Understanding 92 Les Paul Classic M3 wiring

[Steavis]

I recently acquired a 92 les paul classic m3. I had never seen or heard of this type of Les Paul before. Is there anyone here who can tell me exactly what the switches do? Is there a wiring diagram for these guitars?

There is little info on these guitars and I read some conflicting information on it.

I understand in one position the blade switch switches between the pickups like a regular strat would. But then with the toggle switch in the other position I have no idea what is happening electronically and I’d like to know. I am not sure yet if it is a coil split or what else it does. Also I see a coil on the volume pot. What does that do? 

 

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Edited March 4, 2022 by Steavis

[merciful-evans]

In found this 

Here's an interesting piece of Gibson solid body history, made only in 1991/2 a Les Paul with a five way blade switch. I'm not sure whether this was an attempt to lure the Fender fanatics or just an experiment to see if a blade switch was an improvement or not. However it was not at all popular and was quickly discontinued. From a personal point of view, I love it. I can't understand why it was not better received, I think it is a great alternative with the single coil pickup and humbckers with coil taps add some great alternatives to a standard Les Paul. As for the finish it is sunburst finish on bound maple top, cherry finish on mahogany body and neck, bound rosewood fretboard, trapezoid inlays, 22 frets, Mark III electronics include hum/single/hum pickup configuration, 5 way blade switch, coil tap switch, volume and tone, stop bar tailpiece, ABR-1 tune-o-matic bridge, headstock overlay features model decal and logo inlay, vintage style tuners, gold hardware, very cool, 1-11/16" nut, 24-3/4" scale, with OHSC, (SN:2 6956)

here is the link http://www.guitarhaven.co.uk/gibson guitars html/les_paul_m3.html

also this

Quote

 

Gibson's designers have put as much thought into the electronics as they have into the cosmetics. For starters, there's no need to run this guitar flat out in order to get a full sound.

 

The M-III's nine tone settings stay the same at any volume level. And they're musically useful tones, too, with plenty of high-end snap on the treble settings and rich, mud-free lows for rhythm work.

 

The pickups are recent Gibson models--a bright 496R ceramic magnet humbucker in the rhythm position that's mated with a high-output Model 500T humbucker at the bridge. Also, there's an extra NSX single-coil in the middle position, giving the player a wide range of humbucking and single-coil options.

 

Of special note is the efficient switching system: flipping a mini-toggle into Position One cuts in the single-coil sounds, while Position Two is for the double-coils. There's also a standard five-position switch for selecting the normal combinations, plus a few extras like an enhanced neck pickup tone that adds a hollow-body character to the sound and a stand-by mode for manual special effects, between song muting, etc...

 

There are no single-coil-plus-humbucking combinations in the stock factory wiring scheme. But there's nothing stopping the intrepid, soldering iron-wielding wirehead from making a few mods, is there?

 

here is the link https://www.harmonycentral.com/forums/topic/934454-gibson-m3miii-info/