Three (3) Jazz Pickup Bass Wiring

Discussion in 'Pickups & Electronics [BG]' started by cm3ohana, Dec 29, 2014.

  1. cm3ohana

    cm3ohana Supporting Member

    Aug 1, 2005
    Could really use some help.....

    I'm planning to build a passive bass that has 3 jazz pickups - will probably end up using a hum-cancelling, split coil type pickup like the DiMarzio's....maybe an Area J type or some mixture Area J, Ultra J and Model J. Point being, they will be hum-cancelling, four-wire type jazz pickups. Since it'll be passive, I'd like to use an on/off switch like the Jaguar with one switch for each pickup. I have some Fender Jaguar Slide Switches (Part # 005-4508-000) with the two connector poles in the back. I would use one volume pot and one tone pot. Trying to keep this as simple as possible for now. For the volume and tone pots I was thinking of using 500K pots and unsure about the cap. Maybe stick with the .047 or should I go with something different. Overall, trying to maintain the vintage vibe (which is why I'm considering the Area J's) but allowing for tone flexibility via the use of different pickup configurations.

    Would this work or will it create issues...sorry, this is my crude attempt at a wiring diagram:
    3 Pickup Bass Wiring Diagram.jpg

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
     
  2. There are several problems. Follow this diagram, instead. (But add a third switch, obviously.)
    4242678878_f3c324de01_o.png
     
  3. cm3ohana

    cm3ohana Supporting Member

    Aug 1, 2005
    Line6Man, thanks for the reply. I appreciate it. I understand the diagram. The switches I have only have two terminals not six as you have in the drawing. So, how do I ground the switches? This is why I have the switches grounded to the pots which are then grounded to the bridge. Do I actually need different switches with the 6 terminals instead of the two terminals?
     
  4. SPDT switching is ideal, but SPST will work. Follow the same wiring, but without the ground connection on the right-most terminal.

    Your original diagram has each switch wired as a master killswitch. This means that turning any one pickup off will turn all three off.
     
  5. cm3ohana

    cm3ohana Supporting Member

    Aug 1, 2005
    Awesome. Ok, I got it. Any thoughts on the cap? .047? .01?
     
  6. 0.047uF is the standard value for high impedance pickups. It works well for most people. 0.01uF is likely to be absolutely useless, but some people like them with the tone all the way down. 0.1uF, on the other hand, is popular with people that want a "deeper" tone control, with a lower frequency cutoff.
     
  7. cm3ohana

    cm3ohana Supporting Member

    Aug 1, 2005
    Thanks. I'll start with the standard .047 and can always change the caps. Thanks much. I think I'm good.