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Post by nickname009 on Nov 8, 2024 19:10:18 GMT -5
Just recently acquired a nifty Washburn N24 Nuno bettencourt signature, it's currently wired with the 2 hum buckers into a single volume pot with push pull for coil split and a 3 way toggle. I was originally thinking of drilling to add another pot and make a second volume pot, so that I can have individual volumes and do the good 'ol LP killswitch thing, but am now thinking, maybe I can save the hassle and just simply re-wire it so that the volume pot only works with the neck pickup, while the bridge will just always be on. The idea being, that when the volume pot is full on, the 3 way toggle works normally as it should, switching between the humbuckers, and if I want do to a killswitch effect, all I'd have to do is turn down the neck volume pot, and use the same 3 way toggle. This sounds doable to me, I'm just a bit lost with the wiring as the toggle is quite far away and I want to make this as economical as possible. I've attached pictures for reference. Any help in would be greatly appreciated!    |
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Post by newey on Nov 8, 2024 22:09:12 GMT -5
As a Nuno signature model, I would hesitate to drill a new hole in it. While Washburn isn't high-end stuff, who knows 25 years from now? I wish I had had the foresight to have bought a cheapie Danelectro in 1970 or so and stuck it in a closet. My retirement could always be better funded.
Seems doable to me. I've never seen this model (and I'm too lazy to google), I understand from your discussion that there is only the single V pot? No tone pot?
You may have thought and considered this already, but a concentric pot could allow dual volumes without drilling an extra hole. If you use the volumes a lot, concentric pots may not be your cup of tea, but if the one is to be mostly rolled down for killswitch mode, it might be an attractive option. Just 2¢ worth.
If you are going to redo this, consider running a shielded multicunductor cable for that run, can't hurt and might reduce some noise. it may be a bit tight to push through there, but it beats running multiple wires through.
I guess you'd just have to run a wire from the toggle cavity to the control cavity (could be one in a multiconductor cable) and then back to the switch. The connection from the neck pickup comes out into the toggle area there (can't tell from the photo which wire it is). you'd wire that neck + connection back down to the V pot, then back up to the switch, to the same place it is connected now.
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Post by stateofepicicity on Nov 9, 2024 12:43:44 GMT -5
Very cool! I love the Stephen's extended cutaway, and it kills me that the Nuno models are the only way to get it these days. I have a Washburn Parallaxe Trevor Rabin, which has a cutaway that is very similar, and it's a wonderful axe in many ways. newey To me, Washburn USA stuff is as good as anything out there! I had a USA Washburn P3 for a long time, and that thing was absolutely the most toneful guitar I've had. To your question Nick, my hesitation would be that a pickup with no pot loading it will brighten. Bettencourt recently said in an interview recently that his models are warmer than most production guitars due to the lack of finish, but I'm thining that having a neck loaded by the volume pot and a bridge without any pot it may make the pickups sound mismatched as far as brightness goes. Of course, it may also be awesome that way! I would just test to make sure you like it. You could temporarily wire your bridge pickup directly to your jack to see if that sounds okay to you. You could always solder a 470k resistor in series with the bridge too, to simulate the load of a 500k pot on 10. The idea of the dual concentric could be the best option, as newey suggests. I used dual concentrics for so long, and the one piece of advice I have is to be really precise screwing in the two knobs to the pot shafts so they don't come in contact with each other as you roll back either one! You want the bottom knob to go as low as possible while still clearing the top of the axe through it's whole rotation, then you want the top knob to go as low as possible, but making sure that the bottom doesn't rub against it when rotating, and making sure the top knob doesn't rub against the bottom one when rotating! Another concern with a Floyd and dual concentric is, you can end up in a situation where the whammy bar itself catches on the top knob of the dual concentric. You can measure the height of your bar from the top of the guitar and compare that to measurements of dual concentric knobs online to see if you'll have enough clearance, with a bit of room to give the knobs themselves clearance. You'll find that there are basically two types of dual concentrics, the narrow and the wide ones; I highly suggest going with the wide ones, as they're way easier if you use your knobs a lot. |
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Post by nickname009 on Nov 9, 2024 15:34:32 GMT -5
As a Nuno signature model, I would hesitate to drill a new hole in it. While Washburn isn't high-end stuff, who knows 25 years from now? I wish I had had the foresight to have bought a cheapie Danelectro in 1970 or so and stuck it in a closet. My retirement could always be better funded. Seems doable to me. I've never seen this model (and I'm too lazy to google), I understand from your discussion that there is only the single V pot? No tone pot? You may have thought and considered this already, but a concentric pot could allow dual volumes without drilling an extra hole. If you use the volumes a lot, concentric pots may not be your cup of tea, but if the one is to be mostly rolled down for killswitch mode, it might be an attractive option. Just 2¢ worth. If you are going to redo this, consider running a shielded multicunductor cable for that run, can't hurt and might reduce some noise. it may be a bit tight to push through there, but it beats running multiple wires through. I guess you'd just have to run a wire from the toggle cavity to the control cavity (could be one in a multiconductor cable) and then back to the switch. The connection from the neck pickup comes out into the toggle area there (can't tell from the photo which wire it is). you'd wire that neck + connection back down to the V pot, then back up to the switch, to the same place it is connected now. , I have considered a concentric pot. That's my backup plan. The only thing is, this current setup has the single volume with a push pull for coil splitting both pickups, which I actually like the sound of and want to keep intact if possible. By your statement, it sounds like I am not to detach any current wires, but more, add another that will connect to the original neck pickup's connection, back to V pot, then to the switch. Is that correct? There are actually a few multi conductor cables in currently, that seemed to have been taped off. The yellow and blue wires from the switch, on the way back to the V pot have a ground on the pot but also a taped up end. They are both taped up and apparently soldered together with a wire from each of the pickups as well..(Big Red wire is the bridge pickup, thick gray one is the neck pickup). The bridge pickup's green wire is soldered/taped up with the yellow's spare white wire, while the neck pickup's red wire is soldered/taped up with the blue wire's spare white wire. Any chance I can use one of these (blue or yellow) spare wires to do what I need? Took the pot out for better photos.    stateofepicicity, Yes it's a pretty nifty axe I have to say! I have bought and sold these models many times over and finally decided to buy one again and keep it this time. I was planning on doing the resistor trick once I figured this out. I may even put a lower value resistor to tame this pickup a bit more, it's very very brash and a bit much for my ears. |
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Post by stateofepicicity on Nov 9, 2024 16:58:33 GMT -5
stateofepicicity, Yes it's a pretty nifty axe I have to say! I have bought and sold these models many times over and finally decided to buy one again and keep it this time. I was planning on doing the resistor trick once I figured this out. I may even put a lower value resistor to tame this pickup a bit more, it's very very brash and a bit much for my ears. Very cool. I have a harsh bridge pickup in my superstrat, and I ended up following the guidance in this thread to lower and tame the resonant peak. You can use alligator clips to play with values, or do what I did and solder in a couple of male to female DuPont / breadboard jumper wires between the hot lead of the pickup and the ground, then you just insert or clip a cap and resistor in parallel until you get a tone that isn't harsh. Worked quite well for my guitar. Good luck however you move forward! |
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Post by newey on Nov 9, 2024 17:53:37 GMT -5
it sounds like I am not to detach any current wires, but more, add another that will connect to the original neck pickup's connection, back to V pot, then to the switch. Is that correct? No. You will be disconnecting the neck hot connection from the 3-way switch, running it down to the V pot, and then back up to the pickup switch. If you use a multiconductor cable, that would account for 2 of the wires, plus however many existing wires run through there. As I think about it, and I can't tell this for sure without having the guitar to look at, it might be easier to disconnect the neck pickup hot at the switch, pull it back through into the pickup cavity, and then go from there to the control cavity and V pot before going back up to the switch. but without looking at the rout for the pickups, I don't know if that is possible or not. If you can't run the neck hot directly from the pickup to the V pot, then you'll need to go back and forth through the hole from the toggle as I suggested earlier. stateofepicicity- No knock on Washburns intended, I own one myself (albeit not a USA model and it has been heavily modded). I meant only that they do not command the same sorts of prices in the vintage market as USA Fenders, Gibsons, etc have over time. The N4 models are certainly not inexpensive new. But as I said, I wouldn't go drilling holes in one as keeping it stock-looking (and convertivle back to original) may be of value in the future. |
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Post by roadtonever on Nov 10, 2024 22:21:44 GMT -5
Just throwing out an idea, a push-pull or push-push pot wired as a kill switch, just in case you need to cut output.
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Post by nickname009 on Nov 11, 2024 16:37:17 GMT -5
Got it all sorted out! Wasn't working the first time, then I found there was a multi conductor cable coming from the middle of the switch that would go to the pot, then another one from the pot to the output jack which kind of mixed me up a bit. I took that one of them out, and was able to wire that switch wire all the way to the output jack directly, (had enough length), which then enabled me to do what you suggested. Put a resistor for the bridge pickup to tame the highs and now I'm good to go! Thanks again everybody for the help!
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