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Series/single/parallel in a mm pickup, help please

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Darkstrike

Return Of The King!
Sep 14, 2007
18,679
408
#1
Ok, I posted this over on the pickup forum(http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449996), looking for help, but I thought here might be a good place to try too.

The idea is that I have this bass(Cort GB-74), and want to re-wire it, at the moment it has a three way switch for a humbucker pickup, going single/humbucking(parallel?)/single, both of the single coil modes sound the same, so I was hoping I could re-wire it for series/single/parallel, the same switch should work(I think), can anyone tell me what I need to change?

Here's the Schematic.
GB-74schem.jpg

GB-74schemcloseswitch.jpg


Thanks in advance to all who read.:)
 
#2
check this out:

Invalid Link Removed

FIGURE 1...


the KA pickup coils are W-/G+ for coil 1, R-/B+ for coil 2

you have Blue-/Black + for coil 1, W-/R + for coil 2

so...if you use the wiring instruction I gave you...
and substitute White for your Blue, Green for your Black, Red for your W, and Black for your Red, you'll get what you desire.
 
#3
Ok, thanks, I think I see, just a few more questions, if you don't mind,
1, the lead marked output on your diagram, I assume this goes to my balance knob?
2, the lead going from the side of my switch to the eq pots, I don't touch this do I?
3, the white lead in your diagram, with the ground symbol, what do I attach that to to ground it?
 
#4
Ok, using PilbaraBass's schematic colour layout I drew this up in paint, should be right.
Notes,
the blue line should be white, and will be grounded to the cavity shielding,
the yellow line connects from the side of the switch to the eq stacked pot, this is stock, and I'm assuming I should not touch that,
the grey shielding line, stock is grounded to the side of the blend pot, I'm also assuming this should stay the same.
Schemmodpic.jpg


So, does this look right?

P.S. Sorry for the crappy pic!
 
#5
Darkstrike said:
Ok, thanks, I think I see, just a few more questions, if you don't mind,
1, the lead marked output on your diagram, I assume this goes to my balance knob?
2, the lead going from the side of my switch to the eq pots, I don't touch this do I?
3, the white lead in your diagram, with the ground symbol, what do I attach that to to ground it?
Click to expand...

1...yes
2...don't touch...this is a shield (screen)
3...the ground is cable already soldered to the EQ pots...

I am confused by your colour codes on your diagram (why don't you use the same colours as your pickup?)
 
#10
I have it done thanks everyone, turns out that all that was wrong is that the pickups ground lead(the bare wire,), needed to be grounded to lug 6, not to a pot.


Sounds incredible! :D

Thanks again too all who looked, and helped!:)
 
#11
Darkstrike said:
I have it done thanks everyone, turns out that all that was wrong is that the pickups ground lead(the bare wire,), needed to be grounded to lug 6, not to a pot.


Sounds incredible! :D

Thanks again too all who looked, and helped!:)
Click to expand...

I was wrong, like a tool, I forgot to check what my blend was set to:rolleyes:, still killing the pickup when switched down, and now I'm more confused than ever!:atoz:
 
#12
Alrghty, I really have it this time, turns out coil one was Red+ Black-
and coil two was White+ Blue-

This is the way it worked out in the end.
1 connects to 5 connects to BLUE
2 connects to RED
3 connects to WHITE connects to blend pot
4 no connection
5 (see 1)
6 connects to BLACK connects to earth (don't use shielding...use a pot case)

EDIT, there seems to be a big loss in volume when the blend is centred though, is it out of phase?
 
#13
Darkstrike said:
Alrghty, I really have it this time, turns out coil one was Red+ Black-
and coil two was White+ Blue-

This is the way it worked out in the end.
1 connects to 5 connects to BLUE
2 connects to RED
3 connects to WHITE connects to blend pot
4 no connection
5 (see 1)
6 connects to BLACK connects to earth (don't use shielding...use a pot case)

EDIT, there seems to be a big loss in volume when the blend is centred though, is it out of phase?
Click to expand...


could be...is it drop in volume AND thinning of tone? if so then it's out of phase

otherwise, could be normal
 
#14
PilbaraBass said:
could be...is it drop in volume AND thinning of tone? if so then it's out of phase

otherwise, could be normal
Click to expand...

I'm not too sure, the volume drop seems to be way bigger than before I modded it, so that could be it loosing bass, but I tried wiring it in so many different combos, I just don't know what else to try, this is the only way(besides stock) that it seems to work at all three positions.
 
#15
Sounds like a phase problem between the HB and the single -- so the first thing I'd try is switching the positions of the wires from the single-coil on the blend -- so put the ground wire to the lug and the lug wire to ground, which should reverse it's relationship to the output of the HB.

OR

assume you got your +'s and -'s wrong in the HB, and just reverse them : so use the same switch wiring, but these values: Red- Black+, White- Blue+...or even just try switching the destinations of the black and white wires on the blend (similar to the change suggested for the single coil)...but I didn't sift through that diagram to see if that would work.

Just remember -- don't switch BOTH the wiring of the single AND the HB -- then you'd just be replicating the problem, but in a different "direction" or whatever...

If you had the two colis of the HB out of phase, you'd get a drop in volume with the blend all the way to the back (so, full HB volume, 0 single volume), and the switch in the third position (parallel) -- that's basically what people often get when they switch a jazz bass from v-v-t to v-b-t, but get the pickups out of phase.

Also, if you're doing a lot of soldering and resoldering, consider cleaning those lugs off at some point -- if you start accumulating a lot of stray solder (that is, if you're messy like me) you might start getting poor connections that could affect the output in deceptive ways.

Don't give up!

ltt
 
#16
Yeh, it was a phase problem, what I did was swap the lead going to ground and the lead going to the blend, I swapped them on the switch rather than at the pots as there was too many wires in the way, works like a charm now!
 

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