Show us your 3 pickup basses!

[moonshinegtrs]

Here is a couple of mine:

Moonshine Astro Pro Bass

This is a 1972 Tele Bass that I purchased last year (I think; sorry that it is somewhat obscured by the two p- basses)...

I have another 72 Tele body that is all original, but I rewired this one & have really been enjoying it the way it is. Eventually, I'll swap things around (I also have a Warmoth Tele bass neck).

Moonshine

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by Doner Designs

Love it. What kind of body is that? Did you make it?

Thanks. It's a Stambaugh. I took one of Chris' designs and modified it and he built it based on my specs and sketch. It's twin uses Chris' unmodified shape but it'll be a boring two pickup bass.

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by Jared Lash

Thanks. It's a Stambaugh. I took one of Chris' designs and modified it and he built it based on my specs and sketch. It's twin uses Chris' unmodified shape but it'll be a boring two pickup bass.

That one is nice too - I really like the Ric-esq horn on the bass side along with what appears to be a countoured body. I would never buy a real Ric because of the sharp edges.

Please keep us posted and/or share a link when your three engine beauty comes together.

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

Here's my three pickup bass. It's my Modulus 6er. Three Bart pups from the factory, but has been modded by me.



The switches used to be just on and off for each pickup. Now they are 3 position with center = off and one way puts them in series and the other in parallel in any combination. Typical favorite settings are neck-bridge in series or Sweet spot alone.

This is by FAR the best sounding bass I own. (The wood grain doesn't show up very well in this photo.)

NICE! Another example with three alike pickups which makes a lot of sense for mixing through one output.

I almost did your style of switching on the air force bass, but decided it would be too complicated for some end users (its to be donated).

When you say series/parallel/off for each toggle, I assume that you mean series within each (humbucking?) pickup rather than series across multiple pickups? If its the latter, I'd love to see a diagram.

What is the control setup? Three volumes? Volume/bass/treble?

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by moonshinegtrs

Here is a couple of mine:

Moonshine Astro Pro Bass

This is a 1972 Tele Bass that I purchased last year (I think; sorry that it is somewhat obscured by the two p- basses)...

I have another 72 Tele body that is all original, but I rewired this one & have really been enjoying it the way it is. Eventually, I'll swap things around (I also have a Warmoth Tele bass neck).

Moonshine

Cool. Controls = volume and tone with 3 on/off switches?

[moonshinegtrs]

Originally Posted by Doner Designs

Cool. Controls = volume and tone with 3 on/off switches?

Thanks Steve, you are correct. It is wired so that the pickups are in series in any combination. The typical lipstick tube pickups have a pretty low output (which is one of the reasons they sound the way they do), but they really come alive when combined together in series.

My favorite is all three pickups on (again, in series). Killer tone.

I love your basses by the way. The U.S. Air Force one is Great. The "Mission Control" switching/control layout Rocks!

*** I just checked out (& liked) your facebook page; what you're doing is very Cool. My wife & I run a non profit organization called "Strings for Hope" (.com & on facebook), where we have artists make jewelry from recycled instrument strings. The proceeds go to help local food banks as well some overseas projects.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to help someone in need... Nice job.

Moonshine

[johnk_10]

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Doner Designs

NICE! Another example with three alike pickups which makes a lot of sense for mixing through one output.

I almost did your style of switching on the air force bass, but decided it would be too complicated for some end users (its to be donated).

When you say series/parallel/off for each toggle, I assume that you mean series within each (humbucking?) pickup rather than series across multiple pickups? If its the latter, I'd love to see a diagram.

What is the control setup? Three volumes? Volume/bass/treble?

Controls are Vol/bass/treble.

When I say series/parallel/off I mean pickup to pickup. For example if you put two pickups in series mode it wires those two pickups in series. If you put the third in series mode it puts all three pickups in series. if you put the third one in parallel, then that third pickup is placed in parallel with the two that are already in series. Etc. I posted the diagram some time back to the pickups/electronics forum. Nobody seemed interested in the idea. Here:

http://www.mrk-inc.com/users/fjacoby/TONESW02.PDF

(takes .pdf viewer)

The pickups are two wire so there no option to put each one in series/parallel like say a G&L.

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by bassbenj

Controls are Vol/bass/treble.

When I say series/parallel/off I mean pickup to pickup. For example if you put two pickups in series mode it wires those two pickups in series. If you put the third in series mode it puts all three pickups in series. if you put the third one in parallel, then that third pickup is placed in parallel with the two that are already in series. Etc. I posted the diagram some time back to the pickups/electronics forum. Nobody seemed interested in the idea. Here:

http://www.mrk-inc.com/users/fjacoby/TONESW02.PDF

(takes .pdf viewer)

The pickups are two wire so there no option to put each one in series/parallel like say a G&L.

Well I'm interested - very cool! I've been looking for something like this and maybe some other options. I do not like the rotary idea as much as using multiple toggles. I guess those are 4PDT. Never used them before but obviouly they give you a lot more options. I might look into strat type mega-switches too.

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by johnk_10

Very cool. I'm having a hard time guessing the wiring from your control layout. V/T, V/T, Rotary maybe?

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by moonshinegtrs

Thanks Steve, you are correct. It is wired so that the pickups are in series in any combination. The typical lipstick tube pickups have a pretty low output (which is one of the reasons they sound the way they do), but they really come alive when combined together in series.

My favorite is all three pickups on (again, in series). Killer tone.

I love your basses by the way. The U.S. Air Force one is Great. The "Mission Control" switching/control layout Rocks!

*** I just checked out (& liked) your facebook page; what you're doing is very Cool. My wife & I run a non profit organization called "Strings for Hope" (.com & on facebook), where we have artists make jewelry from recycled instrument strings. The proceeds go to help local food banks as well some overseas projects.

The best thing you can do for yourself is to help someone in need... Nice job.

Moonshine

Thanks a lot Moon! I saw a Like come through and wondered who it was. Appreciate that! I'll check out your FB - sounds like a very good and "green" idea and certainly for a good cause.

Sometimes I feel guilty that I have too much fun at my hobby/charity. We are not exactly feeding anyone, but maybe down the road will branch out.

There is obviously a natural fit with vets if we continue the military themes which tie in nicely with my affinity for nut-job-wiring.

By the way, would you mind posting a wiring diagram if you have it, or a description of how you do the series thing across multiple pickups. Seems like if you have them in series then switching any one of them off (as with Christmas lights) would cause them all to go out. Somehow you must close the loop for the other two when you shut one off?

[SGD Lutherie]

Steve asked me to come and talk about the "Space Bass"

I've had a few basses with three or more pickups. The first one was one of my '73 Ricks. I had started out trying all manner of wiring on it. I had phase switches, and series/parallel switches, a varitone... Then I replaced the Rick single coils with a Hi-A mini humbucker in '76 (broke the stock bridge pickup trying to rewind it) at the bridge and a Carvin APH-4N I got in '77 at the neck. So then I wired up series parallels for the both of them. My band mates called it the Space Bass.

It looked like this photo from 1977:



So each pickup had a volume control. I think I wired up the two tone controls as passive bass/treble like on a G&L (that schematic came with the carvin pickup). The wide knob where the pickup selector was is a Varitone. The extra knob is a stereo master volume. The various switches did series/parallel for both pickups. A phase switch for the bridge, and series/parallel for each pickup. There are extra switches, and I don't remember what they did! But they all did something. Not always useful either (like the phase switches).

There was a popular prog rock band in the area (NJ) at the time called Godspeed, and the bass player had a P bass pickup between the two Rick pickups. I liked the way it sounded, so I did the same thing. Then when the DiMarzio Model P came out I replaced the fender P with one of those:

This is about '78


It's a little hard to see in the old newspaper photo. The model P probably also had a series parallel. I had replaced the Carvin with the stock toaster, but the opening in the pickup was still larger.

This time the bass also had a Hi-A (Bartolini) TC1 preamp with active bass and treble controls. The battery was under the pick guard. Lots of fun changing batteries. The bass was now mono.

Around that same time I put a single coil pickup in the mute compartment of the Rick. It was an old pickup from a Teisco taken out of the case.

In the late 70s I had a '74 P bass with two P pickups, the extra one being at the bridge. Then I converted the bass into an eight string, installed Model Ps, and then in the 80s I cut the body into a different shape, painted it first florescent pink, and then fuchsia (hey it was the 80s!), and added a DiMarzio Model G at the neck.


(yay the 80! lol Note the keyboard player sitting on the Farfisa organ keys for the big noise ending)

That bass had seven switches. It was on/off for each pickup, and series/parallel for each pickup, and a phase switch for one of them. It also had a 6 position varitone, which it needed, because it was very midrangy.

In the 90s I added a third pickup to one of my SGD basses:



Back then I used EMGs. I had a 40P5, 40DC and a 40J in the bass on the left. The I replaced the 40J with a regular J, which I felt sounded better. I tried many combinations of the pickups, and then eventually made my own pickups for those basses.

For the eagle eyed readers; yes, the bass on the right is missing the output jack and a string is broken. It was just posed for the photo.

[RED J]

Man that Tele looks like a serious threat. Nice !

Originally Posted by moonshinegtrs

Here is a couple of mine:

Moonshine Astro Pro Bass

This is a 1972 Tele Bass that I purchased last year (I think; sorry that it is somewhat obscured by the two p- basses)...

I have another 72 Tele body that is all original, but I rewired this one & have really been enjoying it the way it is. Eventually, I'll swap things around (I also have a Warmoth Tele bass neck).

Moonshine

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Steve asked me to come and talk about the "Space Bass"

I've had a few basses with three or more pickups. The first one was one of my '73 Ricks. I had started out trying all manner of wiring on it. I had phase switches, and series/parallel switches, a varitone... Then I replaced the Rick single coils with a Hi-A mini humbucker in '76 (broke the stock bridge pickup trying to rewind it) at the bridge and a Carvin APH-4N I got in '77 at the neck. So then I wired up series parallels for the both of them. My band mates called it the Space Bass.

It looked like this photo from 1977:



So each pickup had a volume control. I think I wired up the two tone controls as passive bass/treble like on a G&L (that schematic came with the carvin pickup). The wide knob where the pickup selector was is a Varitone. The extra knob is a stereo master volume. The various switches did series/parallel for both pickups. A phase switch for the bridge, and series/parallel for each pickup. There are extra switches, and I don't remember what they did! But they all did something. Not always useful either (like the phase switches).

There was a popular prog rock band in the area (NJ) at the time called Godspeed, and the bass player had a P bass pickup between the two Rick pickups. I liked the way it sounded, so I did the same thing. Then when the DiMarzio Model P came out I replaced the fender P with one of those:

This is about '78


It's a little hard to see in the old newspaper photo. The model P probably also had a series parallel. I had replaced the Carvin with the stock toaster, but the opening in the pickup was still larger.

This time the bass also had a Hi-A (Bartolini) TC1 preamp with active bass and treble controls. The battery was under the pick guard. Lots of fun changing batteries. The bass was now mono.

Around that same time I put a single coil pickup in the mute compartment of the Rick. It was an old pickup from a Teisco taken out of the case.

In the late 70s I had a '74 P bass with two P pickups, the extra one being at the bridge. Then I converted the bass into an eight string, installed Model Ps, and then in the 80s I cut the body into a different shape, painted it first florescent pink, and then fuchsia (hey it was the 80s!), and added a DiMarzio Model G at the neck.


(yay the 80! lol Note the keyboard player sitting on the Farfisa organ keys for the big noise ending)

That bass had seven switches. It was on/off for each pickup, and series/parallel for each pickup, and a phase switch for one of them. It also had a 6 position varitone, which it needed, because it was very midrangy.

In the 90s I added a third pickup to one of my SGD basses:



Back then I used EMGs. I had a 40P5, 40DC and a 40J in the bass on the left. The I replaced the 40J with a regular J, which I felt sounded better. I tried many combinations of the pickups, and then eventually made my own pickups for those basses.

For the eagle eyed readers; yes, the bass on the right is missing the output jack and a string is broken. It was just posed for the photo.

SUPER COOLIO - Thanks for the contribution David!! The 6 or 7 toggle setup is along the lines of what I was thinking for next time around. What I'm not sure of is whether to bother with the phase switching and whether to do series across in addition to within pickups. I might skip the multi volume controls if the pickups all match, otherwise some blending ability is kinda important.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by Doner Designs

SUPER COOLIO - Thanks for the contribution David!! The 6 or 7 toggle setup is along the lines of what I was thinking for next time around. What I'm not sure of is whether to bother with the phase switching and whether to do series across in addition to within pickups. I might skip the multi volume controls if the pickups all match, otherwise some blending ability is kinda important.

You're welcome. Thanks for the invite.

Phase switches are pretty useless on a bass, but at the time it seemed like a cool thing to do. You can also use on-off-on toggles for the series/parallel to double as on-off switches. Assuming you are doing series/parallel.

[Flux Jetson]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

Steve asked me to come and talk about the "Space Bass"

I've had a few basses with three or more pickups. The first one was one of my '73 Ricks. I had started out trying all manner of wiring on it. I had phase switches, and series/parallel switches, a varitone... Then I replaced the Rick single coils with a Hi-A mini humbucker in '76 (broke the stock bridge pickup trying to rewind it) at the bridge and a Carvin APH-4N I got in '77 at the neck. So then I wired up series parallels for the both of them. My band mates called it the Space Bass.

It looked like this photo from 1977:



So each pickup had a volume control. I think I wired up the two tone controls as passive bass/treble like on a G&L (that schematic came with the carvin pickup). The wide knob where the pickup selector was is a Varitone. The extra knob is a stereo master volume. The various switches did series/parallel for both pickups. A phase switch for the bridge, and series/parallel for each pickup. There are extra switches, and I don't remember what they did! But they all did something. Not always useful either (like the phase switches).

There was a popular prog rock band in the area (NJ) at the time called Godspeed, and the bass player had a P bass pickup between the two Rick pickups. I liked the way it sounded, so I did the same thing. Then when the DiMarzio Model P came out I replaced the fender P with one of those:

This is about '78


It's a little hard to see in the old newspaper photo. The model P probably also had a series parallel. I had replaced the Carvin with the stock toaster, but the opening in the pickup was still larger.

This time the bass also had a Hi-A (Bartolini) TC1 preamp with active bass and treble controls. The battery was under the pick guard. Lots of fun changing batteries. The bass was now mono.

Around that same time I put a single coil pickup in the mute compartment of the Rick. It was an old pickup from a Teisco taken out of the case.

In the late 70s I had a '74 P bass with two P pickups, the extra one being at the bridge. Then I converted the bass into an eight string, installed Model Ps, and then in the 80s I cut the body into a different shape, painted it first florescent pink, and then fuchsia (hey it was the 80s!), and added a DiMarzio Model G at the neck.


(yay the 80! lol Note the keyboard player sitting on the Farfisa organ keys for the big noise ending)

That bass had seven switches. It was on/off for each pickup, and series/parallel for each pickup, and a phase switch for one of them. It also had a 6 position varitone, which it needed, because it was very midrangy.

In the 90s I added a third pickup to one of my SGD basses:



Back then I used EMGs. I had a 40P5, 40DC and a 40J in the bass on the left. The I replaced the 40J with a regular J, which I felt sounded better. I tried many combinations of the pickups, and then eventually made my own pickups for those basses.

For the eagle eyed readers; yes, the bass on the right is missing the output jack and a string is broken. It was just posed for the photo.

Great GREAT story. I love these stories and especially the pics from better days gone by. (Was that 80s band called The Jetsonz?)

I was wrestling monosynths and Hammond choppers in that same period between 1977 and 1990. Along with wrestling dirtbikes on a motocross track .. heheh..




Really nice basses you had going on there. Lots and lots of experimentation and *out-of-that-bloody-frekkin-box* thinking. I totally dig those ideas. I'm in the midst of doing a lot of experimenting myself, but I've moved the bulk of the bass's wiring outside of the bass itself. Do you (or anyone else) see any issues with carrying out some of these parallel/series ideas outside of the bass? I've wired the pickups to discrete outputs, no tone controls. They hit volume pots on the way out but each one is given it's own output jack (a switching jack arrangement is used to provide a mono mix -- exactly the same scheme that the stock Squier J has. If I use just one jack then I get the standard 2-pickup sum, but if I insert a second cord I get discrete pickup signals from each jack).

So can I experiment with para/series routings outside of the bass or is there some cord-capacitance or other Mojo/The Force/Celestial issue in the way?

Same thing for when I install a 3rd pickup (my intuition tells me a Porter Cable 892 may be under the tree).

Thx .... and, great thread Steve ....

[Doner Designs]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

You're welcome. Thanks for the invite.

Phase switches are pretty useless on a bass, but at the time it seemed like a cool thing to do. You can also use on-off-on toggles for the series/parallel to double as on-off switches. Assuming you are doing series/parallel.

You mean three position DPDT with center off for series/off/parallel? I thought about that too...but why use 3 switches when you can use 6.

[Doner Designs]

A couple of sister threads I'm fond of that cover excessive onboard and outboard controls respectively. Posters to this thead probably would be into these others also...

Basses with the most control knobs and switches.

Experimental Fully Modular Bass Rig.

[Doner Designs]

Some cool stuff here too. We did not post our guts to the thread below. Not sure we are in the same league - some very elegant connections.

Guts of Glory, Show your bass guts.

[MarkusBass]