odd wiring question

Rocks · #1 07-02-2011, 12:13 AM

Hi, been a while since I've been here, lots of gigs. Anyhow, I just put together a project bass, P-bass body, Geddy Lee Jazz bass neck. I know, I wish I had the whole geddy lee jazz bass, but the neck was a gift. Anyhow. ON this bass I am wiring it different, I am running the pickups straight to the output with a on off switch to just kill the sounds. I wanted to try a bass with nothing in the way to color the sounds. Anyhow, I have an extra hole in the pick guard and I'm considering putting in an LED with a battery. What kind of switch is there that would let me turn the bass on and off and also turn on the LED when the bass is on?

skychief · #2 07-02-2011, 12:21 AM

**line6man** · #3 07-02-2011, 12:24 AM

Use a DPDT On-On mini toggle. One pole shorts the output jack, the other pole switches the LED.

You will most likely need a new jack as well. Use a "stereo" TRS jack with the negative terminal of the battery connected to the ring. The positive terminal of the battery then goes to a resistor, then to the anode of the LED. The cathode of the LED goes to the normally closed terminal of one pole of the switch, and the common gets grounded.

Rocks · #4 07-02-2011, 12:30 AM

Thanks, this won't effect the tone any will it? I'm going for pickups straight to jack, nothing in the way, just the pure bass tone with nothing to get in the way.

**line6man** · #5 07-02-2011, 12:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocks

Thanks, this won't effect the tone any will it? I'm going for pickups straight to jack, nothing in the way, just the pure bass tone with nothing to get in the way.

No, the LED is not in the signal path.

PhiDeck · #6 07-02-2011, 01:33 AM

Spring for a very high efficiency LED and you'll change the battery considerably less often than otherwise (assuming you increase the current limiting resistor value appropriately).

**line6man** · #7 07-02-2011, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PhiDeck

Spring for a very high efficiency LED and you'll change the battery considerably less often than otherwise (assuming you increase the current limiting resistor value appropriately).

I'd grab a standard T1 or T1 3/4 diffused lens 3V 10mA LED in whatever color strikes your fancy.

If you want to get fancy with it, get a bi-color LED and have the killswitch change it's color.

walterw · #8 07-02-2011, 06:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocks

I'm going for pickups straight to jack, nothing in the way, just the pure bass tone with nothing to get in the way.

well, this gets a little sticky; classic fender-type pickups were designed to sound "right" with the pots in the circuit; remove that loading, and the pickups get very bright, even brittle.

so "pure" has questionable meaning.

it's like taking the exhaust system completely off your car engine; in theory you get more horsepower, but in reality the engine was designed to have that back-pressure and won't run right without it.

(that said, i like 500k pots with fender bass pickups; brighter and louder than normal, without being too brittle.)

Bassamatic · #9 07-02-2011, 07:12 PM

Yes - you may not like it without the loading of the pots.

And - I would forget the LED - it really serves no purpose - you can't see it when it is on, anyway. Just add the kill switch - these are really handy.

**line6man** · #10 07-02-2011, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gio S

Yes - you may not like it without the loading of the pots.

And - I would forget the LED - it really serves no purpose - you can't see it when it is on, anyway. Just add the kill switch - these are really handy.

+1 on both points.