Different ways to configure a PJ....

[MartinB]

I add a switch to my VVT passive PJ that does:

• Both pickups in parallel
  
• P pickup only
• Both pickups in series

As @LowWay mentioned previously, parallel mode is best with the J pickup not at full volume, so having a switch is handy for letting you change from PJ to P without losing that sweet spot. I have no use for the J pickup on its own; series mode was a bonus because I had the extra switch position free, and it turns out it's a pretty nice sound for fingerstyle.

 

[RattleSnack]

VBT if active.
For passive, I loved Yamaha Volume - Switch -Tone. It has less flexibility, but their pickups are designed and balanced to be used that way and in real life, it works great.

 

[MtManiac]

My clock is ticking interns of telling a builder how to wire up a PASSIVE PJ.

I was told that a switch which moves the "active" pick-up from bridge to neck was not necessary because full volume on one and volume rolled off on the other would accomplish the same task. Then I read about a switch which changes from parallel to series... but I admit, that is above my pay grade....
I had thought that the most rational layout was two stacked knobs (one for volume and one for tone) controlling each pick-up....
Am I missing something?

I like a Blend knob.

A five way switch is handy with two humbuckers so you can set it to switch different coils in each humbucker, but that’s no use with a PJ.

 

[Rolling Thunder]

I just started wiring a P/J VBT tonight. Used a stacked 250k Linear for fading Neck & Bridge pickups.

 

[spoonman69]

Me, I’d go VBT with the balance being a no-load, cut-trace, 10 kOhm balance pot. No-load means no ground connection on the balance pot. Cut-trace means that at either end, you get 100% of the desired pickup with zero load from the other pickup because it is disconnected. 10 kOhm makes the mix useable across the full range of the balance control.

How do you achieve the cut-trace? Is it provided by the pot itself? Or do you need to connect and solder it in a certain way?
In case it's the pot itself: may I ask you for a link please?

Thank you.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Interesting stuff in here.
I had VVT on my old Yamaha BB, but only ever ran volumes at 75% to get some versatility.
Another idea would be the Fender Roscoe Beck setup.

 

[spoonman69]

Me, I’d go VBT with the balance being a no-load, cut-trace, 10 kOhm balance pot. No-load means no ground connection on the balance pot. Cut-trace means that at either end, you get 100% of the desired pickup with zero load from the other pickup because it is disconnected. 10 kOhm makes the mix useable across the full range of the balance control.

Now I got it. Problem solved.

 

[39-Bassist]

I have tried ALOT of different wiring and pickups...and honestly it's YOUR taste. I went back the 3way switch, vol tone and it works for all of my needs.
When the layout is right with the pickups you like then you will know it. (i hope lol)

 

[mrperkolator]

My clock is ticking interns of telling a builder how to wire up a PASSIVE PJ.

I was told that a switch which moves the "active" pick-up from bridge to neck was not necessary because full volume on one and volume rolled off on the other would accomplish the same task. Then I read about a switch which changes from parallel to series... but I admit, that is above my pay grade....
I had thought that the most rational layout was two stacked knobs (one for volume and one for tone) controlling each pick-up....
Am I missing something?

VT stack for each pickup will have the tone knobs interacting if in parallel. If you want to be able to get super rolled off then go for it. But the Dan electro style works better electrically imho. It is a VT stack for each pickup in series. One pickup tone goes to ground, second one goes to other pickup (shorting itself). This lends to independent volume and tone knobs - but it’s gotta be in series for tones to be independent. There’s a few diagrams if you’re interested.

I’ve wired up crazy stuff, but in the end the most important part is on the user side. How easy and intuitive is the layout? How does that layout sound?

I say this because a complex setup can be nice but also complex to use. Things to keep in mind….

 

[stevensivak]

So... lots of choices- too many in fact!
And we all realize that there is no one solution...

But, I wish I could see the pros and cons of each so that my preferences could be used to select "my" solution...

So: (are there others?)
1. Dual Volume/tone stacked
2. V/B/T
3. V/V/T
4. V/Switch/Tone

 

[G On Bass]

If my PJs were passive, I would do VT/VT with no blend or switch as I keep the P volume full all the time and dial in the J to taste. I would want to be able to control the tone of each pickup differently and wouldn't bother with Series/parallel at all.

 

[claudel]

I'd give a no-load, cut-trace, 10 kOhm balance pot a go if I could find one, preferably decent quality.

 

[BobKos]

I recommend VBT also. I think of greater concern is getting a PJ set of pickups that actually gives you a good balance of P or J or whatever you want. Many times the P pup is WAY stronger than the paired J pup. I don't know what your use of the J pup is. On a PJ I only blend in a little bridge for support. If you rely on the bridge pup alot I would definitely choose carefully. Maybe look at something like the Nordstrand setup with P neck / Big Split bridge. I'm sure others work too but do your homework on this.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Me, I’d go VBT with the balance being a no-load, cut-trace, 10 kOhm balance pot. No-load means no ground connection on the balance pot. Cut-trace means that at either end, you get 100% of the desired pickup with zero load from the other pickup because it is disconnected. 10 kOhm makes the mix useable across the full range of the balance control.

I’m perfectly content with the VVT arrangement on my PJ. I’m also cool with the VBT on my Warwick Corvette, but for me starting from scratch, two concentric VTs would be the option I’d choose. Toggles for pickup switching would be OK, but as a bassist it’s not like I would be changing my sound that dramatically on the fly much. JMO.

Best wishes on your project.

 

[micguy]

I'd go with none of the above. Here's a bass - not a PJ (I'm not a fan of the spacing of PJ's, among other things):

It has two pickups. It has 2 modes - selected by a switch. One mode is "P mode" - it's just the neck pickup, and it has its own tone control. A different value tone capacitor, a loading cap, and a couple other tweaks, but it's relatively straightforward.

The second mode involves both pickups - we'll call that the "J mode", but it's not just both pickups wired in parallel. There is a crossover between the pickups. At low frequencies, just the neck pickup is active. At mid frequencies, the neck is still more in tee mix than the bridge, there is some "scoop", but not as much as on a regular J with both pickups dimed. At high frequencies, both pickups are active - it's got a good amount of clink and clank - actually more than a standard J as there are only 2 pots in the circuit at a given time. There is a tone circuit for this mode - different values for all the parts than for the other mode.

It's all hum cancelling, it has 2 good sounds that can each be tweaked independently, and you can go from one to the other literally at the flick of a switch. Both modes have the same amount of solid low end - FOH won't complain that the bottom dropped out when you changed your sound. It doesn't allow for you to solo the bridge pickup - I never do that, as I like bass in the output of my bass. And the volume control is wired regular - not backwards like on a VVT setup. As such, it works like a volume control - the tone stays pretty constant as you turn the volume down (which definitely doesn't happen on a standard vvt circuit).

The mental "box" that people work in when deciding how to wire basses and guitars is needlessly strict - there are a lot of things that you can do that are just outside what most folks consider, but that make cool, new sounds that don't exist inside the box.

 

[Aussie Player]

My clock is ticking interns of telling a builder how to wire up a PASSIVE PJ.

I was told that a switch which moves the "active" pick-up from bridge to neck was not necessary because full volume on one and volume rolled off on the other would accomplish the same task. Then I read about a switch which changes from parallel to series... but I admit, that is above my pay grade....
I had thought that the most rational layout was two stacked knobs (one for volume and one for tone) controlling each pick-up....
Am I missing something?

I had the stacked knobs in my last PJ to maintain the 2 hole plus output jack in thw pick guard.
It worked fine but even when using the double stacked J pickup in my set up, I still found it lacking in balance with the P pup and the combination less than using a standard J bass where is where J went next. Incidently, I was using Qtr Pndr pickups. Could never get the punch I like on the E string.

 

[packhowitzer]

I prefer PJ basses to have Master Volume, Master Tone, and pickup selector. I've noticed a phenomenon with VVT when both Volumes are on full, the sound drops out a bit. Also even when the J volume is turned down all the way, the sound of the P never really quite sounds like P bass. But with the switch, that phenomenon tends to go away a bit. The solo'd P sounds like a P. A la the Fender Tony Franklin or the Duff McKagan DLX:

 

[Anthony Fury]

A few thoughts (YMMV) -

- Work backwards from "having an onboard killswitch." Once you have one, you'll wonder how you got through any gigs without it. I used to have a hack-free Precision, and part of me died every time I had to turn the volume down to do anything two-handed on stage. With two pickups, the killswitch also makes VVT possible if (for some reason) you don't want a blend. tl;dr I would do an ON-OFF-ON DPDT for series / kill / parallel. (IMO series is fun, and good for putting the "WHOOP-SHA" down.)

- Some food for thought...I recently converted to stack knobs on a J+J, and IMO there is bit of magic when you "dime" the neck stack, zero the bridge stack, then walk the volume of the bridge stack back in. The effect is difficult to describe, but -again IMO- the *good* string-on-fret and finger noises start coming through without the "fog of mosquitoes" when both pickups are open. I like the effect so much, I'm doing a mini-switch which bypasses one pickup (or the other, or neither) *around* the single tone knob on my other Js. (I hope other stack knob guys chime in.)

- Here's another vote for treble-bleed on the tone knob.

- A P-splitter might also be a good option for you; I wish I'd had one on my hack-free Precision whenever the room got too boomy.

 

[Charley Umbria]

I have two passive PJs that are almost identical. One is wired VVT and the other is VBT. Both have P and J pickups that were designed to work together.

With a properly-wired passive blend, one pickup will always be at full volume, while the other goes from 100% down to zero. I always run at least one pup wide open and use the other for color, so the blend works great. If you like running both pickups at less than 100% simultaneously, you probably won’t like a blend.

IMHO, VTVT on a PJ is overkill, but a three-way switch isn’t quite enough. If my VVT PJ wasn’t somewhat rare, I’d rewire it to VBT in a heartbeat.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

P/J ?! How about a J/P? The J at the neck would sound weak but the P at the bridge may be killer!