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Wiring Help P + MM + Switching

Aussiephoenix

Aussiephoenix

Nov 9, 2004
835
5
48
Lisbon, Portugal
#1
Apart from needing your help with this :confused:,
Here's an exercise if there are any takers... :smug:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Connect this all up so that it follows this logic:

Precision Pup -> P. Vol -> Switch (Pup1/BothPups/Pup2)
AND
Musicman Pup -> Switch (Series/Parallel/Single Coil) -> MM Vol -> Switch (Pup1/BothPups/Pup2)

And Continuing:
Switch (Pup1/BothPups/Pup2) -> Master Tone -> Output

Thanks in advance for you help.

D.

ps.: if you could edit the diagram and draw in the lines, and post it back up, that would be SWEET. thx.
 
#2
One thing that would greatly help would be if you could tell us which pickups are in question - I *might* know how to connect all that if I interpolate from old schematics, but just in case some pup manufacturer has differently colors for leads.
 
#3
We need to know what kind of MM is it so we can match up the color codes.

I'll assume you have Baselines pickups, since you got the diagrams off their site, but the key you give for the MM makes it sound like it uses the DiMarzio color codes.

So if it's a Duncan/Baselines MM, use the wiring in the illustration. If it's not, and it is wired as you said, try the inset (B&W) wiring to the switch.
 
#4
To tell you the truth, I dont know which manufacturer made this MM pup...

What I know from connecting the ground (black) and one of the colored cables to the output jack straight out is that the red is the hottest, and the green and white both have sound comming through, but its much fainter or distorted than the red...

I think it might be a dimarzio or at least it follows the dimarzio color code, I think... lol. not much help am I?

Thanks for your efforts guys, I'll check out that schematic, see if it works out.

cheers,

Dave.
 
#6
Cernael said:
Sounds like Black&Red are one coil, and Green&White the other. Use the insert switch, then.
Click to expand...

Most manufacturers (Bartolini and Kent Armstrong for instance) use black+white to one coil, red+green to the other. To the OP, do you have a way to measure the DC resistance?

Edit: The pickup in the pic, for instance, is wired that way. Green, not black, is the "ground". So chances are the diagram posted above will work for you.
 
#10
Aussiephoenix said:
I have a voltmeter, but dont really know how to do that.
Click to expand...


Try the following: Solder the black and white wire straight to the jack, black as hot, white as ground. Plug your bass to an amp and tap the two coils (the polepieces, more precisely)with a metallic object. You will probably hear something when tapping one of the coils. If your bass have strings on play some notes, look at where the volume knob in the amp is. After that, unsolder the white wire, solder it to the red wire, isolate them, and solder green to ground. Tap the coils. You will probably hear something when tapping either coil. If your bass has strings on play with the same volume you had before, and it will sound louder. If everything work the way I have described, you have your pickup in series now, and the colo(u)r code is the same Bartolini and Kent Armstrong use. The diagram above applies. If everything is different, please let me know. No pickup will be harmed during the steps described above, worst case you will have a free bump. Hope this help.
 
#11
Kalango said:
Most manufacturers (Bartolini and Kent Armstrong for instance) use black+white to one coil, red+green to the other. To the OP, do you have a way to measure the DC resistance?

Edit: The pickup in the pic, for instance, is wired that way. Green, not black, is the "ground". So chances are the diagram posted above will work for you.
Click to expand...

It looks like a Dimarzio color code, that would be Red and Black on one coil, and green and white on the other.

Duncan uses Black and White on one coil, and Green and Red on the other.

Green is ground on both of them.

On the picture I did, the main drawing is the Duncan codes, and the insert is the Dimarzio.

After I did it I think it's the Dimarzio code.

You can find various codes here:

Invalid Link Removed

It's not a DiMarzio pickup, since they dn't make MM sizes, but a lot of people use that color code system, including myself.
 
#13
SGD Lutherie said:
It looks like a Dimarzio color code, that would be Red and Black on one coil, and green and white on the other.

Duncan uses Black and White on one coil, and Green and Red on the other.

Green is ground on both of them.

On the picture I did, the main drawing is the Duncan codes, and the insert is the Dimarzio.

After I did it I think it's the Dimarzio code.

You can find various codes here:

Invalid Link Removed

It's not a DiMarzio pickup, since they dn't make MM sizes, but a lot of people use that color code system, including myself.
Click to expand...

It can be. But I think the black+white/red+green is more common in bass pickups, although not a standard.
Anyway, I think the only way to know (without measuring the DC resistance) is to wire the black wire straight to the jack (as hot), and try the red and white (one at a time) as ground. If red works, it's DiMarzio; If white works, it's Duncan (Bart, Armstrong etc); if nothing works, it's something else. Do you know of any other (easier) way?
 
#14
Aussiephoenix said:
What I know from connecting the ground (black) and one of the colored cables to the output jack straight out is that the red is the hottest, and the green and white both have sound comming through, but its much fainter or distorted than the red...
Click to expand...
Um, guys? It seems he already tested it. 'tis what I based my post on.

The only things this doesn't tell us outright, is which coil of the MM will be splitted, and whether there are any phase issues (within the MM, or between the MM and p; wither can be easily diagnosed when the wiring's done).
 
#15
Cernael said:
Um, guys? It seems he already tested it. 'tis what I based my post on.

The only things this doesn't tell us outright, is which coil of the MM will be splitted, and whether there are any phase issues (within the MM, or between the MM and p; wither can be easily diagnosed when the wiring's done).
Click to expand...

I'll share a trick I do for the MM (or any humbucker) wired to a Series/Split/Parallel switch like that.

We don't know which coil in his pickup goes to which wires, but if you wire a Basslines up according to the schematic, you get the coil closest to the bridge when you split. If you have two MM pickups and want the neck pickup to be opposite (which will also give you hum cancelation when they are both in single coil mode) just wire up the switch backwards... like a mirror image. That will split the other coil.

Here's a schematic I scribbled on an envelope when I first tried this. This is for Basslines/Duncan color code.

The red lines on the switch show the internal connection, and are not wires. The two diagrams on the right are for the switches. The three showing each setting are just to trace the wiring.

If a pickup is out of phase, just swap the (+) and (-) wires that come off the switch, but not the bare drain wire that comes from the 4 conductor cable, as that must stay connected to ground.
 
#16
Cernael said:
Um, guys? It seems he already tested it. 'tis what I based my post on.

The only things this doesn't tell us outright, is which coil of the MM will be splitted, and whether there are any phase issues (within the MM, or between the MM and p; wither can be easily diagnosed when the wiring's done).
Click to expand...
I think it's strange that, with black wired to ground, any other wire wired to hot produces sound. I think only one should work, the other end of the coil to be more precise. Or am I missing something?:confused:
 
#17
Kalango said:
I think it's strange that, with black wired to ground, any other wire wired to hot produces sound. I think only one should work, the other end of the coil to be more precise. Or am I missing something?:confused:
Click to expand...

It is strange. It might just be some crosstalk between coils, or there is a short in the pickup.

There's actually a pickup that's wound with a pair of wires together, and they aren't connected on the other end! The wires are capacitively linked as the electrons jump across the insulation.

So I guess it's not all that unusual since when a current is induced in one coil, it also induces a current in the other (besides the magnet/strings inducing current in both).
 
#18
Kalango said:
I think it's strange that, with black wired to ground, any other wire wired to hot produces sound. I think only one should work, the other end of the coil to be more precise. Or am I missing something?:confused:
Click to expand...

Nah, I made a mistake, couldnt remember correctly.

What I meant to say was that I had the red on hot, and I remember the green and white were together, but I cant remember if they were also hooked up to the black and bare...

I tried various combinations, and that seemed to be the one with the best and strongest sound.

But I'm going to do some more tests tonight so I can figure out whats what, and get back to you.
 
#20
Kalango said:
Try the following: Solder the black and white wire straight to the jack, black as hot, white as ground. Plug your bass to an amp and tap the two coils (the polepieces, more precisely)with a metallic object. You will probably hear something when tapping one of the coils. If your bass have strings on play some notes, look at where the volume knob in the amp is. After that, unsolder the white wire, solder it to the red wire, isolate them, and solder green to ground. Tap the coils. You will probably hear something when tapping either coil. If your bass has strings on play with the same volume you had before, and it will sound louder. If everything work the way I have described, you have your pickup in series now, and the colo(u)r code is the same Bartolini and Kent Armstrong use. The diagram above applies. If everything is different, please let me know. No pickup will be harmed during the steps described above, worst case you will have a free bump. Hope this help.
Click to expand...

Just did exactly what you suggested, and what I got was the following:

Black+ to hot
White- to ground
= single bridge coil

Black+ to hot
White- with Red+
Green- to ground
= both coils, kinda grungy sounding...:bassist:

but if that's series...then i guess parallel is:
B+ and R+ to hot and W- and G- to ground

thanks guys, I'll try putting the scheme together and get back to ya.
 

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