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Using a varitone as a pickup selector

lavmonga

lavmonga

Jul 27, 2007
2,059
514
New York, NY
www.ulyssescannon.com
#1
Alright, I have an idea for an EB3 project I might be putting together and I'm wondering if it is even possible. I'd like to have 3 pickups, somewhat Mike Wattish, A mudbucker in the neck, and EMG active HB in the middle, and the mini hb at bridge. I know the active/passive thing is a problem, but I think I have a work around.

So this is what I'd like to do:

Mudbucker--->on/off switch--->Vpot1--->Tpot1-->Position1Varitone-->output


EMG--->on/off switch--->Vpot2-->Tpot2-->Position2Varitone-->output


Mini Hum--->on/off switch---Vpot1--->Tpot1-->Position1Varitone-->output

I can use the third position as a kill switch or maybe a varitone for the passive pups...irrelevant.

I'd like to keep the 4 knob setup, so basically I'd wire the two passive pickups to the same one volume and tone, if I want to solo one pickup, I can use the on/off switch to turn off the one I don't want to be heard. the other two knobs would be for the active EMG.

As far as output goes, I'd either have to run the passive pickups, or the active one, I'm not looking to blend the active and passive pickups bc I know that will get all wonky.

Final questions, if this is possible so far, can I wire both the active and passive pickups to the active output jack? Any help much appreciated.

My real question what nodes do I solder to on the Varitone? I've never wired one up before as a pickup selector.
 
#2
I'm not sure what you are trying to do.
A varitone selects from multiple capacitances or inductances for your tone pot. It is not a pickup selector.

If you have active and passive pickups, you need to put the controls before the on/off switches. Otherwise your low value pots for the active pickup are going to load down the high impedance passives at all times.
 
#5
lavmonga said:
Yes, I'm not trying to use it as a varitone, I'm not putting any caps in, just want to use it as a selector. I understand moving the switches, that's no problem, would the active/passive mish mosh work though? considering they are being run independently of one another via the pickup switch/varitone?
Click to expand...

Varitone is the nickname for the function of the circuit. Otherwise you're just referring to a rotary toggle switch that has a million possible uses.

What kind of rotary toggle switch do you have? If it was previously used as a varitone, only one pole was used, so it's not absurd to question if it's a simple single pole switch, or if it has additional poles. For three way pickup selection, two poles will be required, since no position combines multiple throws to the common.

FWIW, if you have a pickup selector switch at the end of the chain, there is no need to move the pots around, the pickup selector would remove the low value pots when the high impedance pickups are selected.
 
#6
I'm sorry, I've always just seen it called a "varitone" makes sense as to why it's called that now that I examine the word. I don't have a rotary switch yet, I'm trying to determine if what I want to do is possible, then find the right switch, then find out how to wire it up.

It seems like I can swing it based upon what you guys have been saying. They next step will be how to figure out how to wire it up. I've looked at those rotary switches and they have a serious amount of nodes to solder to.
 
#7
If you have on/off switches for each pickup, you don't need an additional selector, rotary or not.
You can't mix passive and active pickups without adding buffers to the passive pickups.
As said before, in a passive wiring tone pots would need to be before switches or they will act upon all pickups.
Still not sure what you're trying to obtain with all this stuff.
 
#8
lavmonga said:
It seems like I can swing it based upon what you guys have been saying. They next step will be how to figure out how to wire it up. I've looked at those rotary switches and they have a serious amount of nodes to solder to.
Click to expand...

I'll draw you a diagram. You will only be using six terminals of the rotary switch, and they will be jumpered so that there are only three wires to connect with the rest of the circuit.

I agree with Jazz Ad, btw.
Having on/off switches, plus the pickup selector is pointlessly overcomplicated.

What you can do, instead, is use a five position switch to select passive pickup 1/both passive pickups/passive pickup 2/active pickup/*one other function, such as a mute.
 
#9
Thanks very much line6man, I'd much rather have the option of one switching my way around the rotary to select pickups. Looking forward to your diagram, I'm trying to figure it out myself, but I can't seem to find an explanation of which nodes do what other than the center poles. Jazz Ad, you're making sense too, thanks. What I'm trying to accomplish is running separate active and passive feeds to the output. I don't want to mix or blend the active and passive feeds, I know that's a mess, I just want to be able to run a passive circuit OR an active circuit. I thought the rotary or the on/off switches could keep my active and passive from interfering with one another.
 
#10
how about a 3-way switch to control the two passive pickups, and a two-way toggle to switch between the whole passive situation and the active pickup?

or, if you don't want that many holes, just get a 4-way rotary from mouser or wherever; N, N+B, B, active pickup. it'll be a little tricky to switch the two passives through their pots, then switch out those pots for the active pickup and its own pots, but it should be doable.
 
#11
lavmonga said:
Thanks very much line6man, I'd much rather have the option of one switching my way around the rotary to select pickups. Looking forward to your diagram, I'm trying to figure it out myself, but I can't seem to find an explanation of which nodes do what other than the center poles. Jazz Ad, you're making sense too, thanks. What I'm trying to accomplish is running separate active and passive feeds to the output. I don't want to mix or blend the active and passive feeds, I know that's a mess, I just want to be able to run a passive circuit OR an active circuit. I thought the rotary or the on/off switches could keep my active and passive from interfering with one another.
Click to expand...

Rotary toggles switches really are quite simple.
If you look at one pole, there is a common terminal. This terminal connects to one terminal in position one, a different terminal in position two, a different terminal in position three, and so on.
There will usually be two or four poles, doing this at the same time. If the terminals cannot be identified visually, you can use an Ohm meter or continuity tester to identify each terminal.
If you can find the common terminals, each one will only make contact with one other terminal on it's pole, at any given time.
 
#12
I'm sorry I'm getting so needy here, but I want to keep the 4 knob SG setup, so I'd have a volume and tone for the passives and a volume tone for the active. As far as the two passive pickups go, if I wanted to wire them to one pot, a master passive volume and master passive tone, what is the damage of putting a switch before the controls? This would eliminate the need for a rotary, I could just switch on the pickups that i'd like to send a signal to the v and t controls.

Mudbucker-->on/off switch--->

...............................................Vpot1--->Tpot1-->Position1Varitone-->output

Mini Hum--->on/off switch--->


I know Line6man mentioned something about the active pickups messing with the passive pots, but if I cut the active chain off (via switch) while I run the passive pups, wouldn't that handle it?
 
#13
lavmonga said:
I'm sorry I'm getting so needy here, but I want to keep the 4 knob SG setup, so I'd have a volume and tone for the passives and a volume tone for the active. As far as the two passive pickups go, if I wanted to wire them to one pot, a master passive volume and master passive tone, what is the damage of putting a switch before the controls? This would eliminate the need for a rotary, I could just switch on the pickups that i'd like to send a signal to the v and t controls.

Mudbucker-->on/off switch--->

...............................................Vpot1--->Tpot1-->Position1Varitone-->output

Mini Hum--->on/off switch--->


I know Line6man mentioned something about the active pickups messing with the passive pots, but if I cut the active chain off (via switch) while I run the passive pups, wouldn't that handle it?
Click to expand...

You can do that if you want. You just need the low value pots for the active pickup out of the circuit when the passive pickups are being used. That would be done with the pickup selector.
 
#14
Did this happen yet? Before you take a router to the guitar, please decide on placement of your active pickup. That will have some bearing on what that sounds like. Tape it above the strings on wood blocks or something. Now, how about a stereo output? you could split it to two amps! ric-o-style
however;
I am wondering what an active pickup is going to do for you that a preamp wouldn't. I don't really understand the major difference. A cheep preamp or just a buffer circuit may give you all the "brilliance and clarity" you desire, without skipping a router across the body of your bass outside the template.

I am going through pickup anxiety on my jazz copy right now. I ripped my preamp out and only have two switches. AMAZING CLARITY! I should wire up a preamp to my eb3 equipped tele just to see what that does to a mudbucker. Any one do that before?
 

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