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A simple varitone circuit for your bass -

#121
G&L L-1000's have two tone pots on a passive bass. One cuts high end, one cuts low end. I'm planning on doing this when I rework the electronics in my Skyline 55-01, but standard pots and the like, not caps and switches.

KO

Dave said:
I saw a couple pages back that a diagram was "wrong" and removed low end instead of high end. Has anyone tried using the two in conjunction with each other? I like the idea of being able to have a sort of high pass filter at varying frequencies (up to ~80-100hz) as well as being able to remove high end.

For someone who's a complete noob with this stuff, how would you wire in the jacks to make this a standalone box?
Click to expand...
 
#123
jumbo, I still have the caps in my basses and the box still works for me. I am not a huge fan of the higher frequencies, so I usually roll some of the tone knob off. I don't know if "technically" there is some interaction of a cap on a tone knob even when it's not "being used". I would bet there is, but...

On another note, I picked up some N4148 diodes at the RatShack today. I put them in a lug of one of my "varitones" and it does work to get some grit. I liken it to the mild overdrive from a driven tube amp. When I played through my B15 S it sounded great. I also took a cap, I think .01, and twisted it in with the diodes. Cool sounds, more middy buzz. Then I took two more diodes, and twisted them in. Now there are four diodes and a cap. Just more of the drive, not much more.

Does anybody know if I just keep putting more and more diodes together like this, will I get more overdrive with more diodes?

Should I remove the cap, play around with values?

Would getting a different value diode change the drive I'm getting? In what way?

Thanks guys!
 
#124
the 6 position switch in the first post can be used for 12 settings by adding a SPDT toggle switch.

the signal from the centre lug of the volume goes to the middle lug on the toggle, then one of the outer lugs of the toggle connects to one of the 'central' lugs on the rotary switch as shown, the other lug from the toggle connects to the other 'central' lug on the rotary. then you can use the other 6 connections, and the toggle (either A or B position) chooses which half of the rotary is being used (with positions 1-6).

this will give you positions A1, A2, ..., A6, B1, B2, ..., B6.
 
#126
Thanks for the easy to use diagram!

Just used it in my 'vintage BCRich style' build (think mahogany/maple/rosewood with dimarzio model P, and soon to be an 8-string).
One lug for clean, four with caps for cutting highs and high mids, and the sixth is a distortion. With a series parallel switch (in place of the volume knob, who uses that anyways!) I can get a rather large variety of tone from one passive pickup.

Cost me 9 bucks from radio shack (not including the diodes for the distortion I already had), got a bit ripped off on the capacitors, but it woulda been about the same with shipping from any good supplier on such a small order anyways.

Just need to pop on the 'bay and find some cool chickenheads!
 
#127
ok i feel like an idiot but i have two questions.... first when u run the wire from the pole to the cap. does the wire touch one or both of the prongs and from the pick up to the volume pot do but wires go to the same pllace?
 
#130
You only need one pole on the switch.

Here's the Craig Anderton version:
 

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#132
I want to thank Dark Horse for his work on this and SGD_Lutherie and davelowell2 for answering my questions. I finished wiring this up(with some help) in my old bass this weekend, and it sounds ridiculously awesome. :hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper:

I used Quarter Pounders with a 500k volume pot and the following caps after testing about 30 different possibilities.

1-open
2-0.010
3-0.022
4-0.047
5-0.100
6-0.470

It's amazing. The thud from that 0.470 is just nuts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys rock.
 
#133
So I found this thread a couple days ago and decided to give it a shot. Ended up costing me more becasue it's my first time and I screwed up by not doing my research.

I put a new neck on my squire P and things just went from there all in al I spent about 250 dollars in parts and tools. There was definately some waste. But this is a good mod.

For a first time I'm pleased witht he results and look forward to cleaning up the wiring and replacing/repairing the pickguard (errant hole!)

for the Varitone I used a big old silver knob from Radio shack and I think it pops!.

Since I have put this baby in I have increased line noise. I haven't shielded it yet. Copper tape is coming. aside from that is there anything to do to decrease the hum?
 
#134
smoothdave said:
I want to thank Dark Horse for his work on this and SGD_Lutherie and davelowell2 for answering my questions. I finished wiring this up(with some help) in my old bass this weekend, and it sounds ridiculously awesome. :hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper:

I used Quarter Pounders with a 500k volume pot and the following caps after testing about 30 different possibilities.

1-open
2-0.010
3-0.022
4-0.047
5-0.100
6-0.470



It's amazing. The thud from that 0.470 is just nuts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys rock.
Click to expand...

man you must get some killer tones from that. I'm gonna try this but do a box install instead and bypass the tone knobs in the basses
 
#135
Siceone said:
Since I have put this baby in I have increased line noise. I haven't shielded it yet. Copper tape is coming. aside from that is there anything to do to decrease the hum?
Click to expand...

I am now a huge fan of copper shielding. I didn't have it in the bass before, and I added it with this mod. If I have any of the caps active, it is dead silent. If I use the open setting, it is almost dead silent. It's amazing.

I shielded the pickup cavity, the body cavity, and the hole between them. I also made sure all of that shielding was grounded.

I don't think you'll have a problem with noise when you are done.
 
#138
smoothdave said:
I want to thank Dark Horse for his work on this and SGD_Lutherie and davelowell2 for answering my questions. I finished wiring this up(with some help) in my old bass this weekend, and it sounds ridiculously awesome. :hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper::hyper:

I used Quarter Pounders with a 500k volume pot and the following caps after testing about 30 different possibilities.

1-open
2-0.010
3-0.022
4-0.047
5-0.100
6-0.470

It's amazing. The thud from that 0.470 is just nuts.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. You guys rock.
Click to expand...

Could you record a couple of those changes? I'm particularly interested in hearing the 0.22, 0.047 and 0.470 values.
 
#139
Stealth said:
Could you record a couple of those changes? I'm particularly interested in hearing the 0.22, 0.047 and 0.470 values.
Click to expand...

I made two recordings. The first one is a blues scale; the second is just whole notes on open strings and then at the 12th fret for each string. I'm going straight into my Mac with no effects. When you hear the pause, that's the change to the next setting. I started with open(no cap) and worked my way up to the .47 in position six.

1- no cap
2-0.01
3-0.022
4-0.047
5-0.1
6-0.47

I kept the volume full on, however it is probably worth noting that since it is a 500k volume pot, I usually back it down just a bit when I'm using the lower caps, but I turn it full on when I'm using the higher caps. Also, the .47 really takes a chunk out of the volume, so that's why it drops down.

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