Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

[Hans Engelmann]

Hello everyone, I'm looking for a wiring diagram to have different outputs for each pickup, I've been searching a lot but I haven't found anything yet, only for passive ones, this is what I have:

-2 Active pickups
-2 Volume knobs
-2 Stereo Jacks

My initial idea is to connect each knob to their respective jack, but I guess it ain't gonna work if I only have plugged one cable instead of two.

Any ideas? diagrams?

Thanks in advance

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

I'm not sure whether this will work? Here's a diagram of what it might look like.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

Welcome to the forum.

Can we first establish that what you require is two discreet signal paths? In this case, it would be essential to have two cables to run two amplifiers. (Shades of Billy Sheehan's bass rig!)

Running two discreet signal paths through a single output jack would require all three contacts of a TRS socket, leaving no means of automatically breaking/completing the battery circuit.

idsnowdog's illustration is almost what I imagined except for the link between the Tip terminals of the two output sockets. In my opinion, if you are going to link the outputs, there is no advantage in keeping the signals separate up until this point in the circuit.

Returning to the Sheehan zone, on some versions of the Yamaha Attitude bass, one of the pots is a push-pull. This determines whether the entire output of the instrument runs in mono, through one socket or whether one of the pickups is diverted to the second output socket and, thereafter, to separate effects processing and amplifier.

 

[Hans Engelmann]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

Thank you guys, the Billy Sheehan's approach is exactly what I'm looking for, I've to admit that I'd no idea of the pull / push switch which is an ever better option to have a Y cable to run both pickups with one amp.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

The two sockets, Y-cable idea is associated with some old Gibson/Epiphone "stereo" guitars and, of course, Rickenbacker's "Rick-O-Sound" system. The latter requires a special cable and a box that recombines two (discreetly processed) signals to one amplifier.

One other device that performs this function is called the StepAbout pedal. This is intended for use with a Chapman Stick touch instrument. It would function equally well for regular guitar.

 

[Hans Engelmann]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

Yeah, I've heard about that. I think mixing the two signals the way a 3 position switch does it's just enough for me, I'll search for the Attitude Bass diagram, if I could get it the only issue will still be the active's, maybe an on / off switch could solve the problem.

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

Here's a diagram where you use one stereo jack and one mono jack. This might work, but someone will need to check it over?

 

[Hans Engelmann]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

Thank you very much! It definitely worth the try.

What I've found hard to understand is that when only one plug is inserted, the signal of both pickups are coming out from that single cable, but when both plugs are inserted, the signals are split, I can't get it... I think this will gonna work, but one jack per pickup, maybe I'm wrong, I don't really know.

 

[Hans Engelmann]

Re: Dual Output Active Pickups Wiring Diagram Needed

I assume the red cables coming from the pickups are the positive ones that have to be soldered to the positive one from the battery connector, and then the negative one (black), coming from that connector is finally soldered to the neck output jack, am I right?