Pickup Blend Dilemma

petersenbass · #1 06-03-2008, 07:13 PM

I have a Schecter Stiletto Studio 6string that I've had for several months now. I really like the way it plays and sounds.

The only thing is the pickup blend. On most my basses, I like to run almost center, but favor the bridge a hair.

My blend seems to be a pickup selector almost. I believe it has the Tone Pump or Tone Pump Jr, and I think Bart makes it.

Is it the electronics? ...or can I change out a new pot to fix it?

I'm not looking for a BROAD blend, but something more useful than a "knob/switch"

Thanks

-I recently became a supporting member. I'm so happy to see bassists helping each other out.

JMDT · #2 06-03-2008, 08:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petersenbass

I have a Schecter Stiletto Studio 6string that I've had for several months now. I really like the way it plays and sounds.

The only thing is the pickup blend. On most my basses, I like to run almost center, but favor the bridge a hair.

My blend seems to be a pickup selector almost. I believe it has the Tone Pump or Tone Pump Jr, and I think Bart makes it.

Is it the electronics? ...or can I change out a new pot to fix it?

I'm not looking for a BROAD blend, but something more useful than a "knob/switch"

Thanks

-I recently became a supporting member. I'm so happy to see bassists helping each other out.

This is one of the inherent issues with blend pots as it is two reverse wound volume pots. In the center it is 100/100% with each side rolling offthe volume of the other pickup.

If you think of it in terms of a V/V setup this makes sense. If you have both on and then roll one pickup back by 5% you hear a major difference in sound. Keep rolling theknob back, and you don't hear a great deal of difference until you are 100/0%. This is why the blend seems as a switch as the major difference in sound are noticed at 100/0%, 55/45-45/55%, and 0/100%. The thing that is nice about a blend setup vs. a V/V is that you get a master volume so when you change the pickup mix you still keep more or less constant volume.

Some companies such as Audere and ACG claim to have burffered blends to correct this, but I have little experience on how these work in practice.

petersenbass · #3 06-03-2008, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMDT

100/0%. This is why the blend seems as a switch as the major difference in sound are noticed at 100/0%, 55/45-45/55%, and 0/100%.

On the Schecter I'm speaking of, I seem to have 0/100% , 100/0%, or 50/50%. Not the 45/55 I desire.

I have a OBP-3 in my Jazz that blends great for me.
I wish it was more like that, is that the electronics? or the pot? It seems like it'd have to be the pot.

DavePlaysBass · #4 06-03-2008, 11:21 PM

Most Blends are 500K. They do not blend as well as 250K pots wired volume volume. You can get a 250K blend but it has extra loading on the pickups because you end up with an extra resistor to ground.

petersenbass · #5 06-03-2008, 11:48 PM

Quote: You can get a 250K blend but it has extra loading on the pickups ....

What will "extra loading on the pickups" result in?

Is this a common occurence?

Is it a drawback or helpful or to taste?

Davo-London · #6 06-04-2008, 11:08 AM

I can vouch that the buffered blend of the Audere works well. ie it is not a switch.

Davo

BruceWane · #7 06-04-2008, 12:41 PM

The issues that cause a lot of blend pots to act funky are kinda complicated. It's been discussed here at length a few times.......

Try this thread

and

this one, too........

BruceWane · #8 06-04-2008, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petersenbass

I have a OBP-3 in my Jazz that blends great for me.
I wish it was more like that, is that the electronics? or the pot? It seems like it'd have to be the pot.

The OBP-3 doesn't handle blending at all; it's a typical single channel preamp. All blending/mixing is done passively before the signal hits the preamp. Your jazz just has a combination of pickups and pots that work pretty well together passively. Often this is not the case - as your Schecter unfortunately demonstrates.

BruceWane · #9 06-04-2008, 12:57 PM

See my post in this thread for buffered (AKA "active") blend options.

4StringTheorist · #10 06-04-2008, 01:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JMDT

Some companies such as Audere and ACG claim to have burffered blends to correct this, but I have little experience on how these work in practice.

As BruceWane pointed out, there are several options for a more faithful blend. John East's J-Retro and David Meadows' Audere are two of the more popular ones, but there are others.