Signal Split

[ehque]

What do you mean by "loading down" the pickups?

Pickups need a high resistance across their output to produce the full spectrum of frequencies. If you split the output you effectively reduce the resistance across the pickups, killing your high end (loading down). Buffers help prevent this, by presenting a high resistance (impedance) to the pickup but not being loaded down by the circuitry down the line.

The triple switch you suggested, ehque, won't work because there needs to be a fourth position (off/off).

Use the volumes to control the output, you can mute it with the volume, and not the switch. Or were you planning on adjusting it on the fly, WHILE you are playing the bass?

Lastly, a rotary switch http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Electro...nobs/Rotary_Switches.html?tab=Details#details can seriously cut down some of the onboard clutter.

 

[M0ses]

Thanks for all the the invaluable help, you guys. I'm beginning to see how this bass could actually work.

Of course, if I went with a separate volume for each pup/output, then I wouldn't really need to switches at all, would I? The switches were basically in place of pots, but I believe you are right in that individual pots would give much more flexibility - which is what I want out of this bass, as much flexibility as I can possibly design into it. I like that idea better. How about....stacked push-pull pots? Lol I wonder if that kind of thing even exists...

The rotary switch would be a great way to save space with the switch method, but you've convinced me to use stacked pots.

Scotch - Thanks for the encouragement. The idea of one bass with two outputs and therefore two completely independent signal lines is super interesting / exciting to me. It would basically turn you into two bass players who play perfectly with each other - I will be experimenting with reverb and delay, trying to achieve kind of dual-bass sounds, not to mention all kinds of other mixtures of effects/EQ/amps etc. etc. Really I'm just trying to expand possibilities here. Whatever flexibility we used to have, would be doubled by this bass (hopefully).
I hope someday to become a full-time luthier. This kind of thing is absolutely fascinating to me.

That idea about three separate outputs is also a really good idea - something I will have to consider in the future, although it doesn't apply properly to what I'm planning now (basically because I don't have the equipment to do anything with a third output).