Yup, @dwizum beat me to it. It's a pretty easy install. I just put a DG tone capsule in a project with Aguilar DCB pickups. Its pretty cool. The high mids boost adds the bright sparkle without bringing hiss, noise floor or unpleasant clinky brightness. The low boost is thick and dark, and the low mid is grindy but not muddy. Are you going 9v or 18v? Mine has 18v cause the body I used already had the box for two 9 volt batteries. It's a hefty boost and I'd never dime the EQs (not that I would on any bass), I'd be curious to see what its like on 9v.
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First Build - "Lucifer"
- Thread starter TerribleTim68
- Start date
Okay, so if I'm understanding this correctly, the "output to jack" would go to the volume pot and connect to the blade shown on the "right" in that diagram, correct?
Correct!
Those two things are the pins on the output jack.
You'll need a stereo jack. The signal wire goes to the tip. The two grounds go to the sleeve and ring on the jack.
That's all good to hear. when I first envisioned this build it was to be a Dingwall without buying a Dingwall and I was planning on buying the Nordstrand "Dingwall" pups in my effort to get as close to "that sound" as I could. But I think the Tone Capsule will get me there, and Triad's pups are free, so I'm just gonna go with it because he is literally saving me like $600 in pups from my original plan.
I think I want to run this one 18 volt, simply because every other bass I have is just 9 volt so I'd like to stay with the theory of "this needs to be all those things I don't already have" and why not just do it?
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
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- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
And here's what I heard in my mind brain... as I read the rest of your post.
Don't feel bad.Can you tell how good I am at wiring?
First off, technically you can do your 3-way pickup switch with just a SPDT ON-ON-ON switch, but a DPDT won't hurt.
An alternative is to use two SPST (or SPDT, or DPDT -- whatever is cheapest or easiest to find) ON/OFF switches -- one per pickup. So that would be 3 switches: 2 for pickups, 1 for passive, but the three swiches would be readily available/cheaper versions, and would give you a mute (with both pickup switches turned off).
Regarding the stereo jack thing, that is the historical way to power off the preamp when the jack is removed. The mono plug shorts the ring and sleeve on the stereo jack completing the ground for the preamp when plugged in.
An alternative, if you think you can remember to do it, is to use a DPDT switch for the active/passive switch, and have the switch also power off the preamp when you move it to passive mode. A small benefit is that you can stop the drain on your battery while still leaving your patch cable plugged in (if that is your thing). It also should be a bit quieter when you plug in the bass if your amp is turned on since the tip of the patch cable won't contact the preamp ground on the way into the jack. Also, you can then just use a standard mono jack if that matters to you.
Anyway, wiring isn't that hard -- you just need to think like an electron
Hopefully I didn't just add a bunch more confusion, but if so feel free to ask for clarification. Once you have decided how you want things to work I can give you some better indications of how to actually wire it up.
i mean, I kinda like the idea of an extra switch, just because more is always better, right?First off, technically you can do your 3-way pickup switch with just a SPDT ON-ON-ON switch, but a DPDT won't hurt.
An alternative is to use two SPST (or SPDT, or DPDT -- whatever is cheapest or easiest to find) ON/OFF switches -- one per pickup. So that would be 3 switches: 2 for pickups, 1 for passive, but the three swiches would be readily available/cheaper versions, and would give you a mute (with both pickup switches turned off).
Regarding the stereo jack thing, that is the historical way to power off the preamp when the jack is removed. The mono plug shorts the ring and sleeve on the stereo jack completing the ground for the preamp when plugged in.
An alternative, if you think you can remember to do it, is to use a DPDT switch for the active/passive switch, and have the switch also power off the preamp when you move it to passive mode. A small benefit is that you can stop the drain on your battery while still leaving your patch cable plugged in (if that is your thing). It also should be a bit quieter when you plug in the bass if your amp is turned on since the tip of the patch cable won't contact the preamp ground on the way into the jack. Also, you can then just use a standard mono jack if that matters to you.
Anyway, wiring isn't that hard -- you just need to think like an electron
Hopefully I didn't just add a bunch more confusion, but if so feel free to ask for clarification. Once you have decided how you want things to work I can give you some better indications of how to actually wire it up.
I'll need to think about that one and see how it looks in my drawing with 3 switches vs two switches. I haven't laid out any of the controls yet.As for the jack thing, anything I can do to make it quiet is a plus, just because I know it's gonna be critiqued by a few who will immediately comment on any noise they perceive.
But yeah, I don't leave my cable in it when not in use, just out of habit. I would like to kill power to the preamp when in passive mode, so that may be a good idea. Feel like drawing a schematic for 3 switches? 
I got spbdbdbht out of that. Am I thinking like an electron yet?First off, technically you can do your 3-way pickup switch with just a SPDT ON-ON-ON switch, but a DPDT won't hurt.
Anyway, wiring isn't that hard -- you just need to think like an electron
Am I the world's worst yet? C'mon, the challenge has been thrown down!
i mean, I kinda like the idea of an extra switch, just because more is always better, right?
As for the jack thing, anything I can do to make it quiet is a plus, just because I know it's gonna be critiqued by a few who will immediately comment on any noise they perceive.
To be clear, the noise I was talking about is just the "pop" you get when you first plug in the jack. After that there is no noise difference.
In lieu of a schematic I will put a bit of ascii art in this post. If that doesn't work let me know.
Regarding the pickup switches, if you go with a switch per pickup you literally just wire switch between the pickup and the vol pot. One pin (or the middle pin if you have a double throw switch) goes to the pickup + and the other pin goes to your volume pot:
Code:
|---|
Pickup output | o |
Vol pot middle pin | o |
| o | <-- This pin is only on a SPDT and won't exist on a SPST
|---|The slightly more complex part is the active/passive switch. There are a couple of choices. If you don't mind leaving the preamp input impedance attached (500K) then you can use a DPDT switch. Otherwise you need a 3PDT. Here is how you would wire a DPDT:
Code:
Active
|-----|
Pre GND | o o | Pre OUT
Batt Neg | o o | Jack tip
| o o | Pre IN
|-----|
PassiveIf you want to completely isolate the pre in passive mode, wire two of the poles like the bypass switch in the schematics from Darkglass, then wire the 3rd pole like the left side of the switch above:
Code:
Active
|---|
Pre GND | o |
Batt Neg | o |
| o |
|---|
PassiveThink of it as one pole for disconnecting the preamp input, one pole for disconnecting the preamp output, and one pole for disconnecting the preamp power. The variant I showed in the earlier drawing skips the part about disconnecting the preamp input. Also keep in mind that the switch position is usually opposite of the pin. So when the switch is up the bottom pins are connected.
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Am I the world's worst yet? C'mon, the challenge has been thrown down!
Don't be so hard on yourself. After all, if you want to think like an electron, you have to focus on being drawn to the positive - not the negative!
Think I may have a chance here.....I got spbdbdbht out of that. Am I thinking like an electron yet?
Am I the world's worst yet? C'mon, the challenge has been thrown down!
Wait, did the "Fat Freddy Glowy Dot" build ever get finished?Think I may have a chance here.....
Ah crap, Freddy's here. Now I'll never be worst. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.Think I may have a chance here.....
Ah crap, Freddy's here. Now I'll never be worst. Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.
This is the most "Freddy-esque" post I've ever seen!
