black & blond P makeover (etc)

[JIO]

So I coated the cavities w/carbon shielding paint after adding a bit of narrow pu shelving additions to screw into - and hooked it up as a 2 pu bass. As much as there is a nice distinction of tone, the Fender bucker is anemic compared to the Dimarzio bridge pu. So.., I routed out the pg for the bucker and counter-sunk the V knob to set-it up as a three pu bass. A 500k pot for the bucker should wake it up wired to a three way switch as suggested by @Will_White. (at least I think he suggested this set-up… can't find it right now!) I prefer this tact as it was my original intent. To be continued...

 

[Will_White]

So I coated the cavities w/carbon shielding paint after adding a bit of narrow pu shelving additions to screw into - and hooked it up as a 2 pu bass. As much as there is a nice distinction of tone, the Fender bucker is anemic compared to the Dimarzio bridge pu. So.., I routed out the pg for the bucker and counter-sunk the V knob to set-it up as a three pu bass. A 500k pot for the bucker should wake it up wired to a three way switch as suggested by @Will_White. (at least I think he suggested this set-up… can't find it right now!) I prefer this tact as it was my original intent. To be continued...

The new Tele pickup is anemic compared to the bridge pickup in the J neck position? I can't remember myself if I was the one to suggest it, but I know I did a diagram to add a pickup w/ a push/pull volume for you.

 

[JIO]

The new Tele pickup is anemic compared to the bridge pickup in the J neck position? I can't remember myself if I was the one to suggest it, but I know I did a diagram to add a pickup w/ a push/pull volume for you.

Yah, not what I was expecting… the bucker has 4 wires, red/white (coupled), green (hot), and black/bare (ground) and I hooked it up accordingly. I drew a diagram with a 500k pot and 3-way switch bypassing the harness that someone posted (somewhere…) yes, I'm losing it…

 

[JIO]

View attachment 1015164

This should work to add the humbucker with a volume and optionally completely remove it from the circuit, all you need is a Pot and an On/On switch or you can use half of a push/pull but it might get in the way in the up position depending on how low-profile the knob is and where you position it, I would move it up into the lower horn more if you went with the push/pull.

Disclaimer: It's late so I might of missed something.

I found what I was referring to on a thread I started in the pickups & electronics section - Will, could you further clarify how this is wired? As in pot to (3 pole) switch to jack? And does this result in center switch position 'on' , upper (unused) position off? and lower position - ? Also, I have a Tele/Strat style 4-way switch with 10 poles. If I could use this for variations that could work for me. I just want to do it using the existing V/V/V T/mid sweep pot harness. Here's the fact sheet describing series/parallel switching for 2 pu's.(Tele) I'm also going to purchase a mini-toggle 3 way today which may be all I need (as per your schematic) but am open to options using the 4-way if possible.

 

[Will_White]

I found what I was referring to on a thread I started in the pickups & electronics section - Will, could you further clarify how this is wired? As in pot to (3 pole) switch to jack? And does this result in center switch position 'on' , upper (unused) position off? and lower position - ? Also, I have a Tele/Strat style 4-way switch with 10 poles. If I could use this for variations that could work for me. I just want to do it using the existing V/V/V T/mid sweep pot harness. Here's the fact sheet describing series/parallel switching for 2 pu's.(Tele) I'm also going to purchase a mini-toggle 3 way today which may be all I need (as per your schematic) but am open to options using the 4-way if possible.

That diagram I posted is for a two way switch, SPDT (or one pole of a DPDT) ON/ON like a push/pull pot, you could also just remove the switch and have it always loading the circuit, I don't think the tone difference is going to be that drastic with the pickup and volume in/out of the circuit so you could just omit the switch wire the volume to the jack.

With it wired in parallel there's not a whole bunch you could do that won't effect the rest of the pickups so I'd just stay with the extra volume (and switch if you want.) If you had it Vol- Blend- Tone before a 3 way switch for the neck pickups might make more sense but with it VVT I think it could get confusing with the 3 way.

It seems really odd that the Tele bass pickup would be thin and anemic, it might be out of phase you can check by either swaping the leads of one of the coils or you can measure the voltage when you tap the poles with a screwdriver and make sure that both sets of poles are going the same direction.

 

[JIO]

I had a 3-way mini-toggle so I went with that. Top two positions = neck hugger V and 3rd lowest position off. One more than I need but that's ok. Having the 'off' option is good as you can leave the neck V full and with the flick of a switch can dump it back into the mix. It sounds pretty tubby by itself, which is its MO, but it does fatten up the bass when blended with the J set-up. Pretty cool really, can't wait to put it through its paces at the next jam session. So for now #2 project completed. Only thing I might try is loading a single-coil J into the middle position as right now both J's are split coils.

All cavities shielded, copper tape at the base of each, and star grounding to top it off.

 

[JIO]

All complete, the bass now weighs 9lbs/12oz, so it gained 2oz in the transformation. ATC, nearly a wash as it weighed 9lbs/10oz before. When I was racing bicycles, we'd weigh every part that went into a (road) bike. I remember filling a styrofoam cup with a little water and it weighed about 2oz. Ah the foibles of splitting hairs. I'll need more time pushing it in a live mix, but did I add something new to the mix? Well.., I now own a 3 pu bass. I also have a bass with the 70's Tele humbucker at the neck-hugger position. I nearly bought a new Telecaster bass in 70 but didn't have the money up front. (tried to put it on 'layaway' but the music store said no) Maybe it was a bit of wanting that thing that I couldn't afford back then. Anyway, learned a lot in the process and followed through on a concept from conception until it was completed - always good to do that in life so you won't be hesitant to explore further. A couple more projects to wrap up from 2016 and who knows what's ahead...

 

[JIO]

Notes on the REDR bass - when the neck bucker V is dialed full up, there is a hum. Not a touch/non touch hum - a mild constant hum. Dialed just off full and it subsides to mostly quiet. (very dim inaudible hum) Doesn't occur with the other 2 V pots. Then there's the T pot which is a push-pull mid sweep. Up (mid sweep) at full up or down - quiet, but in the middle setting - same hum. In the down position (standard T) it's a bit buzzy w/the treble full up, and can be induced or silenced by how the V knobs are set. Usually this is a single-coil issue have one of the two V's slightly off full to reduce single-coil hum. None of it is deal-breaking, but if this could be 'fixed' it would just make the bass that much better. I wonder if a cap would address the neck hugger V hum. Isn't that what they do? - they screen out certain frequencies right? And if so where would it enter the chain - on the V pot, or on the 3-way switch?

Another playing observation is that the neck-bucker D & G poles rest right at/under a prime harmonic location. Not planned in this case - but following the 70's Tele bass format seems to have guaranteed a prime location. At least partially as the E & A are staggered, they are just above (toward the nut) the harmonic point (by 1"). The (now) middle J pu is nearly over another key harmonic point, missing center by only 1/8" - so nearly there. As I have space in the cavity it could be moved south to fall right on the harmonic, but then I'd have to cut another pg. It's so close that doing this seems unlikely - talk about splitting hairs!

Hope to use it tonight at a jam session - my favorite lab for determining a basses worth. <red bass

 

[JIO]

Well, didn't use it at a jam session on Friday but I did today at BG rehearsal. Actually our Bond Girl Cherie (who now lives in Marin across the GGBridge) was not there (weather was bad in the Bay Area today) and so we carried on w/o her. We've recently developed a Bond Girl spin-off band called "The Sean Conneries" (our first gig was nearly a year ago) and we plan to start booking gigs as a two band package. SC's takes the spy concept into a few disparate links, one link being Link Wray. Late 50's LR rock, surf, and spy are all closely related. Any decent surf band can play a selection of certain Bond or spy songs. One such favorite of mine is the Slacktones. They do Goldfinger - very cool. Surf is such a cool genre. The top surf guys are virtuostic. Seriously -they are jazzers, rockers, and pop songwriting craftsmen. Surf 'appears' simplistic, format-able, predictable (like most C&W or Blues.., or Reggae…) <trust me, I love all three genre's - (can we agree they all conform more or less to a predictable, genre established order…) But within that order - those who excel within are those who rock! So Link Wray, The Mermen, The Slacktones … for 2017 - please listen to these artists (if not already familiar); Link Wray (most anything - greatest hits etc). The Mermen - late 80's-early 90's, Slacktones - any of their 3 CD's. (Golfinger is on "Into the Blue Sparkle") Can't recommend these 3 enough - great, great music.

Hah! - and the bass? … Sorry! (in John Cleese voice) It was fun to play but did require some tweaking/fussing to dial for each song.., (not much, but a dedicated effort) but... in general it was a blast to play and it sounded very good. With consistent settings on my Mesa /Eden rig - it actually was pretty 'hot' in general so I needed to restrict the full low end so it didn't distort. Other than that it was 'present' for a few disparate songs from James Brown's "Mother Popcorn" to Link Wray's "Deuce's Wild", to a song by David Lynch and John Neff - "Marilyn Monroe" …. "eclectic" (with connection) I'll make the call to say the REDER bass rocks. (don't know if 3 pu's are necessary.., but it doesn't hurt)