Correct wiring for Blackout (AHB1) Master Vol & Master Tone

[npsmith79]

Long winded first post (!) - but hoping someone can guide me in right direction.

As title implies I'm looking for correct wiring of AHB1 set with Master Vol & Tone.

I’ve used the various versions of the wiring selector on the Seymour Duncan web page – but it won’t let me select the combination I’m after. What it does let me select is:

• 2x Blackouts, 1x Vol (post pickup selector) but 0x Tone
• 2x Blackouts, 2x Vol (pre pickup selector) and 1x Tone (post selector)
• 2x Pickups, 1x Blackout Modular Preamp, 1x Vol and 1x Tone
• 2x Livewires, 1x Vol (post pickup selector) and 1x Tone

I was originally going to “blend” the first two of the above diagrams until I noticed that the Master Tone Pot could either be in parallel or series to the “hot” signal path:

• BMP (if I assume the integrated Vol Pot is post pickup selector) has the Master Tone wired in PARALLEL (i.e. the HOT from pickup selector connects to POT SIGNAL IN, which also connects to MASTER TONE pot. POT Signal out is then direct to jack)
• Livewires wire the Master Tone in PARALLEL (i.e. the HOT from the pickup connects to inputs of both the Master Tone and Master Vol pots – seemingly as a variable bleed to ground).
• Blackouts with 2x Vol Pots wire the Master Tone in SERIES (i.e. the HOT from the selected Vol Pot output connects to the input of the Master Tone pot which then connects signal to the jack).

I understand the BMP, Livewires and Blackouts are all “different” … but I’m now unsure on what the “right” approach should be for a Master Vol / Master Tone configuration when using a Blackout set. The answer is unlikely to be 42!

Would very much appreciate any guidance in this matter - I've read through a fair few posts in the forum with keyword "blackout" - but have not found someone else asking the same question! Surprisingly - Google come up with little as well.

Cheers
Nathan

 

[npsmith79]

Re: Correct wiring for Blackout (AHB1) Master Vol & Master Tone

Thinking (and googling more on tone controls) - the parallel approach is the most common (i.e. so it can bleed high frequencies to ground quicker).

So it now begs the question, why does the 2x Blackouts, 2x Vol and 1x Tone showing the tone pot in series? What's special and specific to the Blackouts that would require the Tone pot to be in series? Or is it an "oops" on SD's part?

appreciate the wider forums thoughts on the matter!

 

[npsmith79]

Re: Correct wiring for Blackout (AHB1) Master Vol & Master Tone

And now to round out my own thought process ... and bring an internet clogging thread to rest

It seems I shouldn't be thinking about these things late at night after a long day at work. The 2x Vol / 1x Tone wiring ISN'T actually in series ... its in parallel ... I need to look closer at the diagram!

This now makes the world feel all nice and fuzzy for me - there is only one approach (parallel) - and its plain as day in the diagram how I would convert the 2x Vol / 1x Tone to a Master Vol/Tone combo.