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3 pickup switching : please comment (wiring diagram provided)

XLunacy

XLunacy

Nov 28, 2013
1,519
2,506
#1
Hey,

So this is my very first attempt at making a wiring schematics (or an electronic circuit at all for that matter), so I may not have all the conventions and notations right.

The context is a 3 pickup bass (3 dual-coil side by side), and the idea is to have almost any pickup combination that you may think of :
- any pickup can be soloed, and internally switched in series / parallel / SC
- any two pickups can be combined in series, or blended in parallel
- when combining two pickups in series, the third pickup can be blended in
- when blending two pickups in parallel, the third pickup can be added in series

I was inspired by the 4-way rotary switch that Dingwall has, but wanted to go even further !

So I've split the switching into 3 parts :
- individual switches that change the internal wiring of each pickup in series / SC / parallel
- a 6P3T switch that "reorders" the pickups, with P1 and P2 forming the pair used in the next step
- a 4P3T switch that deciders whether that pair P1 P2 is series, parallel, and how the third pickup is added

This could also have been done with a 9 position switch, but this looks simpler to me.

Does this work as I intended ? Can this be simplified ? Will having more switches increase noise issues, or weaken the signal somehow ?
How weird will my luthier look at me if I hand this out to him ? :laugh:

Feel free to comment, I know I have a lot to learn.
Thank you !

3p_9way_switch.png


(the software I used for this : Software > DIY Layout Creator : DIY Fever – Building my own guitars, amps and pedals)
 
#3
Subscribed for the discussion. I love three-pickup basses, but I predict that you will quickly tire of having all those options. Been there, done that.

I keep my three-pickup instruments simple, using a Freeway Switch.

FWS3.jpg
 
#4
Jazz Ad said:
There are 6 ways to wire a humbucker. 6x6x6x5 ways to wire 3 humbuckers together. Do you really need 2160 combinations, plus blending ?
Click to expand...
ctmullins said:
Subscribed for the discussion. I love three-pickup basses, but I predict that you will quickly tire of having all those options. Been there, done that.

I keep my three-pickup instruments simple, using a Freeway Switch.

View attachment 4188150
Click to expand...
:roflmao: I knew this would happen. Fair point.

I've "limited" myself to 3x3x3x9 = 243, pretty reasonable I'd say ! I can probably get rid of the SC for each pickup, so 2x2x2x9 = 72, but that SC option is so cheap I'd feel bad not to include it :laugh:

As to know which combinations I need and which I don't, I must say that I have no idea... Until I get to hear them ! Since it's going to be a new instrument, I can't tell for sure what will work and what will not.
I do know that after a while, I'll probably cycle through 3 to 5 configurations that I have decided I liked, for the music I'm currently playing, and for my current style of playing, and with the people I'm currently playing and... :) Things change, and if I am to have an instrument made to my specifications, I want it to remain relevant as long as possible ! From my POV, an additional 3 position switch is a cheap price to pay for the added flexibility.

Whatever happens though, this has been an interesting intellectual process !
 
#7
Soooo not quite as successful as I hoped :roflmao: I'll try again.

I've remade the first switching block to be easier to understand. I think it shows more directly what I'm trying to do, but lots of wires.
I've also found a way to replace the 4P3T switch with a simpler DPDT.

3p_9way_switch_v2.png
 
#9
vickerekes said:
Did this a long time ago on my Bass VI (attached, 35 settings) and am very satisfied.
Click to expand...
Very interesting read, thanks :)

The addition of a blend knob allows to merge two combinations into one (each being at one extreme position of the knob), plus the added benefit of the blend of course ; I think it expands the possibilities at a modest cost.
I did have to exclude two combinations : 3 pickups in series (I figured it would get muddy very quickly), and 3 pickups in parallel (opposite reason, might get quite thin and hollow, plus not knowing how the blend is supposed to work in this case).
 
#10
XLunacy said:
Very interesting read, thanks :)

The addition of a blend knob allows to merge two combinations into one (each being at one extreme position of the knob), plus the added benefit of the blend of course ; I think it expands the possibilities at a modest cost.
I did have to exclude two combinations : 3 pickups in series (I figured it would get muddy very quickly), and 3 pickups in parallel (opposite reason, might get quite thin and hollow, plus not knowing how the blend is supposed to work in this case).
Click to expand...

With my '62 Bass VI, I pretty much live at the 3 pickups in series setting...
hotter, more full signal for playing with a pick. YMMV
 
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#11
vickerekes said:
With my '62 Bass VI, I pretty much live at the 3 pickups in series setting...
hotter, more full signal for playing with a pick. YMMV
Click to expand...
And this is precisely why I'm going for this seemingly overwhelming switching system, you can never know what will sound good to you unless you try it :bassist: More possibilities, more experimentation.

I've made this table to document the function of each switch and help visualize.

Table_2.png
 
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#12
I've redone the schematic for the first switch, using an actual rotary to make it clearer hopefully.
3p_9way_switch_v3.png


Each wafer is wired separately but they belong to the same switch :
interrupteur-electronique-sourcingmap-r-6p3t-6-po.jpg


I've also added a schematic diagram to help visualize what the second switch is supposed to do :
SwitchII_graphics.png


Please comment ! It'd help a lot to have someone that actually knows this stuff to somehow validate this. Thank you :) The actual building of the bass should start very soon :hyper:
 
#14
I'd love to comment, but it's all over my head. I have a few 3-pickup basses, but I have a guy who does my electronics for me (Michael at Turnstyle Switch, if you're interested).

Basically, I get a 6-position rotary switch to do anything I want with, and I have him hook it up so I have one channel with manual control, and five voice presets. I'd recommend it if you weren't already doing this project your way.
 

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