Prs-style 2 Hb Wiring With A Twist: Possible?

[Amplified]

Hi all. 1st post here.

I'm toying with this idea for my 'ideal' 2-humbucker wiring scheme - it goes as follows:

2 passive humbuckers with 4-wire connectors

1 volume pot

PRS-style 5-way rotary switch, to coax the 5 different, musical tones ouf of the HBs

No tone control

Problem is, the PRS rotary thing is utterly awkward ergonomics-wise, at least for me, especially when toggling on the fly, so I thought of a workaround. A 2-way toggle switch that connects the bridge humbucker

directly to the output jack when engaged and lets out the normal output of the rotary switch and the volume pot when not. Tom Anderson guitars use this trick, they call it the 'blower' switch. See www.andersonguitars.com/switcheroo.html

This would also allow me to

- switch on the fly between pre-set cleaner sounds (say combined split pickups with 3/4 volume) and full-bore bridge HB

- perform tom morello DJ-style staccato bursts (by toggling rapidly between bridge HB with full volume and silenced neck HB) without 2 separate volume controls.

I'd like to know if it's somewhat possible and eventually a how-to schematic. Would it also be possible using a push-push volume pot instead of a 2-way toggle?

Thanks a lot

FZ

[Sambo]

all you need is a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch, two position, on-on. connect the middle tag to the hot output on the output jack, the left to the hot output of the volume control, and the right tag directly to the hot output of the bridge pickup (i know this will already be attached to the toggle switch). then you can switch between the two. This is also called the direct cut switch or something like that by yamaha on their RGX guitars. Hope this helps. (i can do a diagram if you need it)

[lovekraft]

I would like very much to see a diagram, if you've got one - that setup's not nearly as simple as it appears at first blush.

[Sambo]

here you go

part of the diagram is borrowed off seymour duncan. Its probably easier to atually buy a PRS rotary switch as they are easier to wire up, or even a stew mac Megaswitch (model P) which is the same as the rotary but in strat form. But you get the idea of how to do it from this diagram hopefuly. reply with any questions!

Ta

[lovekraft]

But that doesn't completely bypass the switch - it simply exchanges the hot lead on the bridge pickup , so if you're in one of the split coil positions, the bridge will still be split ( the other coil will still be grounded out) when you flip the toggle. You'll need at least a DPDT to do what FZ asked for, and I'm not sure that will be enough - like I said, it's not as simple as it looks!

[Sambo]

Have to admit i hadn't thought of that, but hey. Here's the fix.

URL for image is Images if it doesn't work.

sorry about that! did it before i went to sleep in a bit of a zombie mode.

Edited February 17, 2005 by Sambo

[lovekraft]

OK, correct me if I'm wrong, but now you've only got one coil regardless of the rotary switch's position, and the spec asks for "...full-bore bridge HB...". I think you're going to have to rewire the rotary switch as well to get this to work as requested.

[Sambo]

Just try it

and why would it only have one coil there anyway?

[lovekraft]

You're right, I misread your diagram - there's no ground connection (and hence no sound) at all in positions 3 and 4. And while I appreciate your enthusiasm, I really don't need to try anything that I can see won't work from simply looking at the dagram, thank you.

Trace your ground path from the green wire on the bridge pickup, and try again. Your switch simply opens the ground lead completely in 3 and 4 as drawn.

<EDIT>There's an easy solution that I should have seen immediately - if you simply disconnect the bridge pickup green lead from the rotary switch and hardwire it to ground, the second diagram will work as desired.

Edited February 18, 2005 by lovekraft

[Sambo]

There we go! a solution!

Incidentally, i opened up my custom 24 to have a look, on the new prs swtches, the ones with the circuit board attached parallel to the shaft, it appears that the ground wire from both the pickups is hard wired to the ground out from the switch anyway!

but hey. There we go!

[psw]

Very entertaining guy's...

Actually, I didn't think it could be that hard as danelectro do it and they're not renown for complex switches though they do sometimes do the rotary thing.

I always thought it was a great idea as most of us have the guitar full bore anyway.

psw

[Sambo]

*takes a bow*

Always proud to entertain.

[lovekraft]

Very entertaining guy's...

←

Aw - go build a sustainer!

[Amplified]

Wow! Sorry to be back at the party so late, but nobody answered in the first month or so

So basically if I use the second diagram with the green from the bridge pickup hardwired to ground I'll have the setup I described in my first post, splitting and all? Is it difficult to adapt to a Megaswitch P config? What is the cryptic remark on Duncan's site that the bridge magnet must be reversed for such wiring to have effect, and how do I check that?

Thanks again,

FZ

[GregP]

I don't see any diagrams! Don't suppose the posters want to switch to Photobucket instead of Tripod?

Greg

[Amplified]

Use this: http://jzm3sb.tripod.com/pictures/

[Sambo]

The megaswitch should work in much the same way. You may find a new PRS switch easy to work with as they have a lil PCB on them with all the places to put the cables in! But a megaswitch will work exactly the same though.

As for the SD humbuckers, I think, theoretically you should be ok, as they work fine with a 4pole switch (its the in between settings that cause problems with PRS wiring and not being hum cancelling) But with 2 SD pickups it should be fine. As i remeber the only problem comes with mixing PRS and SD pickups as they are different polarities.

[bernardkk]

all you need is a single pole double throw (SPDT) switch, two position, on-on. connect the middle tag to the hot output on the output jack, the left to the hot output of the volume control, and the right tag directly to the hot output of the bridge pickup (i know this will already be attached to the toggle switch). then you can switch between the two. This is also called the direct cut switch or something like that by yamaha on their RGX guitars. Hope this helps. (i can do a diagram if you need it)

hi buddy, how is the wiring diagram coming along, hope all is well..