Alright dudes. I need some help!

[Third Eye Visions]

I got these cool pickups called Motherbuckers from Mighty Mite. I'm installing them in a Les Paul. I need help from all the uber geeks and tone freaks here picking out and installing the right hardware. Please bear with me, as I am a total newbie to installing hardware in a guitar.



Here's what I have in mind. I'd like to add a 5-way switch if possible, brass shaft volume and tone pots. I was also told by some people on other forums that using 1000k pots would give me more control. I also want to add some capacitors in the tone controls so I can get more high end and low end out of them.

The 5-way switch I want set up so I can run like this:
Bridge (single coil closest to bridge)
Bridge (both coils)
Bridge|Neck (both pups)
Neck (single coil closest to neck)
Neck (both coils)

Tone Knobs:
Brass shaft with caps set for maximum high and low frequency adjustment. 1000k? 500k?

Volume Knobs:
Brass shafts set for maximum power. 1000k? 500k?

Miscellaneous:
Need pup cavities shielded for less noise and hum. Also want everything grounded properly. Should I use aluminum foil or copper?

I'm looking to use these pups to get an almost "active" pup sound. The pups currently installed in my Les Paul sound like **** and have alot of noise.


Think you can help? Please post any links or good info. These things have 5 wires. I'll list the installation specs below to give you a better idea of what they have.

MotherBucker Wiring explanation

21.6k output for the bridge and a 17.98k output for the neck.

BLUE= hot
RED and WHITE= together and isulated (or to a tap switch if preffered?)
BLACK AND BARE= ground

500K audio for volume and a 500K linear pot for tone?

MM logo towards the bridge on both p/u (ie the bottom coil). This will put the adjustable pole pieces on the neck p/u closest to the neck (the top coil of the p/u) - and - the bridge p/u closest to the bridge (the botom coil of the p/u).



Please help me out. I want to learn!

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Hmmm . . . a couple quick questions:

When you say "add a 5-way", do you mean like a Fender-style 5-way lever? Just not sure how you'ld do that on a LP. If you do use a 5-way, the pup selection you want is easy enough, if you simply reverse the first two selections. You need to get the "split" functions in the #2 and #4 positions.

Second, why the focus on brass shafts? I've never heard of this before.
(I've heard of brass shafts, just not any reason to specify them.)

Let us know, and we'll go from there.

Artie

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I hear that using brass shaft pots offer less noise and better quality.

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Perhaps someone is pulling your leg, or overemphasising a trivial concern. I've never heard of that before, and I just checked the CTS data sheets. They don't specify a shaft material. They do have brass bushings, however, so maybe the shaft material is the same. The more important consideration is to simply use a good quality pot. CTS are one of the best.

So, how about the 5-way? Whats the plan there?

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I'm pretty sure I've seen them for Les Pauls. Same type of switch as normal LP, but can give you 5 options instead of 3.

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I'll do a search, and see what I can find. I've just never seen those before.

btw - I found on the CTS data sheet where they specify brass shafts. So if you go with CTS, you're good to go.

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I've just done a search of all the guitar parts outlets I know, and there is no 5-way LP-style switch. Doesn't mean it doesn't exist, but it sure is well hidden.

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Maybe I saw something wrong then. Even if I can only use the regular 3 way pup selector switch, that would be fine with me. I just want to put better hardware in it that will shield from noise.

Does anyone know anything about capacitors and what kind to use with tone knobs in order to get the maximum high and low end frequencies?

Should I use 500k pots or 1000k? What's the difference?

 

[tone4days]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

i would go with 500K pots ... audio taper pot for volume / linear taper pot for tone

you could use a push / pull pot to be able to get the splits you want while using the regular 3 way pickup switch

i have to ask you though - if you want actives, why not just get them?

it is usually pretty straightforward to keep an LP quiet ... does it have the metal plate in the cavity that all the pots ground to? ... as long as the pickups themself arent noisey, you should be in good shape

as for cap values, i suppose you can experiment - i stick with the standard values ... i have had best results with orange drop caps ... i think our very own lewguitar did an experiment with the real expensive caps a/b'd against orange drops and couldnt hear a bit of difference (and lew KNOWS tone) ...

good luck
t4d

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Wouldn't 1000k give me more control over high and low frequencies though? I was thinking of adding a 0.100 microfarad cap for tone controls.

I can't afford EMG's right now. Maybe later. Right now I want to get some really nice pinch harmonics and a ton of gain.

Bridge: 21.6k
Neck: 17.98k

What kind of electronics would be best for a Les Paul to get some serious squealing going on? This thing is not shielded either. It's a Korean Les Paul from Agile.

I'm so lost. LOL

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

A 1M pot, (1000k), will be a very subtle difference than 500k. You may not even notice the difference. Using .1uf cap will convert your tone control to a volume control. (All the frequencies will pass to ground.)
I'd use a .047uf at most. I prefer .022uf's or even .001uf's myself. The .001uf just trims off the highest end. Nice, subtle tone control.

 

[MikeS]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I, too, have never seen a 5 way toggle switch available for a Les Paul. But, what about the PRS rotary switches? Might look goofy in the stock LP position, but I suppose it's a possibility. It's either that, or do as T4D suggested and use push/pulls to split your humbuckers (or mini-toggles, but that'll require a few extra holes).

I'm with ArtieToo, too, in that a 500k pot with a .022 uf cap gives you plenty of control over even the hottest of the humbuckers.

 

[tone4days]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

you could get some of that spray shield paint ... take all the guts out of the cavity ... cover the guitar very well then spray a few coats (allow time to dry between) in the cavity ... some copper foil tape for the inside of the cavity cover ... is there a bridge ground wire? ... make sure you ground that ...

if you just want to run the pickups flat out, you can take the tone control out of the circuit ... would free up a few holes on the front of the guitar to use for the coil split toggles ...

t4d

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

I want to be able to get a really powerful gain out of them, but I need them to sound decent clean too.

Could someone maybe post a link to the parts I need.

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

BUMP.

I need help picking out the potentiometers! Would it be stupid if I only used 1000kohm pots for the volume and tone controls??

 

[Artie]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Could someone maybe post a link to the parts I need.

A good place to start is to click on my home page link in my sig. Scroll down to the "Parts and Supplies" section on the left. I like GuitarElectronics a lot. Also, our own forum bro's Lew, (LewsGuitars), and John, (Black Rose Customs), provide some pots, caps and switches. They're all listed there.

BUMP.

I need help picking out the potentiometers! Would it be stupid if I only used 1000kohm pots for the volume and tone controls??

It wouldn't be stupid, just as long as you realize that it could be real bright. You can always try it. If you don't like it, pots are not too expensive to change.

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

It wouldn't be stupid, just as long as you realize that it could be real bright. You can always try it. If you don't like it, pots are not too expensive to change.

Thanks Artie. See I've read different info all over the place. I am guessing my best bet would be to just get push/pull 500k pots and perhaps some caps to bring out more brightness and low end on the tone knobs?

Will I need to get "long shaft" pots for a Les Paul? Mine has a curved top, not flat.

 

[V-Spot]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Thanks Artie. See I've read different info all over the place. I am guessing my best bet would be to just get push/pull 500k pots and perhaps some caps to bring out more brightness and low end on the tone knobs?

Will I need to get "long shaft" pots for a Les Paul? Mine has a curved top, not flat.

Yes, you will need long shaft pots.

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

Does anyone know of a company that sells long shaft, 1meg, push/pull dpdt switches?

Do you think I would be better off just buying a 5 way pup selector knob? Someone told me that they make a 5 way switch knob that will fit into the 3 way switch hole in a Les Paul. My only other option was to use a push pull pot instead.

5-position wiring plan is based on pickup selections offered
separately on two earlier model PRS guitars plus the current
McCarty model, and yields the following improved
combinations:

10 - Treble, two coils
9 - Both Pickups wired in a series plus out-of-phase
("Power out-of-phase" in old PRS literature)
8 - Both Pickups in parallel (McCarty/Gibson wiring)
7 - Outside coils wired in parallel
6 - Bass, two coils

 

[Third Eye Visions]

Re: Alright dudes. I need some help!

How about something like the Jimmy Page Les Paul?

I'm working out a wiring plan to put four push/pull pots in an
> Epiphone SG. I plan to have it set up so that with all the pots down, I
> have the stock sounds, but with some/all of them up I can get coil-tapping
> on both humbuckers, phasing, and series/parallel. I have a plan written out
> on paper that should work, but my experience is limited. I would assume
> that the Jimmy Page LP would have a similar wiring scheme since it has
> four p/p pots in it. Does anyone have the JP LP (does it come with
> instructions? would anyone ever open one up if they had the cash to buy
> one?) or have any experience with a similar rewiring job?
> Also, I'm gonna shield it with copper tape. If I shield the
> control cavity with tape, will just the mechanical connection to the tape
> be enough to connect it to whichever piece of hardware I use as a ground
> lug? If I wire the pot cases to a ground lug that is physically in contact
> with the tape, is there potential for a ground loop (tape-pot case-wire-
> ground lug-tape again)? or can I just let the tape carry interference from
> the pot cases and switch cases to the ground lug? The faqs say this is a
> no-no, but they all deal with shielding paint, so far as I can tell. Tape
> should have less resistance than paint and be able to carry the interference
> to ground ok. Help!

Can I do something like this instead?