuration:

• 1 × Master Volume
• 2 × Tone Controls

For an HH setup, this provides a traditional and very practical layout:

• Master Volume
• Neck Tone
• Bridge Tone
• 3-Way Pickup Selector

For HSS, the tone controls are wired appropriately for the selected pickup configuration.

Premium Components

Each harness is built using carefully selected professional-grade components:

• 3 × CTS 500K Long-Shaft Pots — 28 mm
• CRL USA 5-Way Switch for HSS
• CRL USA 3-Way Switch for HH
• 2 × Vitamin Q Paper-in-Oil Capacitors
• Pure Tone Multi-Contact ¼" Output Jack
• USA Vintage Cloth Push-Back Wire
• Professionally soldered and bench tested
• Wiring diagram and installation notes included

HSS Configuration — Balanced Humbucker & Single-Coil Loading

One of the challenges with an HSS Strat is that humbuckers generally perform best with 500K pots, while traditional Strat single coils are normally paired with 250K pots.

Our HSS version solves this by using a 500K loading resistor on the appropriate single-coil selections.

This allows:

• Bridge Humbucker — full 500K load for clarity, output and definition
• Single-Coil selections — approximately 250K effective load for a smoother, more traditional Strat response

The result is a much better balance between the humbucker and single coils without sacrificing the character of either pickup type.

HH Configuration — Full 500K Signal Path

The HH version is designed specifically for two humbuckers and does not require the HSS loading resistor arrangement.

Both humbuckers operate through the full CTS 500K control circuit, providing excellent clarity, dynamics and upper-frequency response.

Standard HH switching:

Position 1 — Bridge Humbucker

Position 2 — Bridge + Neck Humbuckers

Position 3 — Neck Humbucker

Standard controls:

Master Volume / Neck Tone / Bridge Tone

No coil splitting is required unless specifically requested.

Vitamin Q Capacitor Options

Choose the capacitor value that best suits your pickups and playing style.

0.022 µF — Recommended for HH

A classic choice for humbuckers.

Provides a smooth, musical tone roll-off while retaining good definition and clarity.

0.047 µF — Traditional Strat-Style Option

Provides a deeper and warmer tone roll-off and works particularly well with traditional single coils.

For most HH installations, we recommend 0.022 µF.

For HSS, capacitor values can be selected according to your pickup combination and desired response.

Rear-Routed / Long-Shaft Design

Standard Stratocasters normally use short-shaft pots because the controls mount through a thin pickguard.

Rear-routed guitars are different.

Because the controls mount directly through the wooden body top, additional threaded shaft length is often required.

This harness uses:

CTS 500K Long-Shaft Pots — approximately 28 mm overall shaft length

This makes the harness ideal for many:

• Warmoth rear-routed Strat bodies
• Custom Strat-style bodies
• No-pickguard builds
• Carved or thicker-top S-style guitars
• Custom HH and HSS builds

Fit & Compatibility

Designed for:

• Rear-routed Strat-style guitars
• HSS or HH pickup configurations
• Passive pickups
• Approximately 3/8" / 9.5 mm pot mounting holes
• Bodies requiring long-shaft potentiometers

Please verify your guitar's:

• Top thickness
• Control cavity depth
• Pot-hole diameter
• Switch mounting arrangement

before ordering.

Some import or custom bodies may require the pot holes to be carefully opened to approximately 3/8" for CTS pots.

Not intended for:

• Standard pickguard-mounted Stratocasters requiring short-shaft pots
• Active EMG-style pickup systems
• Guitars with unusually shallow control cavities without prior measurement

Installation

The harness is supplied with generous pickup and grounding leads for typical rear-routed installations.

Connections are clearly identified for:

• Neck pickup
• Middle pickup where applicable
• Bridge pickup
• Ground
• Output jack

A wiring diagram and installation notes are included.

Pickups, knobs and rear cavity cover are not included.

Optional Treble Bleed

A treble bleed circuit can be added to the Master Volume control upon request.

This helps retain high-frequency clarity as the guitar's volume is reduced and is especially useful for players who frequently control their clean/drive level from the guitar's volume knob.

Built the Carparelli Way

Every Carparelli harness is professionally hand-wired with an emphasis on:

• Clean, serviceable construction
• Quality solder joints
• Proper grounding
• Reliable mechanical connections
• Premium components
• Consistent performance

Each harness is bench-tested before leaving our shop.

Condition: New
Configuration: HSS or HH
Controls: Master Volume / Tone 1 / Tone 2
Potentiometers: CTS 500K Long-Shaft
Origin: Hand-Wired in Canada

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