fizzlebottom Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I have an idea for an extremely versatile pickup configuration, but I'm not sure if it is possible with simple controls. It's an H/S/H config (middle is either a P90 or regular SC, doesn't matter). 1 Volume 1 Tone 3 mini-toggle switches, on/off for each pickup. The volume and tone pots are push/pull for splitting the bridge and neck HB's. Possible pickup combinations would be as follows: ------------ bridge hb bridge sc middle neck hb neck sc bridge hb, middle bridge hb, neck hb bridge hb, neck sc bridge sc, middle bridge sc, neck hb bridge sc, neck sc middle, neck hb middle, neck sc bridge hb, middle, neck hb bridge hb, middle, neck sc bridge sc, middle, neck hb bridge sc, middle, neck sc ------------ *i think that covers all the possible combinations that'd be possible with this config* Absurd, right? of course! I'd love to have this happen though, so if I can do it then i will. So is this something that can happen with the electronics I listed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USAF1989 Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 I have an idea for an extremely versatile pickup configuration, but I'm not sure if it is possible with simple controls. It's an H/S/H config (middle is either a P90 or regular SC, doesn't matter). 1 Volume 1 Tone 3 mini-toggle switches, on/off for each pickup. The volume and tone pots are push/pull for splitting the bridge and neck HB's. Absurd, right? of course! I'd love to have this happen though, so if I can do it then i will. So is this something that can happen with the electronics I listed? Very simple, been done hundreds of times. Just know your color-coding on p/ups. Do a search in this forum & on 'net; there are schematics all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bertbart Posted March 11, 2007 Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Schecter was doing this in the early '80's. In my opinion "Too Many Switches..." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fizzlebottom Posted March 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2007 Schecter was doing this in the early '80's. In my opinion "Too Many Switches..." just as many as a Gretsch Duo Jet, and they're pretty rockin guitars to me. I know it might be over the top, but the idea isn't very obtrusive to me. I just like being able to take advantage of the equipment I have. Now I could put switches on there to invert the phase of the humbuckers, switch series and parallel ... all that jazz. I just want some good coil splitting capabilities with lots of configurations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted March 24, 2007 Report Share Posted March 24, 2007 Ok... since we're talking about crazy pickup wirings.... I came up with the worst one yet... MiniHum-Hum-MiniHum (all 4pin) PRS Pickup Selector 5-way (push = Sustainer, Pull = Neck, Mid available) 1. Single Coil Bridge+Neck (Minibucker Single Coils muahahahaha ) 2. Single Coil Middle 3. Neck 4. Bridge 5. All Volume Neck/Bridge (Push = Phase in with Mid, Sustainer; Pull = Phase out with Mid, Sustainer) Volumer Mid/Sustainer (Push Pull for Paralell/ Series) Tone boost/cut (9 volt) (Pull) Frequency of boost/cut (Push) Ok... so you have a double pot, push = boost/ cut pull = frequency boosted/cut My amp does this with two knobs Do you know of a manufactor that makes this kind of pot? Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liko Posted March 26, 2007 Report Share Posted March 26, 2007 That about covers it. You'll have a switch freak's axe when you're done, but you'll be able to do a hell of a lot with it. Now, if you REALLY want to get complex, you can pick which coil to tap. That would allow you to have hum-canceling variations of neck/bridge SC. But, I shudder to think how complex the wiring would get; you'd need at least one more DPDT to switch neck or bridge coils (I'd switch neck; using the phantom coil of the bridge bucker would be very thin). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomN Posted March 27, 2007 Report Share Posted March 27, 2007 (edited) I have an idea for an extremely versatile pickup configuration, but I'm not sure if it is possible with simple controls. It's an H/S/H config (middle is either a P90 or regular SC, doesn't matter). 1 Volume 1 Tone 3 mini-toggle switches, on/off for each pickup. The volume and tone pots are push/pull for splitting the bridge and neck HB's. Possible pickup combinations would be as follows: ------------ bridge hb bridge sc middle neck hb neck sc bridge hb, middle bridge hb, neck hb bridge hb, neck sc bridge sc, middle bridge sc, neck hb bridge sc, neck sc middle, neck hb middle, neck sc bridge hb, middle, neck hb bridge hb, middle, neck sc bridge sc, middle, neck hb bridge sc, middle, neck sc ------------ *i think that covers all the possible combinations that'd be possible with this config* Absurd, right? of course! I'd love to have this happen though, so if I can do it then i will. So is this something that can happen with the electronics I listed? That would work exactly as described with the controls you have. Just don't expect to be doing much pickup changing during a song. I wouldn't expect much "On the fly" switching. for the most part you will have to set you pickup setting before the song starts and hope it works for the whole song. Because changing mid song will be a switch fumbling nightmare and by the time you get the switches changed for the part you need to play, that part will be over and you'll need to go back to the other switch setting. Meanwhile, you will be stuck somewhere in the middle. So yeah it can be done. You just really need to decide if it's worth it. Plus while all those settings are different, you need to consider that some will sound very, very similar with only a slight tone change. So while you have every possible parallel configuration, you may have some that you don't really need. I would seriously consider scaling down the concept. Use a 5 Way Strat switch, a mini toggle for coil splitting so easier to do on the fly. And a Bridge on switch or blend pot so you can get the Bridge & Neck tones. As well as All 3 Pickups tone. That will give you most of what you want and a much easier way of getting from one to the other. I think you will be much happier in the end. So your controls would be: 5 Way switch Master Volume Toggle one - for coil splitting Neck Neck Tone Toggle two - for coil splitting bridge Bridge tone - Push Pull Pot to add bridge & Neck tones. Could go on any pot. If it were me, I would actually put the bridge coil split on the Push Pull Pot because thats the harder switch to activate live and for me, changing the bridge to single coil would be the least used settting. Then change Toggle Two to the Bridge On function for Bridge & Neck combos. 5 Way switching would be stock Strat style 5 way. This will actualy give you just about every, if not all the settings you listed, with just a much easier switching method. Edited March 27, 2007 by TomN Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devo Posted March 28, 2007 Report Share Posted March 28, 2007 why not just have a mini toggle for each coil that adds the signal from that coil in parallel to the output and then cram as many coils as you can in between the bridge and neck? If you intend to gig with this guitar then your going to find it very frustrating to have to change three or four switches to achieve the tone you want... bear in mind that you will use about three of those options regularly (full neck adn full bridge plus some parallel or single coil sounds) so it might just be worth thinking about what other two options you would most like and then hard wire all those into a 4 pole five way switch. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrazyManAndy Posted March 29, 2007 Report Share Posted March 29, 2007 If you really want a lot of options.... http://guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.c...read=1174521066 CMA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 (edited) That about covers it. You'll have a switch freak's axe when you're done, but you'll be able to do a hell of a lot with it. Now, if you REALLY want to get complex, you can pick which coil to tap. That would allow you to have hum-canceling variations of neck/bridge SC. But, I shudder to think how complex the wiring would get; you'd need at least one more DPDT to switch neck or bridge coils (I'd switch neck; using the phantom coil of the bridge bucker would be very thin). Now I'm thinking to simply have two humbuckers (a swinsehead AMP, and a DiMarzio FRED). Since the swinsehead has no magnet on the bottom and is polepiece magnetic it could do real single coil. Neck - DiMarzio FRED with a pickup cover Bridge - Swineshead AMP Sustainer - Sustainer Thread Muahahahahaha Volume/Tone per pickup Volume pushpull for coil tap (I don't particularly care which one) Tone boost/cut (9volt) pushpull for phase swap (in or out of phase with the other pickup or sustainer for 5th harmonic feedback) Tone Frequency pot (selects the frequency boosted/cut - I got this on my Laney Amp. It works like a wah) pushpull for paralell/series Sustainer Gain pushpull for sustainer on/off Boring ol' 3 way pickup selector I know, that's six pots but what the hey. Who cares. On Pete Townshend's custom model, he had four knobs and two switches the size of knobs. It's possible! Edited March 31, 2007 by SwitchfootOnPRS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wickerwolf Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I know, that's six pots but what the hey. Who cares. On Pete Townshend's custom model, he had four knobs and two switches the size of knobs. It's possible! 6 Pots is fine, besides you can always use concentric pots for some of them which will lower the amount of pots visable down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 6 Pots is fine, besides you can always use concentric pots for some of them which will lower the amount of pots visable down. Yah, but I'm putting switches on all of them... All these dratted pots cost wayy to much Oh well it's just an Idea. Will I ever do it? Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 About the main topic... I'd put more effort into tone shaping and maybe panning than several thousand pickup combinations... how do you plan to use them all.... Dat's jus' me tho peace Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Random question here because I'm too lazy to find a better place for it... Have any of you heard of using an Epiphone Valve Junior head for a distortion pedal into another amp? Is that absurd? And I'll stop posting now.... thanks yall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 Stevie Ray Vaughan, amongst others, has used a "cascading amp" setup before. My understanding is that it's a terrible idea, no matter what famous person did it. I don't pretend to understand amps and loads and so forth, but if you mismatch inputs and outputs, and do not sufficiently load the amps at various stages, amongst other concerns (all stemming from the fact that amps aren't designed to run into one another), you can wreak havoc on one or both of your amps. Someone more knowledgable should pipe in, but I'll start the ball rolling by saying that unless you know what you're doing, it's a bad idea. Someone who knows more can take that and agree or disagree with it. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marksound Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 So ok, after you get all them switches onboard and figure out some cool sounds and when to use them, what do you do when you break a string or a connection comes loose or some other unforeseen Murphy-esque thing happens in the middle of a set? Pick up another guitar just like it? Stop the show? Ok, so no gigs? Studio only? Why not a different guitar for different sounds? What, no studio? Bedroom warrior, eh? What's the point? Yes, I'm contrary and argumentative today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reaper Posted March 31, 2007 Report Share Posted March 31, 2007 I don't pretend to understand amps and loads and so forth, but if you mismatch inputs and outputs, and do not sufficiently load the amps at various stages, amongst other concerns (all stemming from the fact that amps aren't designed to run into one another), you can wreak havoc on one or both of your amps. Correct. Maximum power is transferred across a voltage divider when the impedances are equal. It's possible to design a network to match the two, but frankly, it's a pain in the ass to do, with regards to finding the right component values to exactly match the network, and to get the proper bandwidth parameters (in the end, it also has the effect of acting as a sort of wideband filter). If you have the option of either an efects loop or a pre-amp output, you could use the pre-amp distortion as an input to another amplifier's power amp, or possibly as a double preamp (but that would be kind of redundant, and probably sound like ass). Those would be matched to the standard impedance of most equipment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwitchfootOnPRS Posted April 2, 2007 Report Share Posted April 2, 2007 THanks guys. Jus' wondering considering that the Epi Valve Junior Head is $99 compared to all pedals with real tubes being more expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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