Wiring Help and Suggestions

[fabledsoe]

I have a project body with a jazz bass pick-up for the neck position and a music man pu for the bridge pick.

I initially purchased some guitar fetish pickups bc of the solderless feature but part of the solderless connector broke (my fault). Luckily they provide solder backups. So with it, I have a 4-wire (White-Coil Tap, Red-Signal, Black-Ground, Copper-Pickup Shield) for the MM. The jazz pick-up is a standard Hot & Ground wire.

With all that being said, I am looking for suggestions on the next steps on how to configure it. I know I want a passive configuration, but if there is a drop-in solution (Like Audere), I would also look into that. I've included the original control plate that came with it. The knob is a pull-up, but the seller didn't know much else about it.

Thanks for any help you can give!

 

[bholder]

Well the seller should certainly tell you what the functions of the controls are, it's not that obvious, not easy reading the circuits in those pics - care to make a diagram? That'd be so much easier.

 

[bholder]

I went through Guitar Fetish wiring sets and didn't see any like that - essentially, one volume pot, 2 DPDT switches, and one SPDT switch (in the middle). If it were me, I'd wire that for Master Volume with bridge pickup on/off on the push/pull pot, then a single coil / humbucker switch for the bridge, then a bridge series / parallel coils switch for when it's in humbucker mode. But that's just me...

 

[fabledsoe]

I went through Guitar Fetish wiring sets and didn't see any like that - essentially, one volume pot, 2 DPDT switches, and one SPDT switch (in the middle). If it were me, I'd wire that for Master Volume with bridge pickup on/off on the push/pull pot, then a single coil / humbucker switch for the bridge, then a bridge series / parallel coils switch for when it's in humbucker mode. But that's just me...

Yeah, the seller wasn't fully confident, he believed it was set up for Master volume, on/off switch for each PU, or Or one was a 3 way and a coil tap for the music man. Although none of the switches move that way

 

[bholder]

Oh OK so if that last switch is 3 way, it might be Vol push/pull Neck on/off, then Bridge on/off, then Bridge Parallel coil humbucker / Single coil / Series coil humbucker, I can believe that. Whether the wiring says that, I'm not even going to try without a diagram or at least a clearer, closer pic...

 

[bholder]

Here's the Bartolini diagram for how to wire 4 wire humbuckers for series / single / parallel:

Neither option seems to match what I see in the picture, but like I said, hard to tell...

 

[fabledsoe]

Alright, here is the diagram. What I was able to find on parts as well.

 

[bholder]

Alright, here is the diagram. What I was able to find on parts as well.

Interesting, I'll see what I can figure out, though there are others more qualified on here - chime in, guys and gals!

 

[fabledsoe]

Interesting, I'll see what I can figure out, though there are others more qualified on here - chime in, guys and gals!

Thanks, I've been looking at other options. Not sure if I should just do a VVT situation as I have a basic control plate for it. Also reached out to Guitarfetish about the MM pickup as well.

 

[kgbeast]

Yes, you should. Just wire the mm pickup in parallel and VVT. Switching it in series mode sounds muddy. You can do coil split switch to bypass its second coil, this can kind of make it into closer to a regular jazz bass, but I would leave that alone myself and just have parallel mm and VVT or better yet, VBT

 

[Reedt2000]

If it were me, and I wasn't going to install a preamp, I'd use a stacked volume/blend pot, a traditional tone pot, and 3-way toggle for the bridge pickup series/single/parallel.

 

[fabledsoe]

Yes, you should. Just wire the mm pickup in parallel and VVT. Switching it in series mode sounds muddy. You can do coil split switch to bypass its second coil, this can kind of make it into closer to a regular jazz bass, but I would leave that alone myself and just have parallel mm and VVT or better yet, VBT

So something like this you think for a VVT? My wiring knowledge is beginner level, so just want to make sure.

 

[fabledsoe]

So something like this you think for a VVT? My wiring knowledge is beginner level, so just want to make sure.

Actually I have this reversed the hot and ground wires.

 

[kgbeast]

Yes, just make sure the right wire colors are interconnected. In typical MM pickup, you have 4 wires and a drain wire or just 4 wires. Usually black green red and white. For parallel, from memory so double check, you need to connect red/black (hot), white/green (to the ground).

Once you figure out what is hot and what is ground, use the jazzbass diagram. This one popped up first in my search

Google Image Result for https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-fxdzp2uudp/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/2498/5426/WDUSS2101__39393.1481759758.jpg?c=2

 

[fabledsoe]

Yes, just make sure the right wire colors are interconnected. In typical MM pickup, you have 4 wires and a drain wire or just 4 wires. Usually black green red and white. For parallel, from memory so double check, you need to connect red/black (hot), white/green (to the ground).

Once you figure out what is hot and what is ground, use the jazzbass diagram. This one popped up first in my search

Google Image Result for https://cdn11.bigcommerce.com/s-fxdzp2uudp/images/stencil/1280x1280/products/2498/5426/WDUSS2101__39393.1481759758.jpg?c=2

That's what I'm following. The wires for this MM pickup White-Coil Tap, Red-Signal, Black-Ground, Copper/Bare -Pickup Shield. Pic of instructions below. So I'm combining White and Red along with Black and Copper/Bare. Also just realized I have a 2 wire adapter I can use for hot and ground and wrap this up easy peasy.

 

[bholder]

That's what I'm following. The wires for this MM pickup White-Coil Tap, Red-Signal, Black-Ground, Copper/Bare -Pickup Shield. Pic of instructions below. So I'm combining White and Red along with Black and Copper/Bare. Also just realized I have a 2 wire adapter I can use for hot and ground and wrap this up easy peasy.

And actually, looking at that, it removes one of the potential complexities - that only has 3 wires + ground - to do series / parallel, you need all 4 conductors and ground separate. So that simplifies your choices. I'd go with push / pulls: Vol / on/off neck, vol / on/off bridge, then bridge single coil or (parallel) humbucker). Easy peasey, not so sleazy.

 

[kgbeast]

Yes, looking at your attachment, you do not need to connect any wires together. Refer to above post, it is the way to go for that pickup. Unless you do not want to have the coil tap, then you just leave the red wire alone.

 

[fabledsoe]

I did a VVT with the pickup. I took a two-wire adapter and put it on the MM pickup. Both jazz and music man sound good. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Derek Kay]

It seems to me that you are combining a dual coil humbucker with a single coil PU. The combined result will be a partial humbuck with some noise.

For a full humbuck you could coil tap the humbucker and use one of it's coils to humbuck the single coil J PU (like a Jazz bass), or use the humbucker on its own (like a MM). I would rewire the humbucker with 4 core coaxial cable for better coil tapping options. It's relatively simple.

Replacing the J PU with a stack or "noiseless" humbucker model would give you many more quiet options to consider. I hope this doesn't complicate your thinking.