Update! Kai finished converting his Strat using these instructions. Here's what he has to say about it. . .

I had an email request from "Kai in Colorado" who asked if I knew how the Lone Star Strat was wired and what special switches might be needed and so on. I've never handled a Lone Star Strat, but offered to at least think about it. Here is how Kai described the switch function to me:

• Positions 1-3 are "normal" (neck, neck/middle, middle).
• Position 4 is the middle plus one coil of the bridge humbucker (humbucker as single coil).
• Position 5 is the full humbucker.

NOTE – 07/16/2000 – Another individual has recently informed me that position 3 is actually the neck pickup and one coil of the bridge pickup, not the normal middle pickup alone.  In that case a switch with additional poles would be required.

NOTE – 7/26/2000 – Dennis, who owns a 1999 LoneStar Strat, reports that the switching (and modification) are correct as originally described.

My first impression was that a special switch with more than two poles would be needed. However, after doodling for a few minutes I realized that this functionality could be squeezed out of the standard two-pole switch by placing individual capacitors in the tone controls -- thus avoiding the coupling that normally takes place if you tie the tone controls directly to the pickups. This frees up the second pole of the switch for shorting one coil of the humbucker in position four.

Keep the following important notes in mind if you decide to perform this modification:

• You must use two tone capacitors. If you try to get by with the standard tone control you will end up coupling the pickups.
• You can move the mid tone control to the bridge (see the modification "moving one tone control to the bridge"). If you do, I would strongly recommend using a capacitor of about half the "normal" value on the bridge tone control.
• A real two-pole switch is required! Some Strats have a cheap little switch which has a single common terminal for both "poles" of the switch. That will not work in this circuit.
• Fender advertising claims that the Pearly Gates pickup used in the Lone Star is custom wound for them by Seymour Duncan. I figured this wasn't just advertising hype because I have a Pearly Gates in the bridge of one of my Strats, with a rotary switch so I can pick any configuration of it, and am a bit unimpressed with the PG when "split" as a single coil. So, I called Seymour Duncan (they have the best customer support operation I've ever seen, and the nicest catalog in the industry, BTW).
  • The Lone Star Pearly Gates Plus is, indeed, custom wound. It has different magnets and more windings than the standard Pearly Gates (I guess Fender just called it a PG+ for the name recognition).
  • The Lone Star Pearly Gates Plus is only available on the Lone Star Strat, Seymour Duncan can't sell you one and Fender won't (why am I not surprised). Update, just recently heard from someone (don't recall who) that Fender is now selling the PG+.
  • I asked the Seymour Duncan representative (sorry, I didn't think to get his name) what he would recommend in that wiring configuration for similar tone and he said the George Lynch (Screamin' Demon) would be a little hotter and the "59" (I'm pretty sure he meant the real "59," not the "Little 59" ) would be a little less hot. I've been in touch with Kai and he received information from Seymour Duncan that it would be "very difficult" to hear any difference between the '59 and the Pearly Gates Plus. I'm guessing but I think that the Duncan Custom (not the "Custom Custom") or the Duncan Distortion might work real well, too. All of these are four-wire humbuckers and are all available with "trembucker" pole spacing for Strats. The Pearly Gates is not shown as being available in "trembucker" spacing in the catalog I have -- but that catalog is almost a year old and it says that they're "making that spacing available in more models all the time" -- so it can't hurt to ask. (For those of you who love the sound of the "real" PG and are willing to live with a wimpy "four" position.) Update, I recently tried a JB Jr. and was quite impressed, I think one would work well in this application.
• Finally, if you already have a four wire HB you think would sound good in this configuration, especially a moderately "hot" one, use it! Any four-wire humbucker will work.

Note that I have not tried this modification myself. I drew this up in response to a request. It's straight-forward switching and should work fine -- but I can't personally vouch for how good it sounds or how useful it is. I'm considering doing this to my Tex-Mex Strat -- and if I do I'll update this page with information on which HB I used, how it sounds, etc. Also, if anyone else builds this, I would very much appreciate your contacting me with comments -- including specifics on what pickups you used and so on.

"Lone Star" Style Wiring
"Real" two-pole switch is required. The split tone controls (separate capacitors) must be used to avoid coupling the pickups. A four-wire humbucker is required in the bridge. See note below regarding phasing. Suggested capacitor values are .02uf with 250k pots, .033uf with 500k pots. Use approximately half that value on the bridge tone control (if you move the mid control to the bridge). You can also experiment with capacitors to suit your taste.

"Non-Artist's Rendering" of "Lone Star" Style Wiring
Blue wire is "wire A" on schematic. Red and white wires from humbucker cable are "wire B" on schematic. Color codes for humbucker cable are those used by Seymour Duncan (black = A+, white = A-, Red = B+, Green = B-). Ensure that the shield on the HB cable is not grounded to either shield ground or the "-" signal of the pickup at the pickup end (if it is, do not attach this end of the shield to ground).

Phase and polarity:
I understand that Strat-type guitars with north-south-north and south-north-south pickup polarity have been delivered. How you wire the humbucker will depend on which you have and requires trial and error. After performing the modification make these checks in order.

• If the "four" position sounds weak and thin: Reverse the "+" and "-" connections (move the green wire to where the black was and vice versa in the picture above) from the humbucker to bring the humbucker in phase with the existing pickups.
• If the "four" position is noisy (hum): Move the end of "Wire A" (blue wire in picture above) from the "+" side of the pickup (on the bridge lug of the switch) to the "-" side of the pickup (signal return ring terminal, the part marked "insulate" on the picture above). What that does is select the other coil of the humbucker for position four.