wiring geddy in series

[walterw]

Originally Posted by Mykk

It's brilliant really, and you would only need 25k -50k pots depending on pup resistance

hmm!

i still haven't really sussed out which pots are best for this application, but 250k no-loads worked pretty well as i recall. ("working well" meaning not choking the high end but still having a usable sweep.)

i'd have to think that 25ks would dull the tone; they'd still be a load across each pickup.

[Mykk]

I didn't even take into consideration the pots would still be a load on the circuit. But yes, you are correct.

I just tried this wiring on my Les Paul bass. Previously I had the north coils of the humbuckers in series to a single volume/tone circuit.

This way works much better.

[stanger503]

i envy you guys haha. I'm going to call this at this stage a failed success. i believe I got the correct outcome soundwise...however, when the volumes are up/on, no sound. turn the volumes to "off", full sound. obviously I did something backwards here.

[Stealth]

Move the wires that are on one of the outer lugs of each pot (say, the left one) to the opposite (say, the right one). Then you'll get them to behave normally.

[The Nameless]

This way works well. I do have some small amount of residual "buzz", I guess cuz backs of pots not "grounded". I did this mod to an avri 62 fretless J bass into which i've installed stacked humbuckers. Had a preamp in this bass for a LONG time. Recently gone back to passive, and when installed these pickups parallel, the tone was fantastic, but the output dropped, an it wasn't as strong as my 75 J. Thot bout series wirin, an this the first thread I saw. It worked. Well. But, the buzz, tho slight, is there.
I noticed the third leg of the volumes in this diagram are untouched. Usually, I solder these to the back of respective pots, but in this case was unsure that wouldn't have a negative effect on the "workings". Would solderin the empty third legs to the backs of pots, as per usual parallel wirin be helpful, or should I just run jumpers from pots ta the jacks negative. Thanks fer this idea.
btw, used 250k pots fer volume, 500 fer tone. It was what was in there, so just rewired all til see if it worked. What pot (value, audio or linear) recommendations would ya suggest?

[Mykk]

The Nameless, I assume you wired it up the way Stealth showed? Do not ground the open lugs.

If it is wired up Walters way, the circuit grabs it's ground via the pot housing and only that lug should be grounded.

With my Les Paul wired up this way, my in rack tuner reads the 60hz hum but I don't actually hear any buzz/hum being amplified. Admittedly I need to spend some more time shielding this bass too

[The Nameless]

I believe my shielding pretty tight. Mine is def buzz. I'll tighten up my solderin on pots, an check couple things out. I did some experimentin in last couple hours. No, don't ground the lugs. Ha! Also, have had this bass goin on twenty years. All kinds of pu's an preamps installed. These my first humbuckers. First time wirin in series. The buzz is new, my thought bein it inherent in pickup/wirin paring. But, I feel am missin somethin. The buzz gets a bit louder when touch poles. I've heard of puttin copper tape across poles beneath pickup, but never had ta do it. In a long time of foolin wit gear in this bass. I do have the copper shielding plates and ground strip in pickup cavities and to bridge. All hooked up. No buzz like this when my 74 J pickups installed. Parallel. But, it really could be m'hasty solderin. Thanks man.

[Stealth]

If the buzz gets louder when you touch the poles, you're right. A strip of copper tape underneath the poles that's connected to the ground will fix that.

[Mykk]

Walter, I just can't thank you enough for turning me onto your wiring diagram (and Stealth for helping me make sense of it). I have now wired up two of my basses this way with excellent results.

For some reason it just sounds better than wiring the pups in series to a single volume & tone circuit

I have my Epi Les Paul bass with "Dimebuckers" (north coils only) wired this way, and now my Precision/Musicman bass (Duncan SPB3 & SMB4a pickups). Both basses are missing the tone circuit, and frankly it doesn't need it.

As soon the remaining parts for my beater Jazz project arrive it too will have this wiring. That will make three out of my five basses with this circuit.

So again, thank you.

[stanger503]

new problem...So I decided to wire it back up to standard wiring in case i decide to sell it and just to keep it stock I suppose. My dilemma: bridge pickup works..neck pickup does not. at all. ***! I can't even begin to tell you how incredibly pissed I am at this point. This was partly some of the problem I was having with my attempted series wiring. Nothing on this thing works as it should and I'm getting extremely discouraged by this. What am i doing wrong????

Here's what I have.

Neck pickup white wire, middle lug on pot. black wire, grounded on the ground plate in the control cavity.
ground wire from neck pickup ground plate to ground screw in control cavity.
Wire connecting 1st lug on neck pot to 1st lug on bridge pot.
3rd lug grounded to pot
Bridge white to middle lug. bridge ground to pot.
3rd lug grounded to pot.
wire connecting 1st lug of bridge pot to 2nd lug on tone pot.
all remaining ground wires are grounded to the tone pot or the ground screw in the cavity.
white wire from middle lug on the tone pot to output.


does this make sense to anyone??

[stanger503]

Guys?

[walterw]

un-wire the "dead" pickup entirely and (assuming you don't have a meter) touch its two wires to a cable end plugged into an amp, hot to tip and ground to sleeve.

if you get a normal loud tone, the problem is in the wiring, not the pickup.

[lownoteBb]

I'm intrigued with this wiring approach-but could someone diagram it out with a series - parallel switch installed so I can get a better grasp on this.
Thanks

[Stealth]

Sure. Here you go. Click to zoom.

[lownoteBb]

Excellent diagram-thanks for your help---anyone else use this method? and are there any sound clips?

[Stealth]

Here's a clip recorded on a friend's Jazz clone. You will need 7zip to open it as it's a raw WAV file.

Most of the sample "packs" are from known songs, bar the first one that's from my now-defunct band.

fingerstyle - neck, bridge, parallel, series
slapping - parallel, series, moderate compression
fingerstyle - parallel at full tone, half tone, zero tone, then series at full tone, half tone, zero tone
pickstyle - parallel, series

[lownoteBb]

Thanks for all your help _ but didn't have any luck getting to that clip