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Favorite PJ bass wiring

Favorite / prefered PJ bass wiring

  • neck volume, bridge volume, master tone

    Votes: 212 44.4%

  • master volume, blend, master tone

    Votes: 95 19.9%

  • master volume, master tone, 3way switch (P/J/PJ) - aka Tony Franklin

    Votes: 114 23.8%

  • other (I´ll specify)

    Votes: 57 11.9%
  • Total voters
    478
#21
Hard decision, I typically prefer to have a master volume because it's easier to control, but I always liked my old Jazz Special's wiring, V/V/T with a three way switch. If either volume was off, the three way acted as a kill switch in middle position. I voted other.
 
#22
Volume/Volume/Tone

But with a few other options too :)

Stacked Volume dials, Tone dial (push/pull, pull for out of phase).

Series/Parallel for P pup
Series/Parallel for J pup
Series/Parallel between pups

:)

[
DSC00437.jpg


DSC00438.jpg


DSC00440.jpg
 
#23
line6man said:
To put it plain and simple, if you use a second volume or a blend, the P bass tone will change.

I always prefer 3 way switches, as they keep the wiring direct and do not add resistance, which would darken up the tone.

Aside from that, 2 volumes is better than a blend pot.
The blend pot adds another pots worth of resistance, and of course there are problems associated with passive blends as well.

I say 3 way switch, and failing that, 2 volumes.
Click to expand...
---------------------------------------------------

Line6man, do you have the wiring diagram for the master volume, master tone, 3way switch (P/J/PJ Tony Franklin)?
 
#31
First of all - thank you guys for all your votes!

Some time passed since I found this topic, I still dont get the J pickup into my japan lawsuit and I wanna ask you - should I?
I like my bass and I dont want to swap/sell or cut it in a rush or something. Its not such a bad bass and Its also not a "you-can-buy-it-anywhere" MIM Fender. But I also looking for another sound (or just i bit more possibilities) which could J pickup bring.
Final note - I dont wanna own two basses. :)
 
#32
Adding on here instead of opening up a new thread, hope that's OK with you all (continuation of this topic, pretty much) -- I recently picked up an early 80s Ibanez Roadster (passive) which is wired V/T/V/T and also a 3-way switch (basically like a Les Paul guitar), and I'm really digging it...it's great to be able to have the P set with tone rolled way back, J with treble up for more bite, volumes set so that going from P-only to both on the 3-way happens without a dip or jump. Don't really use the J soloed, but I guess it can't hurt to have that option.

I noticed with this config that if you zero out one of the two volumes you get no output in the 'both' position -- and it happens on a LP also but not on, say, a Jazz or PJ wired V/V/T. Function of the 3-way switch?

This made me want to change over my P-Special to a similar confguration but since there's less room / fewer holes I was thinking of stacked V/T and V/T plus one of those 4-way neck/both series/both parallel/bridge rotary switches mentioned at the beginning of this thread...anyone have this in a bass? Or have thoughts about that setup?
 
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#33
slap2much said:
I noticed with this config that if you zero out one of the two volumes you get no output in the 'both' position -- and it happens on a LP also but not on, say, a Jazz or PJ wired V/V/T. Function of the 3-way switch?
Click to expand...

Perhaps you have the inputs and outputs of the volume pots backwards, so that the output is grounded instead of the pickup's input.

Try switching the first and second terminals on the volume pots.
 
#34
I've been wandering around the Les Paul forums since my last post...kind of a bizzaro guitar alternate universe...but anyway there is a 'vintage vs. modern' Les Paul wiring issue much like the 'stacked knob J-bass' one that exists here in our world and it apparently explains the zeroed volume killing mid-position output phenomenon (depending on who you listen to), as well as some other tonal interactions:

Invalid Link Removed

Actually it's not a bad thing, the zero volume deal. If you're in middle position you only have to dial down one volume pot to mute completely. Kind of makes me think, though, that adding the 4-position switch to this might muddy the waters...
 
#36
I had a Jazz Special(aka *duff* sig)w/the old TBX dealio; can't recall what it was exactly, but LOVED it. Faux-active w/no battery. I need to put that in something to see if it was half as sweet as I remember.
I also have a defretted Ibanez P-clone w/an added J waaay back at the bridge:
3541581726_1b75ebeea8.jpg

It sounds remarkable- it's wired master vol/master tone w/a 3-way toggle. UNEARTHLY sweetness.
 
#37
bassteban said:
I had a Jazz Special(aka *duff* sig)w/the old TBX dealio; can't recall what it was exactly, but LOVED it. Faux-active w/no battery. I need to put that in something to see if it was half as sweet as I remember.
I also have a defretted Ibanez P-clone w/an added J waaay back at the bridge:
3541581726_1b75ebeea8.jpg

It sounds remarkable- it's wired master vol/master tone w/a 3-way toggle. UNEARTHLY sweetness.
Click to expand...

What does the J pickup sound like soloed?
 
#38
bassteban said:
I had a Jazz Special(aka *duff* sig)w/the old TBX dealio; can't recall what it was exactly, but LOVED it. Faux-active w/no battery. I need to put that in something to see if it was half as sweet as I remember.
I also have a defretted Ibanez P-clone w/an added J waaay back at the bridge:
3541581726_1b75ebeea8.jpg

It sounds remarkable- it's wired master vol/master tone w/a 3-way toggle. UNEARTHLY sweetness.
Click to expand...

Niiice...is that a single coil or humcancelling J?
 
#40
snorn said:
Does anybody tried to move J pickup closer to P (away from bridge)? Something like "oposite" 70´s jazz position. :)
How does it sounds like? Or is it for some reason generally bad idea?

It looks like Bacchus did it(?).
Bacchus%20Woodline%20PJ%20004.gif
Click to expand...

Yeah that is a nice bass.What kind of wood is that? Looks like a heavily striated piece of ash actually.Is that from Czech Rep.
 

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