Have I Been Misunderstanding The Balance Control Knob?

[Bob_Ross]

I mentioned this in another thread a few years ago, but it might help OP or others reading this thread:

Easiest way to deal with a Blend pot whose rotation/pickup assignment seems backwards to your preferred way of thinking is to A) get a knob that has a pointer indication on it; then B) depending on your preferred orientation, have the pointer either at the 12:00 (facing up at you) or the 6:00 (facing down at the floor) when in the center detent both-pickups-on-w/-even-balance position.

If you want to turn the Blend pot clockwise to favor the Bridge pickup, have the knob's pointer at the 6:00 position for the center detent; now when you turn the Blend pot clockwise the knob is pointing at the Bridge pickup! And vice-versa.
If you want to turn the Blend pot counter-clockwise to favor the Bridge pickup, have the knob's pointer at the 12:00 position for the center detent; now when you turn the Blend pot counter-clockwise the knob is pointing at the Bridge pickup! And vice-versa.

And if your bass is wired opposite just reverse the above.

You're welcome.

 

[Murph_Orpheus]

Thanks for all the replies folks. I don't even want to switch the wires around, it doesn't bother me. I just wanted to understand that my ears were in fact not deceiving me in recognising the sounds of the pick ups depending on what way I turned the balance control. The P tone was unmistakable to my ears so that's why the whole CW and CCW thing threw me off as I never had a bass wired that way with the balance control before it's also kinda funny that what I thought was the 'norm' was in fact not the 'norm'

 

[fig]

For those passing thru who may still be learning about bass electric stuff and want to change your Blend Control direction, here's a drawing. Just swap the two colored wires (hot signal) from terminals 2 and 5 on the blend pot. Done.

Referenced to a right-hand bass.

 

[Standalone]

Not exactly relevant, but I love my mid eighties Ibanez's layouts -- they are B/V/T which makes more sense in a live setting -- that blend is what I like to access most during a live performance once the volume is set.