max
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Post by max on Feb 5, 2006 14:31:12 GMT -5
Hello everybody. I'm new and shining, to this forum at least. Although I have been reading this forum for the last month, I still understand everything, so plz help. I have a few questions:
First, can someone explain to me how the switches work, like a DPDT whats the pole and whats the throw???
Second, I have this crappy J bass copy and I have been checking it out "under the hood". 1, the ground is connected to the bridge but where should the other end go? And theres a wire going between the two volume pots, why? btw, the N pup has been changed for a P-bass pup.
Third, the biggest one. I have my dads old guitar, an old Hoffner, and I want to rewire it, but I don't want to change the appearance. It's got one volume pot, one tone pot and one switch that only selects on pup at a time (is that an on-on?). It's got a DiMarzio 'bucker in neck and an single-coil in bridge. I want as many switching options as possible. I was thinking of getting two p/p pots and a three-way selector. But after that I'm lost. plz, help.
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Post by JohnH on Feb 5, 2006 15:30:55 GMT -5
Hi max - welcome to this forum! There's lots to learn here and on other sites, and most of what you need has been well written up. Id suggest two places for good basic info: For Guitar wiring principles simply explained, try here: www.1728.com/guitar.htm1728.com is by our own Wolf. in there, you will find among much else, explanations of switches and how they are wired. (Multi Pole switches have more than one switch ganged together, the number of throws is the number of lugs to which each pole can connect) Then have an explore through the original guitarnuts site, which is where this community came from. Link is at the top of the page: For your Hofner, theres a lot that you could do, such as coil cutting the Hb to make it sound more like a single coil (for a brighter sound), putting it in series with the neck (for a louder and warmer sound), and/or out of phase with the neck (a different and brighter sound). Before doing that though, here's a thought: How old is it? does it have some vintage value? or at least some sentimental family value? Vintage value is reduced by any modification, even if it is a well executed enhancement. Would it be advisable to get some cheap Strat copy to hack the wiring on, at least so you can practice the techniques and decide what you like best, prior to the main project? cheers John
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max
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Post by max on Feb 5, 2006 16:04:20 GMT -5
I have checked out guitarnutz, thats how I got here. I will check out Wolf's page as soon as I can.
I have no idea how old it is, think I may ask my dad 'bout that. But if it had any vintage value I think it's long gone now, my dad has already swapped the original wooden bridge for a t-o-m and he swapped the original pups. I think the tuners have been swapped to, but I'm not sure. Anyway, I wasn't planning on hacking it up or something. I just want to swap the switches and the wiring.
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Post by Mini-Strat_Maine on Feb 5, 2006 16:24:15 GMT -5
Hello everybody. I'm new and shining, to this forum at least. Welcome aboard, Max. I have a few answers. (Very few; the other members have the rest of the answers. ;D ) A pole is basically a connection for "incoming" (signal, etc.) and a throw is a connection for that incoming to go to. That's a gross oversimplification, but the best I can do on short notice. There is a section on switches here: and another great tutorial here: www.1728.com/project2.htm. The string ground ("tremolo ground") is often soldered to the body of a control pot. It too should become part of the star ground (see next). with some shock protection added. Do you mean it's soldered between the bodies (outside metal shells) of both pots? If so, that's probably a ground wire. Those may be part of a ground loop, and should be replaced with star grounding. See for more about that. Yup. A three-way toggle would look the same as a two-way, and give you Neck/Both/Bridge instead of just either/or. One push/pull pot could work for doing coil splitting on the humbucker, and another p/p for . . . Now that I'm done correcting my typing errors and finding the right links, someone else will have arrived and topped anything I came up with.
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Post by JohnH on Feb 5, 2006 16:32:58 GMT -5
OK - just checking! And if the pups have already been replaced, then there is more chance that the Hb has wires from each end of each coil (four conductor wiring), which you need, to be able to wire it in various different ways.
John
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Post by wolf on Feb 5, 2006 23:12:26 GMT -5
Just thought I'd welcome max to GuitarNuts and say thanks to the folks that recommended my switch tutorials.
I haven't been here too much lately. I've been working on my own website and helping someone else design their own.
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Post by UnklMickey on Feb 7, 2006 12:08:49 GMT -5
...A pole is basically a connection for "incoming" (signal, etc.) and a throw is a connection for that incoming to go to. That's a gross oversimplification, but the best I can do on short notice. There is a section on switches here: and another great tutorial here: www.1728.com/project2.htm.... not bad on short notice, Doug. since i have had a bit of time to look at this one, i'll clarify further. regardless of the whether it's connected to the incoming or outgoing signal, a pole is a movable contact in a switch. it is connected to some other stationary contact. which one? it depends on which way the switch is THROWn. in general, the number of throws, is the number of positions that have stationary contacts in them in switches that are "single throw" there are still two positions the switch can be in. but there is only one stationary contact (per each pole). there is no contact in the other position.
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max
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Post by max on Feb 8, 2006 16:01:36 GMT -5
Thanks for the replies everyone. I think I'm going for a one p/p for coilcut and one p/p for series/parallel. And of course a new switch so I can get both pups at the same time. Any thoughts on this folks? and how would I wire this???
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max
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Post by max on Feb 21, 2006 14:26:56 GMT -5
Can someone draw me a diagram for the above stated? I would be eternally grateful.
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Post by UnklMickey on Feb 21, 2006 17:37:25 GMT -5
hi max, it will probably help if we review what you have, and what you're trying to accomplish. are we talking about the hofner? HB at the neck,SC at the bridge. master volume, master tone, each will be p-p. 1 p-p for parallel or series. 1 p-p to split the HB. replace the existing selector to get neck/both/bridge. - 1 - did i get all the above right?
- 2 - volume p-p for s/p? up for series?
- 3 - tone p-p for split? up for split?
- 4 - what kind of switch is the existing selector? slide? mini-toggle? LP size toggle? telecaster style lever switch?
John has already put something together for 2HBs that might be adaptable to your needs here: guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=wiring&thread=1136554581&page=1obviously yours would have a single volume and no phase switch. i would guess that the operation of the s/p switch might necessarily require that it be a "master", so that in series mode both pickups are selected regardless of the position of the selector. unk
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max
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Post by max on Feb 21, 2006 17:50:47 GMT -5
Yea you got it all right. and the split and series in up, yep
the existing toggle is a mini-toggle, some kind of old version though.
I'm checking that diagram now, see if I can figure out how it works.
Thanks.
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