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Circuit help please (splitting and two tones)

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by sotua, Jul 21, 2013.

  1. Jul 21, 2013 #1
    sotua

    sotua

    Sep 20, 2004
    Somewhere in time
    Hi everyone,

    I have a mongrel bass (salvaged 80's yamaha neck, local wood custom body, odds and ends hardware) with dual MM pickups. Currently I'm running it with both pickups in series, wired with passive VVTT circuit.

    I want to coil split the humbuckers to get something more of a Jazz vibe for some songs. I've tried going parallel but it just sounds weaker (expected) but not enough bite like the jazz singles.

    EDIT: I just remembered you guys told me that this is not possible (the tone controls will interact) about a year or so ago. Dang!

    So, let's stick with this one, thinking of doing it VVT: Could it be possible to select different coils with the push pull pots? Something like "Push/Pull one splits to neck-north and bridge-south, Push/pull two engages neck-south and bridge-north"? (or suggest your own wacky ideas - I have two four-conductor pickups, four pots, two of them DPDT push pull, and two caps for tone).

    Thanks in advance,
    Sotua
     
  2. Jul 21, 2013 #2
    BlueTalon

    BlueTalon Happy Cynic Supporting Member

    Mar 20, 2011
    Inland Northwest
    Endorsing Artist: Turnstyle Switch
    That's not entirely true. I actually have four tone controls on the bass in my avatar -- one concentric V/T for each pickup, and a master V/T. (The 5th control is a Turnstyle switch.) It was a concept I had, and I don't like taking "no" for an answer, so it was just a matter of finding someone willing to try to make it work.

    I contacted Michael at Turnstyle, and he made it happen. If you really want a VVTT or VTVT, don't give up. Send Michael an email, and see what he can do for you before you give up on your idea.

    Note, I am an endorsing artist for Turnstyle, so I can be accused of being biased. I can tell you with certainty, though, that I am completely happy with the job he did on my bass, and I plan on being a repeat customer.
     
  3. Jul 21, 2013 #3
    Angel LaHash

    Angel LaHash

    Aug 24, 2012
    How do you select between pickups at the moment
    Neck/both/bridge.
     
  4. Jul 21, 2013 #4
    sotua

    sotua

    Sep 20, 2004
    Somewhere in time
    Angel: I have two volumes and two tones. Though one of the tones doesn't do anything (I looked and it seems like one of the legs of that tone capacitor came loose).
     
  5. Jul 21, 2013 #5
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    It's going to require a lot of switch poles to do series/parallel switching with two functional volumes and tones in both modes. However, standard series/parallel switching for one volume and tone in series, and two volumes and tones in parallel, is very simple.
     
  6. Jul 21, 2013 #6
    sotua

    sotua

    Sep 20, 2004
    Somewhere in time
    How about this idea:

    Wire the outer coils (neck.north and bridge south) in parallel to one volume. Call it A.
    Wire the inner coils to the other volume in series. call it B.

    With that, there's jazz parallel single coil-ish sound with just A, fat stingray-ish bulge with B with the two coils nearer to the sweet spot, and with a coil.split on both I could get only the neck pickup with both coils in parallel for something in the neighborhood of a P sound.

    (No, I don't like just the bridge pickup by itself. Seldom.use it and almost always regret doing so xD)
     
  7. Jul 21, 2013 #7
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    Not a good idea, IMO. There will be a massive impedance mis-match, which will cause the outer coil pair to load down the inner coil pair when you try to mix the two.
     
  8. Jul 21, 2013 #8
    sotua

    sotua

    Sep 20, 2004
    Somewhere in time
    Oh. Bummer. Would have to keep them both series or both parallel to work when mixed, right?
     
  9. Jul 21, 2013 #9
    line6man

    line6man

    Jun 20, 2008
    Close to Los Angeles, CA
    Yeah. Though you can experiment with switching schemes.
     
  10. Jul 22, 2013 #10
    Angel LaHash

    Angel LaHash

    Aug 24, 2012
    [​IMG]

    This is just one HUM so Double it up and it should work for both, but it has 2xPush Pull to make it Series Parallel and Singles

    Also (is a bit more complex i guess) you can edit the Volume Pot so that when it sits at '1' it is OFF, this is done by Cutting the COMMON INNER CIRCUIT Track ever side of the Common Arm when it is sat at '1'.

    Tone [Gray]:Volume [Red]
    Down : Down - Series
    Down : Up - South
    Up : Down - North
    Up : Up - Parallel
    <suggest checking it out first as i can get blinked>