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A simple varitone circuit for your bass -

#42
Hey Dark Horse: How 'bout a photo of one already built? I'd like to see the best way to physically construct this (how/where to position all those caps), especially given the limited cavity space. THANKS!
 
#43
Jo6Pak said:
Hey Dark Horse: How 'bout a photo of one already built? I'd like to see the best way to physically construct this (how/where to position all those caps), especially given the limited cavity space. THANKS!
Click to expand...

If I get time I'll take the pickguard off and take a photo, but it won't be for at least a few days - I have an incredibly busy week ahead of me.

I ran the caps over the switch, careful to not touch the leads together or to the switch contacts. You can use a little shrink wrap on the leads to isolate things if you feel the need.
 
#44
newbold said:
If you put a pot in series with this unit you can control how much it varies the tone....
Click to expand...


Yep - I detailed how in one of the early posts - ;)

Dark Horse said:
Sure -

If you want top vary the amount that bleeds to ground, use another pot - run the leads on the "ground" side of the capacitors to lug-3 of the "tone" pot. Connect lug 2 and 1 of the "tone" pot to each other/ground. That will vary how much goes through to ground, and the varitone switch will determine what frequencies go to ground.
Click to expand...
 
#49
So if I took one setting on the switch, and connected it to ground with no cap involved, that would send all frequencies to ground and put my bass at zero volume, right? Just making sure. I'm thinking of putting one of these in a three pickup bass I'm working on that won't have a master volume, so it would be nice to have a kill switch without putting more holes in the PG.
 
#50
M0ses said:
So if I took one setting on the switch, and connected it to ground with no cap involved, that would send all frequencies to ground and put my bass at zero volume, right? Just making sure. I'm thinking of putting one of these in a three pickup bass I'm working on that won't have a master volume, so it would be nice to have a kill switch without putting more holes in the PG.
Click to expand...


Yep, that would work as a kill switch
 
#51
Dark Horse said:
Sure -

If you want top vary the amount that bleeds to ground, use another pot - run the leads on the "ground" side of the capacitors to lug-3 of the "tone" pot. Connect lug 2 and 1 of the "tone" pot to each other/ground. That will vary how much goes through to ground, and the varitone switch will determine what frequencies go to ground.

I can draw a picture if needed and post it tomorrow. Let me know.
Click to expand...
Yes, please, when you get a chance. Can you also put the two jacks in there so I can make a box?

Thanks a lot for this!
 
#52
So, I'm trying to make a box with this.
I got far enough that the switch works, but the "tone" pot seems like there's not a lot of action until the end of travel of the pot, then it very abruptly turns off all sound. Like a killswitch.
What am I doing wrong? Where should the ground go to off of lug 1 and 2 which are connected? The negative of the output jack?

Thanks in advance.
 
#53
Well, I got it up an running! Pretty cool. However, I could not get the pot going. Maybe I don't know or understand what it will do but here's what it did.

I made mine with an open setting, like yours, and a kill setting, with 4 caps.

On the kill switch setting, the pot would open it up and close it down. Is that right? Sounds wrong because I want the killswitch always to kill and if the knob is not all the way it will just sound like the open setting.

On the the other settings, not the kill or open, it would just roll back to open all the way, but very abruptly. Not much adjustment in the travel. Does this sound right?

Later, Dave.
 
#54
Sorry, I totally spaced this thread Dave - good to know you got it running.

As far as the pot, you probably just needed to try a different value. Another possibility would be putting the pot inline BEFORE the rotary switch to vary the amount of signal that hits the caps.
 
#55
davelowell2 said:
Well, I got it up an running! Pretty cool. However, I could not get the pot going. Maybe I don't know or understand what it will do but here's what it did.

I made mine with an open setting, like yours, and a kill setting, with 4 caps.

On the kill switch setting, the pot would open it up and close it down. Is that right? Sounds wrong because I want the killswitch always to kill and if the knob is not all the way it will just sound like the open setting.

On the the other settings, not the kill or open, it would just roll back to open all the way, but very abruptly. Not much adjustment in the travel. Does this sound right?

Later, Dave.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the pot would nullify the "kill" setting except when it was at it's open" setting.

See above post for details on alternate pot use, though it won't help with the Kill setting.

Also, if there is any interest, I might post a project that is easy to build and similar to the Ayan Smooth and Slim. Real cool for bass. I just have to find time to draw it up.
 
#56
I used a 250 k. Any thoughts on what to try next?

Let me say, thanks for doing this kind of thing. I am not good at the theory but ok at the practice of making. This is useful to me.

Also, I used .1 .01 .001 .047, all uf. How would I arrange these to kind of be progressive? Or is that the right word?

One more, can I use all twelve spots on the switch? Or would I have to get two switches to get more options?

Dave
 
#57
davelowell2 said:
I used a 250 k. Any thoughts on what to try next?

Let me say, thanks for doing this kind of thing. I am not good at the theory but ok at the practice of making. This is useful to me.

Also, I used .1 .01 .001 .047, all uf. How would I arrange these to kind of be progressive? Or is that the right word?

One more, can I use all twelve spots on the switch? Or would I have to get two switches to get more options?

Dave
Click to expand...

Just to make sure I got it straight, you built it into a box? You might want to disconnect the tone control in your bass since it will affect the external control.
 
#58
davelowell2 said:
On the kill switch setting, the pot would open it up and close it down. Is that right? Sounds wrong because I want the killswitch always to kill and if the knob is not all the way it will just sound like the open setting.


Later, Dave.
Click to expand...

You could fix that simply by wiring the kill position straight to ground, bypassing the pot on that setting. No problem.

Or am I wrong?

Just out of curiousity, how would the system be affected if you put the pot before the switch? Obviously that would ruin my solution to his kill switch problem, but would there be any other affects?
 
#59
davelowell2 said:
I made mine with an open setting, like yours, and a kill setting, with 4 caps.

On the kill switch setting, the pot would open it up and close it down. Is that right? Sounds wrong because I want the killswitch always to kill and if the knob is not all the way it will just sound like the open setting.

On the the other settings, not the kill or open, it would just roll back to open all the way, but very abruptly. Not much adjustment in the travel. Does this sound right?

Later, Dave.
Click to expand...

Did you use a six position switch? Is is a 2 pole switch? If it is, and they usually are, you can wire the kill position up separately of the pot on the other pole of the switch.
 
#60
I don't think disconnecting the tone pot on the bass is necessary? I just have it full on. No harm, I think.

I did build it into a box.

I took the pot out because I wasn't sure I did it correctly, however, after Darkstrike's last post, I did.

But I don't like two things and one of them is the kill switch. I'll fix that by bypassing the pot, good suggestion.

The other thing I don't like is that it seems all the usable range of the pot was in the very last bit of travel. I want to get a pot that can use more of the travel. Does that make sense? Do you know what I'm saying?

I'd love some suggestions about pots. I just used a 250k that goes into guitars. I don't know what that is called, but I believe there are different types as well as values of pots. Any help?

Thanks, guys!
 

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