Explain blend switch please

ejaggers · #1 12-30-2009, 04:21 PM

There's a Certain P bass on ebay that has three controls, and the add says:
"P bass pickup with six position varitone, volume & blend control".

So I assume one is a blend knob, instead of a volume/blend control.
I've searched the FAQ's but can't find a discription of what a blend is.
Can someone explain. I'm modding an Affinity and am considering a varitone,
but I don't know what a blend is or how it works with a varitone.

http://cgi.ebay.com/CertainBass-Cert...item1c0efe3a13

M0ses · #2 12-30-2009, 04:23 PM

A blend generally refers to a sort of staked pot that turns one up while turning the other down, meant for mixing two pickups. That doesn't make much sense on a one-pup Pbass, so I'm guessing whoever wrote that just doesn't really know what they're talking about, and it's probably just a tone control to use in conjunction with the varitone.

**line6man** · #3 12-30-2009, 04:25 PM

A blend knob is kind of like a pan control on a mixing console.

You turn it one direction for more neck pickup in the mix, and the other direction for more bridge pickup in the mix.

bongomania · #4 12-30-2009, 04:27 PM

There is no sense in a blend pot with only one pickup, but he clearly says "P bass pickup with six position varitone, volume & blend control". So you'll have to ask him what he means, nobody else will be able to interpret it.

**line6man** · #5 12-30-2009, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M0ses

That doesn't make much sense on a one-pup Pbass, so I'm guessing whoever wrote that just doesn't really know what they're talking about, and it's probably just a tone control to use in conjunction with the varitone.

Good point.
It doesn't look like the bass has a piezo bridge or anything either.

The guy probably has no clue what he is talking about.

Quote:

Positions 2, 3 and 4 gives you Jamerson and Jaco type sounds with high end roll off;

I very much doubt that you can achieve anything even remotely resembling a "Jaco type sound" from a P bass, especially just by switching capacitor values...
LMAO!

Jazz Ad · #6 12-30-2009, 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

I very much doubt that you can achieve anything even remotely resembling a "Jaco type sound" from a P bass, especially just by switching capacitor values...
LMAO!

It's pretty easy to achieve actually, the tip is to use a hi pass filter set around 100 Hz, in the form of a switchable cap on the path of the signal. It gets you that nasal jazz tone just fine on a P.
Of course, it still doesn't mean that the seller knows what he's talking about.

slyjoe · #7 12-30-2009, 05:02 PM

You may PM David Certain - I believe he posted here today. While you're at it, you may ask him (or the seller) what this means:

2) Bridge & neck have never been removed as this would defeat the clamping technique,

**line6man** · #8 12-30-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slyjoe

2) Bridge & neck have never been removed as this would defeat the clamping technique,

***!? That's hilarious.

TheNightLife · #9 12-30-2009, 05:09 PM

judging by what the seller is saying, it sounds like it has the same effect as the mid freq knob on the svt cl head. it sounds like it boosts certain frequencies. that kind of interesting. ive never seen anything like that on a p-bass before. unless its an active preamp on it with a 2 band eq. volume bass treble. iduno seems shady lol.

**line6man** · #10 12-30-2009, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheNightLife

judging by what the seller is saying, it sounds like it has the same effect as the mid freq knob on the svt cl head. it sounds like it boosts certain frequencies. that kind of interesting. ive never seen anything like that on a p-bass before. unless its an active preamp on it with a 2 band eq. volume bass treble. iduno

It's just a varitone control, plenty of basses have them.
Mostly Jazz basses though.

slyjoe · #11 12-30-2009, 05:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

***!? That's hilarious.

Yea - I read it 3 times and still can't figure out what it means.

If this is passive, I'm guessing the "blend" is really the tone pot and the varitone rolls in different caps to the tone wiper.

And "judging by what the seller is saying" hasn't been very enlightening yet.

ejaggers · #12 12-30-2009, 06:17 PM

slyjoe,

Yeah, item 2 threw me also. Does anyone know what the seller is saying?

Darkstrike · #13 12-30-2009, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ejaggers

item 2 threw me also. Does anyone know what the seller is saying?

Certain clamps the neck to the pocket tight, and then tightens in the neck bolts harder than most.

**line6man** · #14 12-30-2009, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

Certain clamps the neck to the pocket tight, and then tightens in the neck bolts harder than most.

Makes enough sense, but then why the hell not just use neck bolt inserts and skip all the clamping?

M0ses · #15 12-30-2009, 07:25 PM

Maybe (this is pure conjecture) it's active, the varitone is a lot more complex than just switching cap values, and the blend knob blends the clean signal with the varitone signal???

Darkstrike · #16 12-30-2009, 08:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

Makes enough sense, but then why the hell not just use neck bolt inserts and skip all the clamping?

Hell if I know.

I just tighten mine in extra hard without clamping, I have a T bar that takes the screwdriver bits. Piece of cake.

Darkstrike · #17 12-30-2009, 09:03 PM

Here's your blend answer, from another Certainbass owner.

Quote:

Originally Posted by electracoyote

Concentric knobs for volume/volume, Varitone selector chicken head, blend chicken head (controls how much of the selected Varitone setting you want in the signal).

**line6man** · #18 12-30-2009, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Darkstrike

Here's your blend answer, from another Certainbass owner.

So it's really a tone control then?

Darkstrike · #19 12-30-2009, 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

So it's really a tone control then?

This is what I gather, and the varitone changes the cap value for the tone control.

DavidCertain · #20 12-31-2009, 03:10 AM

A blend control on my basses blends the Varitone. Pick your Varitone position, then put in a little or a lot. The blend is like a normal tone control except a normal tone control has just one cap; I wire in the Varitone where the lone cap will go. The Varitone is not just caps, there's a coil, too.

The clamping system: I clamp both the neck and bridge, string just the E and G strings and get everything lined up, and drill smaller screw holes than most people. The clamping system gets the neck and bridge tighter to the body that what the screws can achieve by themselves, but the screws can hold that pressure once they're in. This is why all my basses "sing", good sustain and solid feel. In taking someone else's bass, I'll tighten the neck screws as tight as I can without the clamp. But invariably, when I install the clamp, I can get at elast an eighth of a turn out of each screw, sometimes more. Screws by themselves is not enough.