Fancy Wiring

[RiffGuy]

Well, this is fancy to me, anyway.

I have a one volume/one tone setup on my RG421 (2 hum) and have been thinking about getting the stacked knobs with double pots underneath so I can have a separate volume and tone control for each pickup without having to drill any new holes. Has anyone done this before, and how involved is it?
Where could I get schematics for this?

 

[Artie]

Re: Fancy Wiring

Its fairly simple. You just use the schematic for dual volume/dual tone, but the pots will be stacked instead of separate. The wirings the same:

http://www.seymourduncan.com/website/support/schematics/2hum_2vol_2tone_3way-w-spl.html

But, you're back to dealing with that old dual-volume oddity.

(btw - ignore the switch in that drawing. You won't be using it.)

 

[RiffGuy]

Re: Fancy Wiring

But, you're back to dealing with that old dual-volume oddity.

Isn't that a pretty standard thing, with the separate volumes?

 

[Artie]

Re: Fancy Wiring

Isn't that a pretty standard thing, with the separate volumes?

Yes it is. :laugh2: I might be the only person who thinks it isn't a good idea, but still, you should be, at least aware, of the problem before you convert.

Using that wiring diagram will cause one volume control to kill both pups. If you reverse the two leads of the volume pot, to wire it like an LP, the character of the pup changes as you lower the volume.

Its not a big deal, since there must be a million guitars out there that have dual-volumes. It just bugs me. :laugh2:

 

[RiffGuy]

Re: Fancy Wiring

Well, to be honest, I'm more interested in having two tone controls than I am in having two volumes. I don't like having to re-adjust the tone control when switching back and forth between pickups. Thanks for the input, though.

 

[skh515]

Re: Fancy Wiring

From what Lew tells me, if you do the '50s mod, i.e. run the signal to the tone pots first and then to the Vol, you will eliminate that change in tone you are talking about when you lower the Vol.

If you just want seperate Tone controls, you could add one stacked pot (The two tone controls) and keep the single Vol. Run the signal from one pup into the top and one into the bottom of the stacked pot, then run the output to the Volume pot.

Sounds simple, doesn't it?

I personally have never had a problem with mulitiple volume controls.

 

[bluey@sunni]

Re: Fancy Wiring

Great idea, if someone can sort out how to do it so the pots are volume/tone for each pup ie. pull up for tone and down for volume with a full bypass at 10 on the tone then it would be something!

A bit like the switching on a Lucille (the varitone setup). Insert a master volume but each pup must be DEAD when turned off, I love the volume swell you get on a Strat, and any other guitar you can do it on.

I'll have a think about it and see what I can do, the gauntlet is down! It may take me sometime as I haven't done guitar electronics since I built Sunni over 20 years ago. But then it covers tones from Tony Joe White to SRV to Hendrix, Clapton and lots more as well.

Bridge: SSL-4
Middle: SSL-3, modified
Neck: SSL-1
Switching: 5-way and single pole to pull in the "other" two combo's.

I know my good friend Aiden will kill me if I muck about with Sunni, he keeps wanting to "borrow" it for recording as it plays as well as any Fender he has played. It went to the luthier for a service and they wouldn't believe that I built it in High School (They are a Fender/Maton/PRS agents so they're played a few great guitars over the years.)

I've told Aiden that I'll transport Sunni with the old FBI/CIA handcuff protocol, or is that "Get Smart"?

 

[Artie]

Re: Fancy Wiring

To do dual-volume and tone controls, you would still use that first diagram that I linked to. The wiring is the same, regardless of the physical location of the pots. Also, when you say, "pull up for tone", keep in mind, with a concentric pot, you just have two stacked knobs, like this:

concentric knobs and pots

To do a bypass on the tone might be tricky. It means you'ld have to somehow open the cover on the "inside" pot in the stack. Or, you'ld have to use the top knob for tone, and the bottom knob for volume.