Theoretical Wiring Idea: 4PDT Switch to Change Controls

[DjackTheDjurst]

Hello. I’ll be receiving an SE 24-08 very soon, and have been pondering over how to wire it.

Basically, I like having individual volume controls for the pickups, but I don’t want to completely remove the functionality by just throwing out the tone pot. I watched a video showing how to wire a push-pull to make a volume control a tone control. And that has me thinking…

How can I wire it so with a switch, it’s individual volume controls and when toggled it becomes master volume, master tone?

Quick cursory notes: both pickups are 4 conductor (may replace the stock ones with Duncan Distortions), and its stock a 1 Vol, 1 Tone, 3-Way Toggle, 2 Mini Switch for Coil-Split

I’ve been racking it around in my head for a couple of days wondering if it’s possible with a 4PDT switch to do so. And if so, how might I go about it?

 

[Chistopher]

Easiest way would be two stacked pots. With a little thought, you may be able to do it with the stock pots though.

 

[magillver]

Yeah, I agree, stacked concentric pots, then you can easily create 2 independent volumes and tones....

 

[magillver]

Just an example:
https://guitarelectronics.com/alps-stacked-500k-dual-concentric-pot/

 

[Artie]

I've covered this in another thread. Let me see if I can find it.

 

[DjackTheDjurst]

I've done the concentric pot before, and I'm more wanting the wiring challenge of this than to use a concentric pot. Plus, I've had some odd issues with them, and want to try something different is my thing.

 

[Artie]

I won't say that you can't do this, but that it's much more involved than a 4PDT switch. You'd need a 12PDT rotary switch. You only actually need 11 poles, but I've never seen one of those. You'd need to just not use one of the poles of the 12PDT.

So here's what's involved:

Switching a pot from a volume control to a tone control is relatively simple that requires a DPDT switch or a push-pull. (I'll post that diagram in this post.)

In dual-vol configuration, you have the output of the pups going into parallel pots, with parallel outputs, going into the 3-way, into the output jack.

In the Vol/Tone configuration, you have the pups going into the 3-way, then it's output feeding pots, that are now in series, then feeding the output jack. That's a lot of switching. It's do-able, but complex.

In this post. I'll show the vol/tone switching scheme. In the next two posts I'll show the vol/vol configuration first, and then the vol/tone configuration in the next post. The easiest way to trace what's happening would be to print both out, and then trace the path from N/B to the output.

You'd have to be extremely careful in wiring up the rotary switch, because you wouldn't want to trace a fault back through all your work.



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[Artie]

Here's with the switch in the vol/vol configuration:

 

[Artie]

Here's with the switch in the vol/tone configuration:

 

[Artie]

I should add . . . finding that switch will be difficult and expensive. My diagram is more an academic exercise. It's not really a good idea. I'd just decide if you'd rather have vol/vol or vol/tone.
And you could always just add a tone control to the existing vol/vol configuration.

 

[jeremy]

Dang, that seems like a pita. I do like independent volumes, but I can live with concentric pots. I have em on a Washburn that only had mv, mt. I got used to it pretty quickly and haven’t had any issues.