hypothetical wiring n00b question

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:37 pm

hello,

if i wanted to take a guitar with two humbys and give them each just a separate volume knob it'd be really easy right? just connect each humbucker as if it was the only PUP and then somehow jump them to the output?

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:01 pm

You need to look at a SG or LP wiring diagram, are you changing tone for volume or adding an extra pot/knob?

Fran · Post by **Fran** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:05 pm

Yeah, each pickup goes to its separate Volume, then to tone/or to the output jack if you dont want tone.
It looks pretty simple... 3-way switch straight to output, if you dont want tone ignore them two jumper wires going to them pots.

James · Post by **James** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:09 pm

endsjustifymeans · Post by **endsjustifymeans** » Mon Sep 14, 2009 11:32 pm

I'm not sure he wants a 3 way.

at least not in his guitar.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 4:21 am

endsjustifymeans wrote:I'm not sure he wants a 3 way.

at least not in his guitar.

that is correct. i'm hoping just for one humbucker going to one volume pot and the other going to the other volume pot. then somehow have just one output jack...

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:18 am

And you want to be able to turn one off without muting the signal from the other one?

Do this:

but omit the tone control and take the second volume pot top lug to ground and the bottom to the output jack. This is Jazz Bass wiring.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:23 am

This one. Just join the wires instead of having a 3-way:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_2v_3w

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:26 am

Mike wrote:turn one off without muting the signal from the other one

Good point. How would that not happen with the diagram I posted from the SD site?

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:26 am

timhulio wrote:This one. Just join the wires instead of having a 3-way:
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_2v_3w

If you turn one volume off you'll mute the other pickup.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:26 am

timhulio wrote:
Mike wrote:turn one off without muting the signal from the other one
Good point. How would that not happen with the diagram I posted from the SD site?

Erm. Just have a look at it.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:30 am

I am. I can't figure out how it'd work if you're in the middle switch position.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 8:31 am

OK that was lame of me.

In a classic volume pot wiring scheme, you inject the signal into the "hot" or lug3 input of the pot, ground lug1 and take the output from the wiper, lug2.
When pot is turned full, wiper is connected to hot and your pot resistance is between that connection and ground, and you have output.

When pot is turned low, wiper is connected to ground and you have no output and infact your output is grounded. This means in your scheme the output jack is grounded when one pot is off.

In the jazz bass scheme, you inject signal into the wiper, and then pan that between the hot lug (which is now the output) and ground. So when we ground the pickup, we don't ground the output of the pot, only the pickup itself, right? So now you an turn one off and rock the other.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:17 pm

cheers mike and tim...so if i'm following the conversation, either scenario would work, correct? and that was what i hoping for yes, independent volume controls. i know it sounds weird, but i think it's a)simple enough for me to actually be able to pull off and b)might just be a cool way to play with the "amount" of humbucker goodness in a guitar.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:22 pm

Nah, mine works, Tim's doesn't.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:41 pm

Mike wrote:Nah, mine works, Tim's doesn't.

early morning, so i re-read your explanation, and yeah i see that now. it's kinda cool that i'd be modifying a jazz bass wiring scheme to do this, since i be a bass player at first guitar player second. of course, i say all this knowing full well my monkey-ass will fuck up the wiring scheme you gave me (even as well as you totally laid out what i need to do) and i will again just be happy if both PUPs work when i'm done. lol)

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 2:57 pm

Mike wrote:Nah, mine works, Tim's doesn't.

Nah the one I posted would work. It's the same as standard Gibbo wiring if you leave out the tone pots. And that works. Somehow.

JamesSmann · Post by **JamesSmann** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:07 pm

timhulio wrote:
Mike wrote:Nah, mine works, Tim's doesn't.
Nah the one I posted would work. It's the same as standard Gibbo wiring if you leave out the tone pots. And that works. Somehow.

ha ha ha. i trust both of you guys and your wiring skills, so probably what i'll do is look at both diagrams, picking whichever one looks LESS likely for me to fuck up completely and then give that a whirl...if that doesn't work, i'll do the other. LOL

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:16 pm

timhulio wrote:
Mike wrote:Nah, mine works, Tim's doesn't.
Nah the one I posted would work. It's the same as standard Gibbo wiring if you leave out the tone pots. And that works. Somehow.

That wiring will not work. I had a Telecaster Deluxe wired that way, it does not work. One volume off in both mode means both pickups off. If Gibsons work then it is because they use my wiper technique, not hot line into the outer lug and output from the wiper.

Seriously mate, read what I have written. If you turn off one pot you are dragging the output (which you have connected to another pot output) to ground. If you connect any signal to ground it is ground. The Jazz Bass method works because when the pot is off it grounds the pickup and not the output signal, which is separated by the pot value from ground.

Get two pots out and breadboard it if you have to, I'm 100% right.

This will work:

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 15, 2009 3:21 pm

This page explains how Standard Les Paul wiring does NOT do what you say it does, and how to fix it:
http://www.nuklhedcentral.com/html/guit ... ml#lespaul

Alternate volume control wiring
You can wire both of the volume controls of a Les Paul (or any other dual volume control instrument) so that you can blend the volume of the pickups independently. This solves the problem at the middle position of the selector switch in which turning down one volume control affects both pickups[