Two series pickups with independent volume and tone controls. Two methods.

[B-flat?]

@DDawg and @fig Is it possible to use this type of blend below with circuit in post #37 and #38 ?

Anyway, here's the circuit. :

If I ever want a blend again, I'd use this one. An improved (in my opinion) passive pickup blend control system. Just an option if anyone is irritated with the limited rotation of a 2 layer blend pot.

 

[DDawg]

@DDawg and @fig Is it possible to use this type of blend below with circuit in post #37 and #38 ?

No, I don't expect that to work as you have to use shunt-type volume controls and not the typical voltage-dividers shown in the diagram. This is the main reason why this circuit allows for independent volumes in series mode.
I expect you could substitute the 2 volume controls for a M-N taper blend control, since it's electrically the same as 2 volume controls. I haven't tried this as I prefer dual volumes which allows for blending any percentage of volumes for either pickup, rather than a blend control which will only blend 100% of one pickup with a varying percentage of the other pickup.
You could add a final master volume control at the end of the circuit, as shown in the diagram. A typical voltage-divider master volume control should work fine for a passive circuit.
So if you modify the circuit as described above, you will have a blend control and master volume control, which a lot of other folks prefer over dual volumes.
I've added a master volume control a few times, but only when feeding the circuit into a preamp and using the preamp output volume control as a master. Most of the time though, I will remove the preamp volume control altogether and just short out the output for full preamp volume, but the bass output is controlled by the 2 input volume controls.
I usually just use a volume pedal as a final master volume control for my basses.

 

[mayoayox]

This is great, gentlemen!

im working on a VM Jaguar Bass. I want it to be more similar to the 2006 MIJ jag bass.

- exchanging the BB for a switchable 2band preamp with stacked knobs
- adding S/P switch

with the 4-hole control plate, I've had to really be as utilitarian as possible, pulling everything out of each knob. the MIJ had 4 switches and 4 knobs total! I'll be using the volume knob for a s/p switch and the tone knob for the preamp switch.

The VM uses typical Jazz Bass VVT wiring. I had been comparing VVT, VBT, and also VT w/ 3 way. VBT doesn't work and isn't really true to the project. VT w/ 3way is a little closer to the 2006 MIJ. it had a master volume and a killswitch for each pickup.

but with this clear layout and everything, im back on the fence. this is a fun project for sure

 

[Thoracius]

As you roll back the neck pickup volume you're also attenuating the bridge pickup,
until you get to the halfway point, 50k Ohm on top & 50k Ohm on the bottom (of a 100k Ohm pot).
Once you get past 50% the bridge pickup's signal will start to increase until you reach the bottom & there's 0 Ohms between the bridge pickups signal & the output jack.

no. I don't think you're understanding this circuit. The neck volume pot is a simple voltage divider scrubbing between bridge+neck and bridge. The neck volume pot doesn't do anything that would attenuate the bridge volume.

The bridge pickup can be silenced, since it's connected to ground, but the neck pickup doesn't shunt to ground.
Obviously all that is solved with a pickup selector switch.

Note: I'm still commenting about the first schematic of the Dano setup in the OP.

each pickup's volume pot shunts between that pickup's own positive and negative output. that's how you get independent volume control. The pickup selector switch doesn't "solve" anything as there's nothing to solve. Danelectros with series wiring use an ON-OFF-ON switch that does the exact same thing as the pots do -- they shunt the respective pickups' positive to its own negative, which bypasses that pickup. Does that help make it make more sense?

 

[Dynacord]

no. I don't think you're understanding this circuit. The neck volume pot is a simple voltage divider scrubbing between bridge+neck and bridge. The neck volume pot doesn't do anything that would attenuate the bridge volume.


each pickup's volume pot shunts between that pickup's own positive and negative output. that's how you get independent volume control. The pickup selector switch doesn't "solve" anything as there's nothing to solve. Danelectros with series wiring use an ON-OFF-ON switch that does the exact same thing as the pots do -- they shunt the respective pickups' positive to its own negative, which bypasses that pickup. Does that help make it make more sense?

Don't expect any reply from him, as he's been gone from here for years.

I haven't tried the Dano wiring on anything other than stock Danos but am a big fan of the WalterW wiring.

 

[Thoracius]

oops I was delirious with fever and shouldn't have posted that. (didn't think I did!) I wasn't thinking clearly, and I regret my tone.

I can see that with the vintage Danelectro series circuit the 100k neck volume pot does add a maximum of 25k resistance between the bridge pu and the output when set half way. But it's not unique to the neck vol control. According to the circuit the bridge vol control would affect the neck pu output in the same way, being inline between the PU negative output and ground. I imagine that interaction would make it darker, less resonant, and quieter.

Came across this thread while researching ideas for how to wire up my home-made Danelectro-style bass.

WalterW looks interesting. Basically you are adjusting the load on each pickup. Kind of like a tone knob with a shunt in place of a capacitor. Do they get pretty dark when you turn down the volume? I guess on a bass that's fine.

I also came across the wiring diagram for a vintage longhorn bass that uses modified concentric pots but I can hardly make sense of it. Looks to me like there's a lowpass on the neck pu and then a highpass on bridge or bridge+neck. But the "switches" for PU on-off don't make any sense to me -- seems like in either position they are just a short between hot and cold, so how could that even work? There's a video in the link where he show it does indeed work and sounds exactly as it should. Can anybody figure this out?

 

[fig]

I also came across the wiring diagram for a vintage longhorn bass that uses modified concentric pots but I can hardly make sense of it.

If you (and folk passin' thru playing the home game) didn't know already, the early Dano's used red as negative (-). I'm gonna treat your vintage Longhorn diagram the same, especially since the wiring, as shown, points in that direction (which makes the diagram's legend on the right reversed concerning + and - polarity). When I started looking at Dano series stuff years ago, I ran across the picture below, and a few other references, showing red as negative. Sure was counter to the way I learned accepted wire color polarity LOL.:


Anyway, I think you're correct about the two filters in your diagram. Also, they're both fixed, not adjustable. The Brdg PU has the 0.01uf cap in-line with the hot (remember, black is positive, red is negative) output. This, of course, only allows the high freqs to the top of the Brdg Vol pot.

The Neck has the cap/resistor. Not really sure what's up with that at the moment. However, once I get a schematic done, the mystery will be revealed LOL.

As for the DIY 'switch made from a pot and a screw', I'm not going there LOL. I'll use regular 2p2T toggle switches and two regular (not concentric) pots to show us the entire theory of operation. Regarding the switches, it may work out that a single toggle switch can be used for pickup selection, like all other Dano configurations.

Hopefully tonight or tomorrow I'll be done. Sister-in-Law is staying with us, so things to do, places to go, drinks to drink.

 

[fig]

@Thoracius

Using the two toggle switches for pickup selection still allows the same 4 conditions as the modded concentric pot, so, yay! LOL. They're:
-Both pickups on (normal series operation)
-Neck Solo (Brdg pickup off)
-Brdg Solo (Neck pickup off)
-Both pickups off

FWIW, most Dano's use a single switch for pickup selection, but it only gives 3 conditions:
-Neck Solo (Brdg pickup off)
-Both pickups on (normal series operation)
-Brdg Solo (Neck pickup off)

So, looking at the schematic, when a switch is open, the respective pickup is on. When a switch is closed, the output of that pickup's volume pot is sent back to the pickup's negative (-). The pickup is short-circuited off. That short-circuit is then used by the remaining pickup to continue working solo.

I'm still not sure how that guy got a 'screw in the side of a pot' to act like a switch LOL.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[Subtera]

that one was just a parallel blend; the "hook" was just leaving the blend pot's other lugs ungrounded so as to avoid the loading loss, then cutting the traces to keep the ability to shut the "off" pickup totally off.

from this thread:
View attachment 3647925
it could be done with series wiring but it might be kind of weird that there was such a big volume jump when you hit the middle of the blend pot.

this is the one i like currently, where you have series, but one volume and two tones!

the idea is that rolling off one tone kills the highs of one pickup but leaves the lows engaged, so you get the highs of the other coil but the lows of both coils still in series. it sounds like a single pickup but with a bass boost. roll down both tones and it actually rolls off the overall tone:

View attachment 3647924

with this setup you have series wiring with a variety of tones all at a similar volume, unlike regular switching or blending with series where you have some settings much louder than others.

that one was just a parallel blend; the "hook" was just leaving the blend pot's other lugs ungrounded so as to avoid the loading loss, then cutting the traces to keep the ability to shut the "off" pickup totally off.

from this thread:
View attachment 3647925
it could be done with series wiring but it might be kind of weird that there was such a big volume jump when you hit the middle of the blend pot.

this is the one i like currently, where you have series, but one volume and two tones!

the idea is that rolling off one tone kills the highs of one pickup but leaves the lows engaged, so you get the highs of the other coil but the lows of both coils still in series. it sounds like a single pickup but with a bass boost. roll down both tones and it actually rolls off the overall tone:

View attachment 3647924

with this setup you have series wiring with a variety of tones all at a similar volume, unlike regular switching or blending with series where you have some settings much louder than others.

 

[Subtera]

Hey there I did the series wiring with one volume two tones using what i have: duncan sjb-3 set,bourns 500k audio taper pots and 50v .1 ceramic caps...rolling off either tone individually I'm getting nasty hum. seems to be directional rfi (especially with gain pedal)..otherwise everything works, rolling off both tones gives a overall darkening..

 

[sunbeast]

Hey there I did the series wiring with one volume two tones using what i have: duncan sjb-3 set,bourns 500k audio taper pots and 50v .1 ceramic caps...rolling off either tone individually I'm getting nasty hum. seems to be directional rfi (especially with gain pedal)..otherwise everything works, rolling off both tones gives a overall darkening..

The hum goes away when both tones are equal? SJB-3 are single-coil pickups, so humcancelling relies on an even mix of the same frequencies from both pickups. When you roll the tone down on one pickup you are creating an imbalance in high frequencies so the hum-cancellation will be screwed up (my theory anyway).

 

[Subtera]

The hum goes away when both tones are equal? SJB-3 are single-coil pickups, so humcancelling relies on an even mix of the same frequencies from both pickups. When you roll the tone down on one pickup you are creating an imbalance in high frequencies so the hum-cancellation will be screwed up (my theory anyway).

Yes no hum when tones equal..roll one tone down getting hum...sounds good otherwise..no grounding issue..will pull plate and look over wiring just in case..most likely due to single coils as mentioned

 

[fig]

@Thoracius

For you, or interested folk passin' thru, I added a wiring diagram to the schematic in post #48.:

Hey there I did the series wiring with one volume two tones...

I added a schematic for the walterw VTT series wiring diagram you're using in case you, or anyone playing the home-game, wanna see what's going on. Cool circuit.:

 

[Thoracius]

Hey there I did the series wiring with one volume two tones using what i have: duncan sjb-3 set,bourns 500k audio taper pots and 50v .1 ceramic caps...rolling off either tone individually I'm getting nasty hum. seems to be directional rfi (especially with gain pedal)..otherwise everything works, rolling off both tones gives a overall darkening..

Sorry if this is obvious but make sure there is a ground wire soldered to the back of every pot casing, and that your bridge/strings are grounded as well. I’ve even had an ungrounded switch pick up hum.

 

[Subtera]

Sorry if this is obvious but make sure there is a ground wire soldered to the back of every pot casing, and that your bridge/strings are grounded as well. I’ve even had an ungrounded switch pick up hum.

Yes I checked it over everything is grounded(however bass not shielded at all) setup as per walterw vtt schematic shown..experimenting with tones now, unusual and counter intuitive. From full up in your face clank,lofi dub and rounded mid tones. Even volume and

output. Do get single coil emi hum when one tone turned completely down(like parallel wiring one volume down )also turning one tone half way helps find sweet spot between the two,but set even cancels hum. P bass neck ,jazz body..flats ,dgcf

 

[Iristone]

I believe the Bicentennial Thunderbirds were also wired with the shunt method. These were not too dark sounding even with all 100K pots!