Mikelamury
New member
Is it possible to wire a Les Paul to where I can have it in the middle position with one volume at 0 without turning the whole guitar off?
Les Paul wiring question
- Thread starter Mikelamury
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ThreeChordWonder
New member
^ Google "Les Paul independent volumes".
Basically you need to swap the pickup hot and volume pot wires over on each volume pot.
I don't know why, but you also need to ensure there us no volume pot casing to volume pot casing ground. Ground each volume pot casing to its respective tone pot casing, then ground both of those to each other then to the output jack ground. Do not create a ring in the grounds between pots. I say "ring" to avoid confusion with "ground loop", which is an entirely different thing. Some say this is rubbish, but from personal experience on my SG, LP and an HH Strat I've found it necessary.
Also, fitting treble bleeds helps curtail the treble loss when you turn the volumes down.
Basically you need to swap the pickup hot and volume pot wires over on each volume pot.
I don't know why, but you also need to ensure there us no volume pot casing to volume pot casing ground. Ground each volume pot casing to its respective tone pot casing, then ground both of those to each other then to the output jack ground. Do not create a ring in the grounds between pots. I say "ring" to avoid confusion with "ground loop", which is an entirely different thing. Some say this is rubbish, but from personal experience on my SG, LP and an HH Strat I've found it necessary.
Also, fitting treble bleeds helps curtail the treble loss when you turn the volumes down.
I've already shown that this is indeed BS. No matter how you run the ground wires, if you have everything grounded then the two vol pot cases WILL be grounded to each other. But because there isn't a direct wire connecting them, (going from vol to tone to tone to vol, using an extra 6" of wire) it will take the electrons at most about a millionth of a second longer to get from one pot to the other (do the math if you don't believe me). If you think that this 1/1,000,000th second is significant, give me some proof other than "I experienced some problems when I rewired a guitar like that"...since there are other factors that could be involved with your wiring expertise. In MY experience of wiring guitars for 60 years, I have never, never, no NEVER experienced the SLIGHTEST problem directly grounding one vol pot to the other (since, in FACT, there is NO electrical difference).
You can keep saying there is a problem, but that doesn't make it so (especially when no one else in the world says it is a problem). OK, maybe that's an exaggeration because you can always find someone who will say anything.
Please don't mislead people on the forum who are searching for some truthful answers to their questions.
Or wire with 50s wiring.
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ThreeChordWonder
New member
^ I beg to differ.
I've actually tried it. Have you?
Fralin pickups tell one not to.
I've actually tried it. Have you?
Fralin pickups tell one not to.
Mikelamury
New member
When you say the hot and pickup wires are you saying solder the hot to the pickup back and the ground to the input on the pot or am I not following you?
uOpt
Something Cool
You just have to connect the pots backwards. A Jazz bass is an example. But as I said earlier in the thread, you pay a price.
Mikelamury
New member
What if I run each pickup to it's respective volume pot then only connect the volume and tone pots via the tone cap then have a wire fun from each tone pot output and meet up at the input if the output jack with no other connections from any pots? Would that work?
Artie
Peaveyologist
You may not want to throw more money at this, AND you may not want to install a 9-volt battery, but just as an FYI, Bartolini makes a dual buffer designed to solve this exact problem.
https://bartolini.net/product/agb/
You'd want the AGDB / 918-2. Also allows you to balance two different output pups.
https://bartolini.net/product/agb/
You'd want the AGDB / 918-2. Also allows you to balance two different output pups.
Mikelamury
New member
Ya, I Don't want to make my Gibson Les Paul active. It's my main guitar but I appreciate the suggestion, I know your good at wiring, do you know a way to solve the problem with passive wiring or is it not possible?
Mikelamury
New member
Do you mean hot to casing and ground to input?
Artie
Peaveyologist
There IS a way. I have it installed on one of my guitars, and it works perfectly. The "problem" is, it's difficult to find ganged 1 meg pot. I've only found one by Alpha, and its' mounting bushing doesn't fit through an LP type axe very well, if at all. My prototype is on a pickguard guitar. Bourns has a part number for one, but nobody sells it. I'd need to buy 500 or 1000 to get one.
One of the cool things about this, is that the input/output lugs are symmetrical. That is, it doesn't matter which of the lugs you use for input or output. CW will always turn the volume up, and CCW will turn it down.
One of the cool things about this, is that the input/output lugs are symmetrical. That is, it doesn't matter which of the lugs you use for input or output. CW will always turn the volume up, and CCW will turn it down.
Artie
Peaveyologist
With the volume at "10" it's electrically identical to a 500k pot. As you roll the volume down, the "load" on the pickup rises to 1 meg.
The cap isn't absolutely necessary but helps as a treble-bleed function. The caps go between the wipers and the input/output lugs.
The cap isn't absolutely necessary but helps as a treble-bleed function. The caps go between the wipers and the input/output lugs.
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uOpt
Something Cool
No. What Artie said. Or look at a Jazz bass.
ThreeChordWonder
New member
The pickup hot goes to the middle lug on its respective volume pot. The output from each volume pot to the switch gets connected to the outer lug that is not currently grounded to its own pot casing.
If you are using them you can fit treble bleeds across the two non-non-grounded lugs, if not, don't worry.
The output to the tone pot either comes off the same lug as the output to the switch ("modern" wiring) or the input where the pickup hot connects ("50s" wiring). Your choice. Each has its pros and cons.
The volume pot casings need to be grounded to their tone pot casings. The two tone pot casings need to be grounded to each other and, ultimately, to the output jack ground. I maintain you should not ground one volume pot casing to the other. Adding a volume pot casibg to volume pot casing ground as well as grounding each volume pot to its tone pot and then to the output jack is superfluous anyway. So just ground each volume pot casing to its individual tone pot casing, ground those to each other, the switch ground, the bridge ground, and the output jack ground.
Unless you're doing any fancy wiring, the pickup ground wires go to their respective volume pot casings, as do the bare (shield) wires within each bundle. Again, unless you're doing any fancy wiring, like coil splits for example, each humbucker's "middle" wires remain joined to each other (in the same pickup, not all four to each other) and the ends should be insulated.
If you are using them you can fit treble bleeds across the two non-non-grounded lugs, if not, don't worry.
The output to the tone pot either comes off the same lug as the output to the switch ("modern" wiring) or the input where the pickup hot connects ("50s" wiring). Your choice. Each has its pros and cons.
The volume pot casings need to be grounded to their tone pot casings. The two tone pot casings need to be grounded to each other and, ultimately, to the output jack ground. I maintain you should not ground one volume pot casing to the other. Adding a volume pot casibg to volume pot casing ground as well as grounding each volume pot to its tone pot and then to the output jack is superfluous anyway. So just ground each volume pot casing to its individual tone pot casing, ground those to each other, the switch ground, the bridge ground, and the output jack ground.
Unless you're doing any fancy wiring, the pickup ground wires go to their respective volume pot casings, as do the bare (shield) wires within each bundle. Again, unless you're doing any fancy wiring, like coil splits for example, each humbucker's "middle" wires remain joined to each other (in the same pickup, not all four to each other) and the ends should be insulated.
beaubrummels
Well-known member
First take a look at standard 'modern' wiring. (Don't think about 50's vs Modern or anything else for the moment. Let's just solve one problem at a time...)
Then look carefully at the "independent volumes" version. Notice that the pickups (along with the tone/cap connection) are now wired to the middle lug, and the output to the switch is now on the outside where the pickups and tone cap used to be.
I've already said I've been doing it for 60 years.
If Fralin says there is a problem directly grounding one vol pot to the other, then he doesn't know what he is talking about relating to this.
I'm referring to the ground wire not the lead wires.
Mikelamury
New member
Ok, gotcha. Thanks for the info.
Mikelamury
New member
First take a look at standard 'modern' wiring. (Don't think about 50's vs Modern or anything else for the moment. Let's just solve one problem at a time...)
Then look carefully at the "independent volumes" version. Notice that the pickups (along with the tone/cap connection) are now wired to the middle lug, and the output to the switch is now on the outside where the pickups and tone cap used to be.
I'm going to try this when I get around to it. Thanks for submitting this.
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