PJ pup controls

**Coolhandjjl** · #1 01-01-2011, 03:56 PM

Looking at building a bass with PJ passive pup configuration, probably Lindy Fralins. Is a parallel/series switch pretty much the way to go? Or if I just do V/T V/T for each pup, and turn down the pup I don't want on, good enough?

**line6man** · #2 01-01-2011, 03:58 PM

I would skip the second tone control. The tones are going to interact.

pasta4lnch · #3 01-01-2011, 04:07 PM

fwiw I never find myself "blending" but I have heard issues w/a master vol and passive electronics. I personally would like master V master T and a 3 way switch . . .

**line6man** · #4 01-01-2011, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pasta4lnch

fwiw I never find myself "blending" but I have heard issues w/a master vol and passive electronics. I personally would like master V master T and a 3 way switch . . .

What issues?

Having a master volume is actually better than having two volumes, as you can wire the wiper terminal of the pot to the output instead of the pickups, avoiding the variable impedance loading effect against the pickups that you get when adjusting the volumes in a two-volume setup.

darkstorm · #5 01-01-2011, 04:26 PM

A parallel/series switch will give you an additional tone flavor to work with. Wether you'll like the 2nd voice isnt known. But can be nice addon even if not used much. Seperate vlumes is nicer then blend control to me. Gives better tone adjustment ability from blending pups. And nope, just useing master volume and the master tone wont give you the sound variation of rolling one pup down a little. If you have the room for it, Id go ahead and do seperate tone control for each pup. When Ive had SG guitars I did like being able to roll off the treble a bit from bridge pup while leaving neck pups tone alone or less rolled off.

**line6man** · #6 01-01-2011, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by darkstorm

When Ive had SG guitars I did like being able to roll off the treble a bit from bridge pup while leaving neck pups tone alone or less rolled off.

Were you running the pickups at different volumes or isolating the signal paths with resistors?
If both volumes are up, turning one tone control down means a low pass filter is applied to both pickups, as they are directly parallel to each other.

Or perhaps you meant having different tone settings when switching between soloed pickups?

**Coolhandjjl** · #7 01-01-2011, 05:04 PM

Sounds like I may have to have someone wire it for me or at least get a schematic? Are all the pots 250's? I know humbuckers usually use 500K's, but not sure what the P pups are, or are they basically operating as a standard split coil wired together in opposite polarity?

**line6man** · #8 01-01-2011, 05:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coolhandjjl

Sounds like I may have to have someone wire it for me or at least get a schematic? Are all the pots 250's? I know humbuckers usually use 500K's, but not sure what the P pups are, or are they basically operating as a standard split coil wired together in opposite polarity?

You can use either.
P basses are traditionally wired with 250K pots, however.

pasta4lnch · #9 01-01-2011, 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by line6man

What issues?

Having a master volume is actually better than having two volumes, as you can wire the wiper terminal of the pot to the output instead of the pickups, avoiding the variable impedance loading effect against the pickups that you get when adjusting the volumes in a two-volume setup.

Ah - I miss spoke. well, miss typed. I was thinking of passive master blend knobs . . . the ones w/ the detent in the middle