Blend to toggle swap...MEC?

[bb03]

I've got a Warwick Streamer with MEC passive pickups, and active electronics. Vol/blend/stacked bass&treble. The pickup is a twin-jazz, so until you move the blend almost all the way, there's not much tone change, as the pickups are right next to each other. I like to change the blend to a 3 way toggle, to make a quicker tone change when needed. Is this possible with the active MEC's? There are small electronic boards on each control.

I can post pics if needed.

Thanks.

 

[Cadfael]

Pics would be great!

I think the PUs/coils are wired parallel. Then it would be VERY easy with a toggle switch.

Do you mean a "mini toggle switch" or the "big Gibson type toggle"?

But even in series it would work (a bit more complicated with a Gibson type toggle or any ON/OFF/ON mini toggle switch).

For parallel would need an ON/ON/ON mini-switch instead of an ON/OFF/ON - but I guess it is a parallel wiring ...

 

[bb03]

Here are 2 pics...let me know if you need pics of something else, or a different angle.

It looks like only one wire from the pickup containing a white, brown, and ground wire. The smaller red and black wires coming from the body are for the neck LED's, I believe.

Toggle size doesn't matter to me, although it will need to fit the same hole the blend knob came through (standard pot size). I'd like it to be all black if there are suggestions for me.

Thanks.

 

[Cadfael]

I can only give you a 90% answer ...

I think HOT coil1 is the white one, HOT coil2 is the brown one, common GND is the "cage" arounf them (soldered to the housing).
Black from the plug is GND and Light Grey from the plug is "HOT" ...

A "normal Gibson toggle" does not fit because it has a bigger diameter than pots have. So, you have to take a mini-toggle On/On/On ...

You can solder the "cage" onto the other pot housing (right, where the two black cables and the Elko can be seen). The blck cable from the plug also to the housing (GND).

"Light Grey" goes to both middle contacts of the On/On/On switch.
Another name for the On/On/On is also On/Z/On ...
Solder White from PU to one "end of the Z" and brown to the other "end of the Z".

If you have a multimeter, test if there is (nearly) no resistant between the black cable fron the white plug and the PU Ground.

 

[bb03]

I can only give you a 90% answer ...

I think HOT coil1 is the white one, HOT coil2 is the brown one, common GND is the "cage" arounf them (soldered to the housing).
Black from the plug is GND and Light Grey from the plug is "HOT" ...

A "normal Gibson toggle" does not fit because it has a bigger diameter than pots have. So, you have to take a mini-toggle On/On/On ...

You can solder the "cage" onto the other pot housing (right, where the two black cables and the Elko can be seen). The blck cable from the plug also to the housing (GND).

"Light Grey" goes to both middle contacts of the On/On/On switch.
Another name for the On/On/On is also On/Z/On ...
Solder White from PU to one "end of the Z" and brown to the other "end of the Z".

If you have a multimeter, test if there is (nearly) no resistant between the black cable fron the white plug and the PU Ground.

Cadfael,

Thanks for all the help!

There is also a bare silver wire connecting the volume housing (on the left) to the blend housing...it's under the black and grey wires. Do I connect that to the mini toggle, or the tone housing, or not at all?

I don't have a multimeter...I should probably get one!

What is the 10% you're not sure on...wire colors?

 

[Cadfael]

Maybe we have a WW expert or something is totally different at WW basses? That's the 10% ...

Yes; with the "cage" I meant the bare silver wiring, soldered to the housing.
As you have no more housing when you install the On/Z/On, you have to solder it to another part which is grounded - and the pot in the right of your photo was the first GND I saw.
GND is at many parts in your bass ...
The bare silver doesn't / hasn't need to be soldered to the switch. The contacts of the switch only control the "HOT" way of the PU signal while the GND is always on (soldered to a housing or another grounded part). It has to be grounded - so, maybe to the housing of the tone pot.

A simple multimeter should be availabe vor $10? You can always use such a multimeter (cable testing+++). At least one of a band should always have a multimeter to solve problems at a gig quickly ...

 

[bb03]

Maybe we have a WW expert or something is totally different at WW basses? That's the 10% ...

Yes; with the "cage" I meant the bare silver wiring, soldered to the housing.
As you have no more housing when you install the On/Z/On, you have to solder it to another part which is grounded - and the pot in the right of your photo was the first GND I saw.
GND is at many parts in your bass ...
The bare silver doesn't / hasn't need to be soldered to the switch. The contacts of the switch only control the "HOT" way of the PU signal while the GND is always on (soldered to a housing or another grounded part). It has to be grounded - so, maybe to the housing of the tone pot.

A simple multimeter should be availabe vor $10? You can always use such a multimeter (cable testing+++). At least one of a band should always have a multimeter to solve problems at a gig quickly ...

I just have a couple more questions.

So the bare silver wire is just jumping the "cage"(ground from pickup) wire from the blend housing to the volume housing?

Any suggestions for properly fitting the mini toggle in a hole that's too big? Does anyone make a toggle to fit 10mm (3/8'') pot size?

Here's a pic I forgot to post:

 

[Cadfael]

Right. The are wire /ground is just jumping to the volume housing.
The back cable from the white plug, too!

The mini-switches normally have "big" washers so that they can be installed in a pot hole.

I don't know any 10 mm toggle switch (pot-sized) ...

 

[bb03]

Cadfael,

Thank you!

And, welcome to Talkbass.