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[RRVCustom]

i'm going to put an active humbucker (seymour duncan) at the bridge, a single (also SD) at the neck, 1 volume (500k), 1 tone (250k), and a 3-way switch (neck, bridge, or both). any diagrams floating around? ive searched the site, and all ive found are HSS and HSH diagrams.

btw, i'd like the switch to be neck only in the forward position, bridge only in the back position, and both in the middle.

thanks a ton in advance!

[Kevan]

There was a similar thread last week. It might help you get started in the right direction:

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=14849

[RRVCustom]

thanks for the quick reply. i'll make sure not to diss the mods from now on!

j/k. actually, that's almost exactly what i needed. the only q i have is the switch, it looks diff than mine. i guess ill have to contact joeguitar for that one.

thanks again!

btw, nice mst3000 avatar. i used to love that show. is it still on air in the states?

[crafty]

Hold on, Smokey. Those active pickups use lower value pots--100K for SD's LiveWires. You put those 500K and 250K pots on there and you won't hear a thing. Also, is your neck pickup going to be active or passive? If it's passive, you'll need a preamp blender to combine it with the bridge pickup.

Other than that, your wiring isn't different than a bone stock Tele with the exception of different value pots, a battery for the active pickups, and a stereo jack to turn the system on and off.

[lovekraft]

No, I think using a higher resistance pot will actually boost the output slightly with the volume wide open, but there's some issue with the taper - EMG says it will work more like an on-off switch, so I assume that means that the volume will drop rapidly at some point with very little change elsewhere in the pot's range. Unfortunately, the only options are to either use the higher resistance pots on both, or add an active buffer to the passive pickup and use two lower value pots. Using a 100K pot for the SD without buffering the neck pickup is going to suck the high end and volume from the neck pickup in the middle position.

[crafty]

How is a higher-value pot supposed to boost output when it's at near zero ohms at "wide open" just like it would be with a lower-value pot? That doesn't make any sense.

The problem with using the higher-value pots is the taper, just like EMG says. EMG uses 25K pots, SD uses 100K, according to their wiring diagrams. You put a 500K volume on there and the output will cut off the moment you move the knob. Remember, these are low-impedance pickups. They're designed to work with low-resistance pots.

RRV, for the amount of experience you have right now, I'd stick with either going totally active or totally passive. Adding a preamp to allow you to combine a passive with an active will increase the price of the project more than it would have been if you'd just go totally active. I'm assuming you're using the SD Hot LiveWire humbucker for the bridge, so just drop in a Classic LiveWire for Strat in the neck. It will save you a lot of wiring hassle. I've tried passive/active blending in the same guitar and it's more trouble than it's worth.

Just wire it up like a stock Tele setup and just substitute the 250K pots for 100K and remember to connect the battery wire to the pickups.

[lovekraft]

How is a higher-value pot supposed to boost output when it's at near zero ohms at "wide open" just like it would be with a lower-value pot? That doesn't make any sense.

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Because the shunt to ground has more resistance, hence bleeding off less current - the pickup's resistance and the volume pot form a classic voltage divider, with the pot as the ground shunt. The larger that shunt resistance is, the less current flows through it and the voltage on the divider center node goes up proportionally, hence higher output.

Obviously we need a simple, cheap solution to this problem of mixing actives with passives - I think I'll go work on that!

[RRVCustom]

well, thanx for the advice guys.

as for the taper issues, dont worry. the only time i turn the volume at the guitar down is when im jammin and the phone rings. the tone is usually at 10 too, i only change the amp tone usually.

when it comes to preamps, im a complete n00b. heard of them, but up til now, had no clue what they do.

as for goin all active or all passive, not really an option rite now. i already have the parts opened, so they can't go back, and im broke. the only option is to take the passive HB outta my firstact, and swap in the active from SD. id have to do a lil rewiring, but it might turn out ok.

[crafty]

If you haven't cut the wires up too badly yet you can still trade your LiveWire back for another Seymour Duncan model. You could trade it back for a JB or a Duncan Distortion.

Lovekraft, I see where you're coming from on the higher output. I always thought that the higher-value pots had more to do with the peak frequency of the output rather than peak voltage. I would still be concerned with using higher-value pots in a system that's designed for low-impedance, especially with preamps built into the pickups themselves.

[lovekraft]

Oh, yeah, definitely - the taper "modification" is a very real issue. The main problem I've seen is that it's nigh unto impossible to match the levels between an active pickup and an unbuffered passive, and that alone is more than enough to make it well worth my time to avoid it altogether.

[RRVCustom]

If you haven't cut the wires up too badly yet you can still trade your LiveWire back for another Seymour Duncan model. You could trade it back for a JB or a Duncan Distortion.

Lovekraft, I see where you're coming from on the higher output. I always thought that the higher-value pots had more to do with the peak frequency of the output rather than peak voltage. I would still be concerned with using higher-value pots in a system that's designed for low-impedance, especially with preamps built into the pickups themselves.

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i havent even touched it yet, but id kinda like to hear it in my firstact. call it curiousity that will most likely kill the cat. good soldering practice too!