I just wired my Squire P-bass with 4-500k pots, 1-4pdt switch, a 4 conductor CB radio input and a 1/4" input so I can get easier stereo amping. For some reason when I switch the 4pdt to the 1/4" position, I have no Volume Control and no Tone control and it is stuck on full blast. Any ideas?
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2 Volumes to 1 Craziness!
- Thread starter Captain Grunge
- Start date
What you've described does not make sense, based on the diagram shown. The volume and tone pots should function normally. If they don't, you have not followed the wiring properly, and should double check it.
There are two issues with your diagram, though. First off, there is no need to ever switch grounds. You want everything operating at the same ground potential, regardless of the switching, in this instance. Second, you have the volume pots wired with the wiper terminals varying output impedance at the jack, but there is no pickup selector to allow for pickup soloing. Rolling either volume down will kill the output, so there is no way to solo the pickups unless you swap the terminals around to allow the resistance of the volume pots to vary against the pickups while the output impedance remains constant for the other pickup when soloing.
Also, there is no need to even have a switch in the circuit. You can do mono/stereo switching with the proper choice of jacks, so that a cable in the stereo jack carries two signals, while a cable in the mono jack shunts the two signals to one output when needed.
There are two issues with your diagram, though. First off, there is no need to ever switch grounds. You want everything operating at the same ground potential, regardless of the switching, in this instance. Second, you have the volume pots wired with the wiper terminals varying output impedance at the jack, but there is no pickup selector to allow for pickup soloing. Rolling either volume down will kill the output, so there is no way to solo the pickups unless you swap the terminals around to allow the resistance of the volume pots to vary against the pickups while the output impedance remains constant for the other pickup when soloing.
Also, there is no need to even have a switch in the circuit. You can do mono/stereo switching with the proper choice of jacks, so that a cable in the stereo jack carries two signals, while a cable in the mono jack shunts the two signals to one output when needed.
I followed the diagram exact. I got the diagram from stewmac.com- [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] , which was pretty much half of the wiring you see, So if it should work, I don't get why it's not. And the reason I did it this way is so I can switch back to Mono when I want to. I use rack equipment; and instead of having to lug around 2 heavy chords, I have just one with 4 conductors with 2 sets of male & female 4 conductor jacks. Now to run that I have it running to a homemade rack unit (very basic) with 1, 4 conductor input leading back out to 2, 1/4" females, so I can run to 2 different amps. And out of curiousity, Does it matter if I have the grounds switched? And while typing this I went to a different wiring source and found the problem. Thanks for at least responding and helping, Thank you.
- Aug 21, 2008
- 10,386
- 252
- 68
- Disclosures
- Owner, SGD Music Products
Check the switch wiring. It sounds like you don't have the grounds being switched, so then your pots won't turn down.
Try this, wire the 1/4" ground right to the pots. Don't use the switch. Just switch the hots.
Try this, wire the 1/4" ground right to the pots. Don't use the switch. Just switch the hots.
