ginganinja
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Post by ginganinja on Aug 11, 2015 13:27:18 GMT -5
Hi guys, I've got a Epiphone Les Paul Standard which has no mods at the moment. What I want to have is: 1 master volume 1 master tone 3 way switch and a blend knob which only affects the sound when the switch is in the middle position so it blends the two pickups. What needs to be done to achive this? Does it work with the standard switch and pick ups? I couldn't find any diagramms for this so hopefully someone can help me
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Post by newey on Aug 11, 2015 14:48:05 GMT -5
ginga- Hello and Welcome to G-Nutz2!Mmm, I'm not sure exactly how this could work, but we'll put our heads together. Pickups won't be an issue, but the std Gibson-style 3-way switch many be an issue, you may need a fancier type of switch to be able to have the blender operate only in the center position. Second, we probably need to specify what type of "blender" you mean. There are blend pots with a center detent, turning the knob one way turns the balance to one pickup, turning the opposite way goes to the other pickup. Alternatively, you can have a blend pot that blends the neck pickup into the bridge pup, or vice versa- which is basically like a separate volume control, using a regular pot. If it's the first type that you envision, you should read this thread from our reference section: guitarnuts2.proboards.com/thread/6761/blend-pan-pots
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ginganinja
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Post by ginganinja on Aug 11, 2015 16:10:09 GMT -5
Thanks for your reply I meant the first type of blender that you mentioned, sorry I should have specified that. I'll definitly check that thread out What kind of switch do you think might work for this? Or would it be possible to use a mini switch or push/pull poti or something like that?
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Post by newey on Aug 11, 2015 19:04:48 GMT -5
I'm thinking a DPDT switch might be needed, like on a P/P pot (or mini-toggle), but again, I haven't worked out a plan, so I could be all wet on that.
The easiest way to do this is to just eliminate the 3-way switch altogether, and just use the blend pot like on a Jazz Bass- full CW is one pickup, full CCW is the other, and they blend in between. But you will want to get one of the Fender true blend pots- as per the thread I linked- the key part of that thread (or at least one key part) is where ChrisK notes that, with a true blend pot, "only at the extremes of rotation is any one pickup fully off". With a pan pot, it's only at the extreme is any one pickup fully on- not at all what you want
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ginganinja
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Post by ginganinja on Aug 12, 2015 4:51:25 GMT -5
Okay thanks a lot I guess I'll just replace the toggle switch with a true blend knob for now and keep looking/thinking how I can combine it with a switch
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Post by JohnH on Aug 12, 2015 15:23:29 GMT -5
If you wanted to try some blended sounds, but with a different and very simple arrangement keeping the current toggle:
1. With your two current volume pots, move one to be a master volume. 2. Wire the other using just two of its lugs, between the bridge and neck hot wires. Then, as you reduce the resistance of this pot with B selected, N will gradually blend in. If N is selected B will blend with it. The centre toggle position will still be fully mixed. With this knob at 0, all three switch positions are fully mixed. the two lugs that you use on the blend pot are the same as for a tone pot. 3. This arrangement is slightly better if you convert the blending pot to be no-load (to fully decouple the two individual pickups), but will work fine at least for a test without this. A variation is possible to blend as above in say, the neck position, but not the bridge position
Even if that is not a long term solution, it would give you all the same tones as the specific guitar blend pot. Also, it lets you keep the standard toggle, which is a very positive and robust control which can be easier to use than the fancier switches needed for the full switched/blended scheme.
On that, if you want exactly what you first described, with a dual-gang blend pot, I could see how to do it either with a 4-pole 3-position on-on-on mini-toggle, or a 4-pole 3-position rotary switch. But both of these mount into a smaller hole than a standard LP toggle, and are not so easy to use on the fly for quick changes.
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