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Post by ssstonelover on Jul 11, 2024 23:39:12 GMT -5
In the thread BrianMay+5WayCTL w S-1 series bass cut, JohnH helped get me over a wiring hiccup that had baffled me (but now seems obvious) and then goaded me to do the actual build -- moving this from theory to practice. His final suggestion was to use the bass cut on just the series connections, and this I have incorporated too. The other excellent suggestion of using a Fender S-1 switch suggested by sumgai I did not use as I had the 4PDT and the routers to hog out more material, but would work great for anyone else taking the plunge but not owning routers. In a related post anti-mud pup mod vs Bass Cut Pot there was a discussion of making a 'test mule', so I deepened the project to make that also a reality, combining that concept into the project as well. I have created a working example of the 'dual circuit' (Strat and Brian May), and also incorporated and future-proofed it by giving easy access for updates in the cavity thanks to more routing work. The collage below will give a sense of the ideas, sketches, template production, the prototyping and proofing of the layout, and finally the completed form. An old Samick was the perfect guinea pig for the Frankenstein. I piggy-backed from idea to idea adding these to the final form. Note the 3 quick connects, it would be super easy to uncouple the pickguard, and for less invasive work, there is access though a back cover plate. The wiring went perfectly, no false moves (though it was tedious with many small switches, and lots of wiring details). I did due diligence and tested at various points with the multimeter, and every time it checked out, so I kept going.
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Post by JohnH on Jul 12, 2024 1:16:17 GMT -5
Hi Bethany, that's great! Thanks for following through with this for us, and helping us to explore our wiring dreams vicariously!
So, have you found any interesting or unexpected Easter-Egg tones amongst all the settings?
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Post by ssstonelover on Jul 13, 2024 23:35:22 GMT -5
Hi Bethany, that's great! Thanks for following through with this for us, and helping us to explore our wiring dreams vicariously! So, have you found any interesting or unexpected Easter-Egg tones amongst all the settings? I have always been very skittish about phase (my past experience on a Strat type guitar, where it sounded 'thin'). However all those preconceptions are thrown out the window when the pickups are combined in series. I find that flipping on all 3 pickups in series and flipping one to get the phase reversal is interesting. The sound is not too fat (like all 3 pickups in series can be -- if the bass cut were not used) and not too thin either, in fact the treble level and 'power level' is fine. I now need to play this guitar some more to see which pickup phase reversal combo is best, but at first blush they all are going to be worth investigating. I don't have the Brian May effects, so I'm not really nailing his sound specifically, but it is a nice departure and the range of choices is good. As far as anything else noted so far, when in the parallel mode, I do miss the neck+bridge parallel option 'Gilmour mod' I often use, but when I looked at installing that I suspected it might present some cross-talk issue should one forget to flip the mod off when filling over to the BM mode.... but with the way I laid out all the pots and switches, there is room to add that additional switch. Edit July-14: I played with the phase option some more and depending on which of the 3 pickups is put in opposing phase compared to the other 2, the sound character changes a bit (more or less treble shift). I'm less interested on the pickup combos with one being in phase shift, I think they are less interesting, but maybe I will find a use for those too at some time. The specific parts used: Alpha A250K volume with Kinman type treble bleed, Entwistle 250K Smoothtrak treble pot with .015uF cap, Alpha C1M bass cut with .0022uF cap, import 5-way switch, 4PDT on/on, 3 DPDT on/on/on, 3 'banana 2mm' quick connect for easy pickguard changes (to hot, return and to tremolo claw) Here is a final picture of the wiring itself
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