Solo Switch

[Matt]

Thinkin about putting a solo switch on my strat. (Bypass the tone controls) I know this is based on opinion, but i was wondering if this would be at all practical on a SSS strat...


Correct me if im wrong... but if i decide to do this, all i would have to do is take the signals going to the tone knobs and put them on the center terminals of a DPDT, then have the bottom half go to ground and each top go to the corresponding tone control.

[ChrisK]

This all depends on what

Bypass the tone controls

means.

Since the tone control(s) are connected in parallel to the selected pickup(s), they are in effect bypassing the pickups (they are high pass filters to ground which effect a high frequency cut).

In this case, "bypassing" the tone controls would mean disconnecting them.

...all I would have to do is take the signals going to the tone knobs and put them on the center terminals of a DPDT, then have the bottom half [terminals] go to ground and each top [terminal] go to the corresponding tone control..

I don't know what this means. This would seem to indicate that when the tone controls are to be in-circuit, they are, but when they are to be removed (ie bypassed) they would be, but the "signals going to the tone knobs" would then be shorted to ground, effectively creating a very quiet soloing (as in no) output.

What I think that is desired is a means to remove the effect of both tone controls when in the "solo" position. This is easy and only requires a SPST switch. Since most switches are DPDT, the other pole could be used to disconnect the effect of the volume pot as well, creating a no tone cut, no volume cut output.

Do you indeed intend to remove the effect of the tone controls as the "solo" position?

Would you also like the switch to disconnect the effect of the volume pot as well?

[Matt]

Sept 24, 2008 15:29:23 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

Do you indeed intend to remove the effect of the tone controls as the "solo" position?

Would you also like the switch to disconnect the effect of the volume pot as well?

Yes and No. I want to remove the effect of the tone controls, a no-load setting, but keep the volume working normally.

Also, I've never actually heard an unloaded strat... so before I go drilling a hole into my pickguard, do you think that this would be usefull or would it be way too brite?

[ChrisK]

Yes and No. I want to remove the effect of the tone controls, a no-load setting, but keep the volume working normally.

This is simple.

Also, I've never actually heard an unloaded strat...

Go listen to an American Strat with a Delta Tone control. This "unloads" when at "10". It's a bit, but generally not a lot brighter.

so before I go drilling a hole into my pickguard,

This is why we invented push pull pots.........

[Matt]

Sept 24, 2008 15:59:14 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

Go listen to an American Strat with a Delta Tone control. This "unloads" when at "10". It's a bit, but generally not a lot brighter.

Will do

This is why we invented push pull pots.........

Well, as of right now I've got a push pull volume for a "bridge on" and I plan on using your s-none switch for the neck tone, and my last tone is a modded TBX... plus I think a mini switch might be a little easier to switch during a solo situation.

[ChrisK]

So, if you use a DPDT mini-toggle switch, do you know how to do this?

[Matt]

Sept 24, 2008 16:17:02 GMT -5 ChrisK said:

So, if you use a DPDT mini-toggle switch, do you know how to do this?

I think so. basically do what i said before but don't connect the bottom half of the DPDT to ground. Sorry for my lack of vocabulary...

[ChrisK]

You got it.

In both of my diagrams in series/parallel wiring help, there are two wires going from the 5-way switch to the individual tone pots. As you indicated, just interrupt (open circuit) these two signals to remove the tone controls from affecting things.


It's not a lack of vocabulary, I usually try to ensure that we'all exactly agree as to what things mean before the GeThunkin' starts....


You know, agree twice, cut once......

[Matt]

Well I got my wiring diagram all done for everything i want. If you could take a look to see if everything checks out, I would really appreciate it ;D

So what i expect to get out of this is the following:

1) the standard 5-way strat swithing
2) parallel/series switch on volume push/pull (S-none switch )
3) a "bridge on" push/pull on the the neck tone pot
4) a "unload switch" bypassing the two tone controls

[ChrisK]

The Neck tone DPDT push pull pot looks correct. The bridge pickup will be added in parallel at the output with whatever else is selected. The only new combinations that will occur (beyond the S-None set) are (B + N) * M and (B + N + CAP) * M.


The switch on the push pull volume pot looks to be reversed. The pickups will be in series when the knob is down and in parallel when the knob is up.

The middle pickup/parallel cap connection to the 5-way switch is missing. You need to indicate the correct connection once you confirm whether you want series to be in the knob up or knob down position.

For series in knob down, my drawing in the series/parallel post correctly shows this wiring. Note that the "U" and "D" on the switch terminals represent the internal connectivity of the middle terminals of the pp pot switch as a function of knob position relative to the top surface of the pickguard (the operator side!).

[Matt]

Thanks for the corrections Chris. I updated my diagram.

I think everything is how i want it now, parrallel with the volume DPDT down.

Oh, another question. What kind of cap should i use on the parallel/series wiring? The higher the value the more highs lost, correct?

[wolf]

Well, I guess I might as well refer to my website again.
If you go to this page:
www.1728.com/guitar4.htm
and scroll down to the middle section, you'll see just what you want. This bypasses the volume as well as the tone controls. So, you could be playing at a mid-volume position and maybe the tone backed off somewhat and if you flick the solo switch, you immediately get full output with no loading from the volume or tone pots.

[ChrisK]

Thanks for the corrections Chris. I updated my diagram.

Looks good.

Oh, another question. What kind of cap should i use on the parallel/series wiring?

Start with 0.01uF to 0.022 uF and experiment.

The higher the value the more highs lost, correct?

This isn't a high cut to ground tone control. It is a bypass across the bridge or neck (or both) pickups. It will attenuate the high frequencies from the shunted pickup while providing a lower impedance path for the high frequencies from the middle pickup.

To hear what this sounds like, go play an American Deluxe SSS Strat with the S-1 switch (now you know where S-None came from y'all). With the S-1 switch down/in (the series positions), compare the bridge position (B*M) with the bridge/middle position ((B + CAP) * M), and the neck position (N*M) with the neck/middle position ((N + CAP) * M).

The positions with the cap across the bridge or neck pickup actually sound somewhat brighter than the series positions without the cap. They are a nice alternative.