allmektig
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Post by allmektig on Jan 13, 2010 21:21:33 GMT -5
 DPDT on/on switch used for series/paralell switching SPDT on/on Switch used as a kill switch Volume control. No tone. Anything I've done horribly wrong? There's one error in the picture though: The pickups are supposed to be outside the shielding, but I can't be bothered to fix it. |
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Post by newey on Jan 13, 2010 22:01:41 GMT -5
The diagram looks good, allmektig. You've done the kill switch correctly, shunting the jack rather than the pickups, which is less likely to pick up noise.
Although I've never seen a kill switch on a bass, that's usually more of a lead guitarist's thing. But I suppose if you're doing lead-like riffs on your bass, like Flea, it could be interesting.
I take it that you are limiting the shielding to the cavity, and not attempting to shield in the pickup routs. That's OK, I imagine it would be tricky to do on a J bass and might affect the tone, given the way the J bass pickups are mounted.
I'm assuming there will be a bridge ground in the final implementation? And that the cavity shielding will make contact with the metal control plate?
+1 to you, simply because we don't get many bass mods around here!
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allmektig
Meter Reader 1st Class
Non Serviam!
Posts: 88
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Post by allmektig on Jan 13, 2010 22:59:40 GMT -5
Yes, there will be a final bridge ground, and the cavity shielding will touch the metal control plate. And I use the kill switch together with hammer ons, a delay pedal and my digitech whammy 4 for interesting results. I was thinking about shielding the pickup routs as well, but then my new pickup covers fouldn't fit. I'm still thinking about some way to do it though. Perhaps doing a partial shielding. Would it be possible to shield the inside of the pickup cover? I'm also having problems soldering the grounds to the volume pot. It just won't stick. I guess I just need to practice more. The only thing needed to change the volume control to a tone control woul be adding a capacitor, right? I only play it at full volume anyways.  I was thinking about adding some more options, like being able to use the pickups solo, but I don't want to drill any more holes in the control plate. I guess I'll get some push-pull pots, and add some more possibilities to the stock wiring. Tomorrow I'll do a prettier version of it, fix the minor errors, and post it in the schematics subforum. |
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Post by newey on Jan 13, 2010 23:39:15 GMT -5
If you want series/parallel plus individual coil selection, this can be done with just 2 push/pull pots, using "binary tree" switching. That's what I did in my P bass build, using a Strat SC pickup (mounted under the pickguard in the neck position, so as to keep a stock P Bass look.) Both Push/pull pots up give series, both knobs down is parallel, V up, tone down gives one individual pickup, and V down, T up gives the other pickup. It's a neat arrangement if you want to keep a stock look. It's wired like this:  Here's a link to the post where the wiring was worked out (thanks to cynical1!): P Bass plus Strat single coilAnd here's the finished project:  Of course, if you've already drilled the hole for the toggle switch, you'd have to find something else to do with another switch, perhaps use it for phasing between the 2 pickups? Unless you're using the hole for the tone pot for the series/parallel switch? Right. |
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Post by ashcatlt on Jan 14, 2010 0:14:07 GMT -5
I'm also having problems soldering the grounds to the volume pot. It just won't stick. I guess I just need to practice more. There have been discussions around here about the best way to do this. One fairly recent, if I recall, but... These wires need to come together somewhere, doesn't have to actually be on the back of the pot. You could just as (actually more) easily gather them at the "grounded" lug of the volume control, or at the kill switch, or at the jack itself. To ground the pot case (this is done for shielding purposes only) you can solder a wire to a nut washer which fits around the threads. Of course, if it's a metal control cover to which the jack is also attached, it's already done. A tone control is wired as a variable resistor, while the volume control is wired as a potentiometer (a voltage divider) Yes, you need a cap, but you also need to rewire the whole thing to make it work. If you want to permanently turn down the volume to half way, you could use two resistors wired as a voltage divider. Set the volume pot where you like it, then remove it from the circuit without rotating the shaft. Measure from the wiper to each lug, noting each value. Round these to the closest standard resistor value and wire it in just like the pot. |
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