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Pedal advice - simulate "pickups switch"

Y

ybn

Feb 20, 2012
23
0
#1
Okay,
So, I use a Fender Jazz Bass and I need a pedal for simulating a pickup switch.
I mean, everytime I'm going to slap, I turn a pickup (the one near the bridge) volume knob down, to reach the type of sound i want. But this is not a practical thing to do in the middle of the song.
So I just trade an old pedal i had for the Boss GEB-7, because i thought an EQ would solve this problem. But eventually, it wasn't exactly i was looking for.
Can anyone give me a pedal advice? I'll appreciate it!
(ps.: sorry for any english mistake)
 
#3
I'm surprised that an EQ pedal wasn't good enough; maybe just try a different EQ pedal, one with a wider slope for a more "natural" tone shaping. I'm thinking of the Barber Linden, [sfx] Micro EQ, or Fromel Shape, for example.

Alternately, you could replace the bridge pickup's volume knob with a 3-way toggle switch, on/half/off, with the "half" position being set by a resistor that's the same value as where you usually set that volume knob when you go to slap. That way instead of trying to adjust a knob in the middle of a song, you just flip a switch.
 
#4
bongomania said:
I'm surprised that an EQ pedal wasn't good enough; maybe just try a different EQ pedal, one with a wider slope for a more "natural" tone shaping. I'm thinking of the Barber Linden, [sfx] Micro EQ, or Fromel Shape, for example.

Alternately, you could replace the bridge pickup's volume knob with a 3-way toggle switch, on/half/off, with the "half" position being set by a resistor that's the same value as where you usually set that volume knob when you go to slap. That way instead of trying to adjust a knob in the middle of a song, you just flip a switch.
Click to expand...

I also thought about replacing the knob for a 3-way switch. If I don't find any pedal good enough, that's what i'm doing.

But do you think that an EQ pedal should be good enough? Is it worth changing the Boss Geb-7 for another EQ? Or maybe Boss is good enough and i just can't find the right setting...

Is it really possible to use a pedal EQ to reach the same tone as if a pickup was off? Because if it is impossible, i'll just sell this one...
 
#5
ybn said:
Is it really possible to use a pedal EQ to reach the same tone as if a pickup was off?
Click to expand...
Hard to explain exactly. Imagine drawing a mountain range by hand with a single line, a large jagged curve in pencil. Then imagine having a tool that will draw various different curves on the same size of page. If you have a fairly simple curve-drawing tool, then odds are it will produce curves that may be similar, but not exactly like the one you first drew. Unless you get extremely lucky! The more control your curve-drawing tool has, the better the odds that you can get close to the original shape you want, and the less you have to rely on luck.

The short version: technically it IS possible to reach the exact tone, but realistically it may be quite tricky or unlikely, and may require something other than the Boss (which is fine, nothing really wrong with it, just might not be the right tool for the exact job).
 
#6
bongomania said:
Hard to explain exactly. Imagine drawing a mountain range by hand with a single line, a large jagged curve in pencil. Then imagine having a tool that will draw various different curves on the same size of page. If you have a fairly simple curve-drawing tool, then odds are it will produce curves that may be similar, but not exactly like the one you first drew. Unless you get extremely lucky! The more control your curve-drawing tool has, the better the odds that you can get close to the original shape you want, and the less you have to rely on luck.

The short version: technically it IS possible to reach the exact tone, but realistically it may be quite tricky or unlikely, and may require something other than the Boss (which is fine, nothing really wrong with it, just might not be the right tool for the exact job).
Click to expand...

I understand. Thank you for explaining me how it works.
So all in all, what do you recomend the most:
Keep trying with other pedals,
or try to build a 3-way switch?
What option do you think is cheaper, more practical and more "realistic"?
 
#7
I would do the toggle switch, it's very cheap and easy and effective. The only tricky part is measuring the resistive value you want from the old pot, so you can buy the right resistor to replace it. If you mean that you usually turn the pot all the way to minimum ("off") then it's easy, just use the value of the old pot (for example 250 K).
 
#10
If you're interested in how the innards of your bass work, maybe it would be a good idea to learn how to do the mod yourself. You avoid a trip to the luthier, you'll learn a new skill (if you're not already acquainted with electronics soldering) and you can wear a badge of pride for modding your own bass. :D
 
#11
Stealth said:
If you're interested in how the innards of your bass work, maybe it would be a good idea to learn how to do the mod yourself. You avoid a trip to the luthier, you'll learn a new skill (if you're not already acquainted with electronics soldering) and you can wear a badge of pride for modding your own bass. :D
Click to expand...

But i don't have any knowledge in modding, eletronics or anything related to bass mod :( . Also, I'm too scared to screw up everything!
 
#14
ryansalmond said:
I am fascinated by this idea. Could you talk more about it? Would it be possible to put a blend knob on such a pedal or separate tone knobs for each pickup, etc?
Click to expand...

Well, it requires some more planning out, I just conceptualized the idea this morning. :)

For a great deal of versatility on a 2 pickup bass, one could wire the pickups to a stereo jack, straight through, no tone or volume.
Then a footswitch/other piece of equipment could function as a very versatile pickup switching doohickey.
Or you could do something like a Rickenbacker.

The downside would be that all the usual controls would be on the floor or amp, w/ none on the bass :(

Nevertheless, 'tis an interesting concept.
 
#15
So you're saying the two signals would be able to be manipulated separately within the pedal (so long as it had a stereo input jack I assume), that it wouldn't be limited to just switching the two signals on and off independently?

Hactar said:
Well, it requires some more planning out, I just conceptualized the idea this morning. :)

For a great deal of versatility on a 2 pickup bass, one could wire the pickups to a stereo jack, straight through, no tone or volume.
Then a footswitch/other piece of equipment could function as a very versatile pickup switching doohickey.
Or you could do something like a Rickenbacker.

The downside would be that all the usual controls would be on the floor or amp, w/ none on the bass :(

Nevertheless, 'tis an interesting concept.
Click to expand...
 
#19
You might go one better on the Boss EQ pedal by getting one of their Twin series pedals. The EQ pedal has better frequency bands, and lets you store multiple presets. There is also something to be said for using a pedal preamp as a tone-shaper, and I now swear by my VT Bass Deluxe, with its' 6 presets that you can adjust to your liking. Tech 21 makes other Sansamp pedal preamps with less presets, if you want to save some money. I really only use 3 of the 6 presets on my VT.
 

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