Post by 4real on Oct 13, 2007 4:50:58 GMT -5
Me again...another incarnation of the sustainer, hopefully destined for some small scale commercial success is still in the works...
A lot of side projects have emerged from my work on this, and here's one that may well be of interest...a 4PDT Push-Pull Pot!
Here's the genesis...
The switching of the sustainer can get quite complicated...on the original prototype guitar, this was achieved with a 4PDT toggle switch. GN2 provided a scheme recently where I could use a super-switch (also a 4PDT) to achieve the necessary bypass and power switching for it...the sustainer would come on in one of the selector positions.
Now...I was bidding on eBay for S-1 fender switches (these are 4PDT), and for this guitar, I was actually trying to get a tele style with chrome knobs. The prices these things are going for are astronomical! Fender wont sell them as a separate part, and even if you are successful on a $50 part, you then have to bid on the knobs...possibly another $30....amazing, but there does seem to be quite a demand.
So...what to do. Obviously this kind of thing would be useful for a stock appearance and also opens up a vast array of possibilities for alternate pickup selections, as fender now offers. Not to mention, the application to the sustainer.
SO...I found a cheap supplier of push-pull pots from Hong Kong and bought a few. After taking one apart I was looking to see how one might be able to gang two of the switches together on a single pot, and it does seem to be possible...will be very soon making a couple...will let you know how that goes.
With this guitar then, I intend to have a stock strat, tele style knob layout with all three pot's push pull.
The first will be volume with a pull up operating the sustainer and doing all the bypassing of the selector, etc.
The second will be the drive control for the sustainer...pulling up will activate the harmonic function. A DPDT switch will do this job, but the pot will need to be 1k and so will need to be modified from another pot...exchanging the carbon strip if I can find a pot that matches.
The third will be a master tone, pulling up I intend to allow another whole range of tones from the selector...similar to the S-1 style of things.
The selector is a super-switch, so there are even more possibilities there!
The guitar is a humbucker bridge with two single coils. The SC's have been replaced with Fender Noiseless Jeff Beck models (so are humcanceling) and the HB is being replaced with a Seymour Duncan USA Jeff Beck model zebra...you see the theme.
A lot of hardware is being changed...locking tuners, roller trees, tremsetter... Plus there are some novel features including the intention to route a battery cavity in behind the trem block...removal of the battery can be done by pushing the trem all the way up (so the block moves forward) and slipping the battery out of a slot...well, that's the idea.
So...the question is, of all the circuits and pickup combinations, what would be the better ones for this type of guitar. Remember, the single coils are noiseless and the bridge pickup humbucking unless split...the pickups are relatively hot too.
There is a possibility of adding a small preamp on board and even a DIY piezo to be selected on the alternate pickup selection with the tone pot up at some future stage.
Anyway...is there a need for a 4PDT push-pull pot? Basically all they are are DPDT slider switches with a spring activated by an extended pot shaft. Having the pot shaft move two such switches looks quite doable...
thoughts?
pete
Check this one out that I was bidding on recently...
cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220157518347&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012
A$110 for a tele pots and 3 way selector with knobs...and this is not unusual...I think I may be onto something with a 4pdt push pull...
Have been working on this tonight and can do a fairly compact 4PDT...may even be able to do a 6PDT push/pull...no added depth to the assembly....but that would be a little tricky...don't know why you'd want one either.
Perhaps I should check out the S-1 selections from the fender site for a HB strat for ideas.
Also...have been dismantling the things and looks like I may be able to successfully change the carbon strip for different values (I need a 1k...the samples I have are 500k audio). Also, the ones I have got are actually adapted double gang shells, and although one wiper may have been removed, it may be possible to assemble it back into a dual gang push pull 2-4PDT switch pot!
If this is the cost of getting your hands on the slick S-1...then I think a push-pull is well worth considering...plus you can use the standard knobs...perhaps I will make a few and eBay them myself as faux S-1's...
A lot of side projects have emerged from my work on this, and here's one that may well be of interest...a 4PDT Push-Pull Pot!
Here's the genesis...
The switching of the sustainer can get quite complicated...on the original prototype guitar, this was achieved with a 4PDT toggle switch. GN2 provided a scheme recently where I could use a super-switch (also a 4PDT) to achieve the necessary bypass and power switching for it...the sustainer would come on in one of the selector positions.
Now...I was bidding on eBay for S-1 fender switches (these are 4PDT), and for this guitar, I was actually trying to get a tele style with chrome knobs. The prices these things are going for are astronomical! Fender wont sell them as a separate part, and even if you are successful on a $50 part, you then have to bid on the knobs...possibly another $30....amazing, but there does seem to be quite a demand.
So...what to do. Obviously this kind of thing would be useful for a stock appearance and also opens up a vast array of possibilities for alternate pickup selections, as fender now offers. Not to mention, the application to the sustainer.
SO...I found a cheap supplier of push-pull pots from Hong Kong and bought a few. After taking one apart I was looking to see how one might be able to gang two of the switches together on a single pot, and it does seem to be possible...will be very soon making a couple...will let you know how that goes.
With this guitar then, I intend to have a stock strat, tele style knob layout with all three pot's push pull.
The first will be volume with a pull up operating the sustainer and doing all the bypassing of the selector, etc.
The second will be the drive control for the sustainer...pulling up will activate the harmonic function. A DPDT switch will do this job, but the pot will need to be 1k and so will need to be modified from another pot...exchanging the carbon strip if I can find a pot that matches.
The third will be a master tone, pulling up I intend to allow another whole range of tones from the selector...similar to the S-1 style of things.
The selector is a super-switch, so there are even more possibilities there!
The guitar is a humbucker bridge with two single coils. The SC's have been replaced with Fender Noiseless Jeff Beck models (so are humcanceling) and the HB is being replaced with a Seymour Duncan USA Jeff Beck model zebra...you see the theme.
A lot of hardware is being changed...locking tuners, roller trees, tremsetter... Plus there are some novel features including the intention to route a battery cavity in behind the trem block...removal of the battery can be done by pushing the trem all the way up (so the block moves forward) and slipping the battery out of a slot...well, that's the idea.
So...the question is, of all the circuits and pickup combinations, what would be the better ones for this type of guitar. Remember, the single coils are noiseless and the bridge pickup humbucking unless split...the pickups are relatively hot too.
There is a possibility of adding a small preamp on board and even a DIY piezo to be selected on the alternate pickup selection with the tone pot up at some future stage.
Anyway...is there a need for a 4PDT push-pull pot? Basically all they are are DPDT slider switches with a spring activated by an extended pot shaft. Having the pot shaft move two such switches looks quite doable...
thoughts?
pete
Check this one out that I was bidding on recently...
cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220157518347&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=012
A$110 for a tele pots and 3 way selector with knobs...and this is not unusual...I think I may be onto something with a 4pdt push pull...
Have been working on this tonight and can do a fairly compact 4PDT...may even be able to do a 6PDT push/pull...no added depth to the assembly....but that would be a little tricky...don't know why you'd want one either.
Perhaps I should check out the S-1 selections from the fender site for a HB strat for ideas.
Also...have been dismantling the things and looks like I may be able to successfully change the carbon strip for different values (I need a 1k...the samples I have are 500k audio). Also, the ones I have got are actually adapted double gang shells, and although one wiper may have been removed, it may be possible to assemble it back into a dual gang push pull 2-4PDT switch pot!
If this is the cost of getting your hands on the slick S-1...then I think a push-pull is well worth considering...plus you can use the standard knobs...perhaps I will make a few and eBay them myself as faux S-1's...