Series/Parallel/Split 3 way toggle for bass

[Inflames626]

Hi all,
So I've got some basses lying around of the 5 string variety. I think they are passive basses with active 3 band EQs.

One has EMG HZ soapbars. The other I plan to use with Seymour Duncan NYC soapbars. I plan on keeping the basses passive and retaining passive tone controls.

One is an older Jackson David Ellefson Concert Bass of some sort that came stock with EMG HZs. It has the radioactive symbol on the truss rod cover and was probably put out for the Rust in Peace 20th anniversary tour. I will clip the EMG quick connector off the end of it on the knob end to do the wiring job.

The other bass is a neck-thru LTD with walnut stripes that I plan to use for the NYCs. Now that I think of it, this bass may have active pickups, but they are ESP OEM.

As far as I know each bass has five knobs--a volume control for each pickup and a 3 band EQ. I will probably remove the active EQs and use them for something else. I just don't really like active basses/active tone controls since I will boost/cut using my software's plugins and not the controls on the basses.

Some questions:
1) I plan to use DPDT on/on/on 3 way switches so I can switch each pickup among series/parallel/split. Neck pickup will get the split coil closer to the neck and bridge pickup will get the coil closest to the bridge per common practice. Is this possible?

2) If it is possible and I can only find mini toggles instead of ones the diameter of a traditional volume/tone pot, is there some way I can get some sort of sleeve that will upsize a mini toggle to metric sized volume controls? If only imperial size can be found I can enlarge the holes with a taper reamer.

At the end of the day I hope to have a volume knob for each pickup, a master tone control, and two 3 way DPDT on/on/on toggles, one for each pickup. This is five holes total. I made sure to choose basses with 5 knobs for this since I didn't want to use a drill press on a bass with fewer controls.

If I seem uncertain about the basses, it's because they're in storage upstairs and I wanted to see if this project is possible before fetching them.

Thanks.

[Inflames626]

I did find a diagram similar to what I'm trying to do here. Still not sure about the adapters for the toggles if needed.

https://forum.seymourduncan.com/forum/the-pickup-lounge/334443-series-parallel-split-wiring-diagram

[jeremy]

i used a piece of rubber tubing before and it worked fine, not sure there is a sleeve out there for what ya need. there are all sorts of dpdt on/on/on switches out there, but might be tricky to find one just the right size. have you measured the hole diameter?

[Inflames626]

i used a piece of rubber tubing before and it worked fine, not sure there is a sleeve out there for what ya need. there are all sorts of dpdt on/on/on switches out there, but might be tricky to find one just the right size. have you measured the hole diameter?

jeremy , no sir, not yet. As they're imports I'm guessing they're 6 mm. Probably Alpha sized but some of the Alpha pots I've seen lately, at least their push pull DPDTs, are a little larger than usual. I usually use Mouser Electronics as my retailer.

I'm glad you mentioned the rubber tubing trick. I seem to remember people doing that for Strat pickguards. I remember it being surgical tubing. Pretty thin I assume since the size difference won't be large.

SD notes there are two types of on/on/ons here. https://www.seymourduncan.com/blog/l...n-on-on-switch

I guess I'll just measure and wherever I have continuity I can figure out which switch it is.

I'm going to use wdmusic.com this time for parts probably. All the stuff I've found on Amazon (Musiclily, Randon, Kaish, etc.) have been hit or miss. I know I hook stuff up right but tapers work in reverse, etc. Staying away from Amazon from now on for pots especially. Worse comes to worse I can ream out the holes a bit.

I get a headache thinking about all the pot variables mainly--diameter, coarse vs. fine splines, spline count, split vs. solid shaft, length, etc.

Since most of what I have used are MIJ Jacksons from the mid 90s to the mid 00s they seemed to use split shaft but, oddly enough, with set screw knobs. I was always taught putting the set screw into the split breaks them, but I have seen them come that way from the factory.

A 1997 made in Meridian, MS Peavey Foundation 5 string I have came the same way--split shaft, set screw knobs. One half of the pot shaft snapped off and I never replaced the knob or pot. I need to get around to doing that.

I was always taught split shaft pots are best for push on knobs. But, on heavy metal guitars and basses, I tend to prefer chrome set screw knobs best. I can either set the screw for 0 or 100% so I know whenever I'm looking at it about how far I have the knob turned up.

Some of my BC Rich import stuff (a 94 Warlock bass and guitar come to mind) have push on knobs. They're easy to install (but a little tense to take off--even with a shoestring underneath it takes a lot of force). There are no markings to show how far up the knob is.

This is why I tend to stay away from tone controls on instruments. As a guitarist who plays bass I just prefer setting my amp to the proper tone. Passive tone controls on the bass are usually just for 0 or 100%, usually full dark with a .1uf cap if I want to imitate a fretless on a roundwound fretted bass.

[El Dunco]

My G&L L2500 has a bridge/both/neck switch, a series/parallel switch and a passive/active/top boost switch. There’s schematics for it online, it might have enough in common with what you want to help. There’s a modding community around that bass. The K-Mod for instance splits the coils in both pickups where the pickups on a Jazz would be and makes it sound just like one, hence all the schematics. The master series/parallel aspect of the circuit might be of interest to you.

[Inflames626]

Thanks for the advice El Dunco . I appreciate your thoughtful contributions to my posts.

I'm definitely not one of these guys who can think of 5-6 different ways to wire the same thing. If it's simple like a single master volume running active pickups through a 3 way toggle to a jack I have no problems. But for something like this I had to think a bit more. It's easy to overthink. People seem especially to do this with unnecessarily complex grounding schemes.

[Inflames626]

I will probably have to cobble together stuff from 2-3 different diagrams to make it work but it's really just about wiring the switches. Once those are done I can connect them to what will essentially be just a volume/volume/tone bass.

[El Dunco]

Thanks for the advice El Dunco . I appreciate your thoughtful contributions to my posts.

I'm definitely not one of these guys who can think of 5-6 different ways to wire the same thing. If it's simple like a single master volume running active pickups through a 3 way toggle to a jack I have no problems. But for something like this I had to think a bit more. It's easy to overthink. People seem especially to do this with unnecessarily complex grounding schemes.

I hope it helps. It’s an incredible bass. It doesn’t have a blend pot or independent volumes like most basses but it doesn’t realistically need it. Just the different pickup combinations and series/parallel means it can cop so many different sounds from a P-bass to a Stingray to an aggressive, burpy Warwick/Rickenbacker type sound that is virtually impossible to exclude from the mix short of turning it off completely.

[Inflames626]

I hope it helps. It’s an incredible bass. It doesn’t have a blend pot or independent volumes like most basses but it doesn’t realistically need it. Just the different pickup combinations and series/parallel means it can cop so many different sounds from a P-bass to a Stingray to an aggressive, burpy Warwick/Rickenbacker type sound that is virtually impossible to exclude from the mix short of turning it off completely.

I plan to do something similar. I got a Fernandes Tremor 5 from before they went out of business. Two big Stingray pickups and 5 strings. I imagine it will sound huge for low tunings. Might even be 35" scale length. I know Tony Campos from Static-X was using them for a while and he was always known for having a fat up front bass tone.

I plan on refitting SD Stingrays to it--Alnico in the neck and ceramic in the bridge. Series/split/parallel on each of those along with a tone and independent volume and I'd have a poor man's high end Stingray.

A lot of bassists are big on blend pots, etc., but for me those weren't needed on old 60s Jazz basses, so I feel I can get away with just using independent volumes for each pickup.

Also a little off topic but a random recommendation of mine El Dunco . Try a Duncan Custom 5 in the neck and a Custom in the bridge. I have these in a 94 NJ Floyded BC Rich Mockingbird along with Triple Shots, a phase switch, kill switch on the bridge, and tone knob. It's a very versatile guitar that I use for rhythms since the Custom line really sounds different when you change the wiring scheme. EMG HZ1/HZ1As are similar. I have used those with Triple Shots in an LTD EX no problem--just matching up EMG's wire colors to SD's. HZs are very underrated, IMO.

I find a lot of the so called lead pickups like the EMG 81 and Duncan Distortion can cause a bit of ear fatigue. Something around 12-14k is a bit tamer and less harsh in the upper mids. Makes for a clearer, easier to listen to rhythm sound IMO.

That said I still track rhythms with EMG 81s/85s and Duncan Distortions like most metal people. I just tend to prefer Distortions now for leads only especially. And my new favorites, the Parallel Axis pickups for passives and the Mick Thomson AHB3s for actives. Parallel Axis Original is a real sleeper pickup, IMO. I have it in an MIJ Jackson RR3--the | | pole pieces look cool combined with the angles of the V.

Going to try the Parallel Axis Distortion in my Jackson DK2S. Such a trebly pickup should scream for solos with a Sustainiac and killswitch to make things more interesting. Also going to try the Parallel Axis single coil for the middle position. The Sustainiac as a neck single coil isn't bad--a lot like an EMG SA. I will post results in another thread.

[Inflames626]

Pretty sure Phil Rind of Sacred Reich has always been a big G&L guy too and SR have great bass tone.

[El Dunco]

I do have a custom in the bridge of my 1984 Dean V. It’s paired with a PAF Pro which is really good for neck lead tones. I do hear rave reviews about the PAT-B 2 and it looks cool so there’s no reason not to put that in something. I’m trying to save for a set of Blackout singles for my strat because nobody else seems to have tried them and being the real deal, it’s super comfortable. I play most of my leads that don’t require serious whammy action on it in studio.

I also have a Distortion in the Washburn I mentioned in another thread which is my other favourite shred guitar with the Floyd Original and signed by Seymour. Not that I’m ascribing any performance virtuosity with the signature from the man himself haha.

The MFD pickups in the G&Ls are pretty amazing, they’re neodymium or something aren’t they?

[Inflames626]

I didn't know they used neo magnets in pickups. I had mostly heard of them in the 90s and 00s when pre-Kiesel Carvin was pushing neo bass speakers in their catalogs (I used to use them as gear porn/toilet literature) for their lighter weight.

I have an old Carvin R1000 bass combo amp. 2 10"s and 1 15". Built in compressor and EQ curves. Very versatile. Not sure the magnets are neo though. It's maybe 3 feet/1 meter tall--about the size of a mini fridge.

Here's the manual to the head. I like the red knobs on it.

https://www.manualowl.com/m/Carvin/R1000/Manual/452539

And a combo like mine:

[Inflames626]

I consider the Parallel Axis Original to be something like a hi-fi Distortion. Similar overall character but not as harsh sounding.

[Inflames626]

Kind of surprised SD didn't design a Parallel Axis pickup for bass and have it sound really clean and bright--like a Bartolini.

[El Dunco]

Yeah I’m wrong, it’s some kind of Alnico. So you reckon Original over the PATB2? That Carvin reminds me of a hi-fi unit I used to have. I have the earlier Mosfet Transient Attack Hartke made. Apparently they’re more sought after. It’s got both tube and solid state pres. I also have this really rare, obscure head called an Abbey I was able to track down someone known to the maker by phone because it’s local from the 70s who could tell me more about it. I posted about that in another thread.

I run either of them through a 4x10 with Eminence Deltas, plus a 1x15 with a Kappa pro of I want to rattle the fillings out of heads (or combinations if I’m feeling crazy in the studio, for one album, I had our bassist split into three amps and the resulting tone was noticed in the reviews which is nice). Then I’ve got this little Overton Flyweight 200 that’s decently loud, clean and compact for convenience like filling in on bass for a band on short notice.