3 Pickup Bass owner....how did you configure your knobs and electronics?

[Pete Greaves]

For what it is worth here is how I did mine. The active passive is really nice (interestingly the Noll preamp on active and everything set to middle sounds identical to passive). If you set the j/p blend center you can sweep the jazz pickups which is really nice. Only change I will make to this is possible replace the Nordstrand P pickup with a Klein Epic '62 I have.

 

[nlmcguire91]

Here's my project, a mid 2000s MII Squier P body getting stuffed full with DiMarzios: Model One/P/J. It's getting 4 knobs, 500k push/pull pots so each gets individual mode controls, and a single push/pull tone to go between 0.05 and 0.001 uf caps. I don't do a lot of in-song adjustment, so whatever adjustments I need to make don't need to happen in the blink of an eye. I'd rather not be limited to whatever configurations a 5-position switch would afford me, but to each their own

 

[Hiddenroom]

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

I have been playing a 67 Precision for 37 years with a JPJ configuration of Bartolini pickups and preamp. I just have volume-treble-bass controls (TBT preamp- state of the art in the late seventies). I have on-off-on (DPDT) switch for each pick up. The choices for each is on in-phase, off, and on out of phase. I actually spoke to Bill and Pat Bartolini about the best way to wire it. And it has been a beast for 37 years. After acquiring other basses the only change I would like to have is a sweepable mid range control. But as this bass has been my workhorse for all these years I dare not change it. I would rather have another made.

 

[kkaarrll]

I like the op's pickup locations idea. Kind of a ricky pbass

 

[John East]

One way I've helped players have a blend set-up allowing any combination of 3 PU mix, is to have a passive blend between the 2 Js, along with a master (active) blend between the P and the Js passive blend output.

I'm not sure how well this would work with a pair of passive blends, just about to try that for a player shortly.

 

[Pete Greaves]

One way I've helped players have a blend set-up allowing any combination of 3 PU mix, is to have a passive blend between the 2 Js, along with a master (active) blend between the P and the Js passive blend output.

I'm not sure how well this would work with a pair of passive blends, just about to try that for a player shortly.

---------

That is what I have now (with a Noll preamp), see a few posts up. I had it before as a passive setup with a jazz blend, and then fed straight into passive jazz harness (Volume for the jazz blend, volume for the precision) and it worked great, no real loss of tone or volume.

 

[swampbark]

Some things to think about:

It is not just about the individual pickups, you have many options to use multiple pickups in series and parallel. The basic MM Stingray has one double coil pickup with three switch settings - single coil, parallel and series. One pickup and one switch to get three different tones.

Most stacked pots are available with multi-pole switches so you can save real estate by using switches on pots. (Not as easy to remember as a row of switches though.)

Master volume and tone can be life savers on stage for quick changes.

Sorry. I probably didn't help narrow your options. But lots of cool tones are available via coil manipulation;-)

 

[Joe Baldassarre]

The way to go is definitely 3 On-Off switches. On mine, I have one (master) volume knob and one tone knob (controlling the bridge pickup). It works fine for me that way, although I no longer remember the k value of these controls.

My son (37) has a Fender Jazz Bass to which he added a neck pickup. He has 3 On-Off switches and no knobs. [Rationale] The amp always has better tone (or EQ) controls than the bass, and volume changes can be done with the fingers or the amp's volume controls.

Good luck with your new custom-made baby!

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

 

[Gammit10]

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

I did exactly this (JPJ), and went with three volume knobs: one per pickup. I could have used blend knobs and/or switches, but my approach felt more idiot-proof if I were to ever be inebriated on-stage.

 

[cm3ohana]

So many options to choose from which can get as complicated or as simple as you like. Too many choices was my problem. However, as others have said, I decided to go the path of three on/off switches a volume and a tone. Simplicity won out for me. I do have a preamp also installed but not yet connected in the bass for more tone shaping possibilities down the road when I get up the nerve (and time) to connect it. Good luck. Sounds like a fun and exciting project.

 

[razboinikoff]

Before a few years I made a take on the JPJ theme too. Here you can see some pictures - Rockbass

As I prefer to have separate volume controls for J pickups it has vol-vol-tone pots + 3 way switch. Front position of the switch select the P pickup, back position - J pickups and middle position activate all three pickups. This way you can have all possible combinations - Jazz, Precision, PJ, Jazz bass with front or back pickup slightly reduced in volume and finally - front J pickup + P pickup which is wonderful sound.

 

[Antisyzygy]

I think a JPJ would be best set up with a

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

I like to think of the goals in mind before I'd design the control scheme.

Why did you opt for the JPJ configuration?

The neck J pickup would likely be good for dialing in some boom or woof.

The middle P pickup is where your mids will be mostly coming from. Sort of the "Well rounded" default bass tone.

The bridge pickup would likely be good for adding in some grind and/or bite.

Then of course you get a scoop if you use two or more pickups together at once. The P and bridge J would be somewhat of a quasi-Jazz bass scooped sound. The two Js together would likely sound somewhere between a Ric and a Jazz as far as that scoop goes. The neck J and middle P may sound somewhat like a Ric scoop.

So what sort of tone is part of your style?

If it were me, I wouldn't add a separate volume and tone for each pickup. There's just too much going on at that rate. Also the tones will most likely interact, not just control the tone of one pickup.

A master tone is all I'd use. You'll have more than enough variation in tone from blending pickups. Beyond that there are lots of ways to divide up the pickups with volumes and switches. It really depends on which pickups you'd use most often, and what sort of music you want to play what I would do there. Also subject to preference which I won't share yours entirely Im sure.

 

[ryco]

Had a '75 P modded in '80 by Mark Arnquist.
SD QuarterPounders. Stack vol/tone controls each pup. Also added a BadAss II bridge and brass nut.
Later added an overall "kill" switch.

 

[fuglas]

I used concentric pot but I thought that it was too tall, so I recessed it into the top, and it was a trick to do.

 

[john nelson]

I've never used a tone control on my bass either. I didn't know so many other people didn't too. If I was creating a multi pickup bass at this point, it would be wired more like a Strat than anything else. Another thing with me, never cared much for a humbucking bass pickup-always liked single coils better. If there is a better location for a bass pickup than the one on my 1968 Telecaster, I can't imagine where it would be. I like heavy gauge, round wound strings too which makes me a thorough eccentric, I guess.

 

[BIGBOTTOMBASS]

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

I went the super simple route, volume for each pickup and a tone.

 

[bassbenj]

I have a Modulus TBX (active) that originally came with just three toggle switches, one for each pickup. Now I am a fan of switches rather than volumes or blend knobs (for example many of amy SX Jazz clones (two pickups) I've wired with a rotary switch that is neck only, both series, both parallel, bridge only, and mute. However to get that kind of range out of three pickups I rewired my Modulus with a circuit that still has three toggle switches. But each switch has 3 positions center is "off", One way puts that pickup in series with the rest, and the other way puts it in parallel with the rest. It's cool. I posted the Circuit here in TB a while back, maybe in the pickup forum? I can't remember. It's pretty complex.

 

[duke of earl]

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

H

 

[duke of earl]

Hey all,

Im currently have a custom bass being built for me. Its gonna be a Landing Bass in a J P J three pickup format. Ive decided to go with 3 stack knobs. Of which, each pickup receives a volume and tone.

On top of that I will have three small jaguar style On-Off switches for each pup. I basically wanted to get individual control over every pickup and have options as well. Right now the builder is planning on using 500k stack pots, but I may go with 250k pots. Not too sure.

I wanted to see how other 3 pickup bass owners configured their knobs and electronics. And if you want to give some opinion on the route Ive gone, please chime in. Here's a few picks of my bass from a month or so ago.

Hmmmm Back in the day I had j bass with 3 Pups. 2 Dimarzios split coil model j and a fender j pu in the mid position volume control for each pu and a master tone. Side mounted jack. I wanted to keep it as simple as possible it had the capability of getting that gibson like boom with the neck pu. Turned on but I barely used it too boomy.

 

[reep]

My first assembly was a Tele guitar-turned-bass short scale with three violin bass humbuckers. I used a standard Strat 5-way Oak-Grigsby switch for N/N+M/M/M+B/B and a toggle on the control panel for the Gilmour mod (N+B). Master volume and master TBX tone control.