loss of volume w/ balance pot ???

[catman]

Hey there everybody!
I've just joined and I have a question.
I have just finished modding my franken-strat but I have a problem with a huge loss of current as it seems. what i've done is installed a vintage strat coil in the neck, and a gfs dream-180 in the bridge(wired in series for max output). There are only two pickups and I decided to wire them just like a jazz bass. Thusly, I'm using a a500k volume pot and a standard balance pot (also, i decided not to have a tone pot, just to ensure that i didn't lose any current). I am absolutely positive that everything is wired properly as i've done other mods before and I had even used a wiring diagram from an american jazz bass that used the same controls. The guitar works but now it sounds as if the volume is rolled off half way ( even with heavy rectifier distortion, it just has a crunch sound). does any body know what's wrong with it? do balance pots soak up pickup current? Thanks so much!!!

[UnklMickey]

hi Catman,

welcome to GuitarNuts2.

it's not so much about current, it's about voltage.....but we won't get hung up on the details right now.

a properly made blender shouldn't cause that much loss, but we don't really know how that "balance" pot of yours acts.

you might want to disconnect the pickups and volume control, them make some resistance measurements of the blender.

if it's set up the way i think it is, you have the hots of the pickups going to each the wipers. the output (that goes to the volume) is taken from opposite ends of the 2 sections. the remaining 2 ends go to ground.

if you have a well made blender, when you adjust it to the midpoint, you will read a low resistance from each wiper to the output. the maximum resistance from each wiper will also occur at the midpoint. one wiper's resistance to ground will stay at maximum, when the knob is turned clockwise. the other wiper's resistinace to ground will decrease to near zero.

a control that is intended as a balance control will act a bit differently.

ChrisK can tell you more about blenders, but i think this will get you off to a decent start.


cheers,

unk

[sumgai]

catty,

Hi, and welcome to the GuitarNutz2 forums!

I wonder, just how many terminals are present on that blender control? Six, or only three?


sumgai

[catman]

Hi guys,

Thanks so much for your input.

Sumgai, there are six terminals present.

unklmickey, that's a great idea, checking the resistance on the balance pot. I'll try it and let you know what happens.

I also have another concern that I noticed today with this guitar. Somehow, I hadn't grounded it properly and the result is static until I place my hands on the strings or any metal portion of the guitar. Could this grounding problem also relate itself back to the voltage problem?

Thanks again guys