dpm99

I'm upgrading my wife's Squier Bronco Bass. It has one pickup, and two pots (no switches). I'd like it to stay that way. I'm installing an active onboard amp circuit with a speaker, and would like to maintain the ability to have a passive output with a volume control and no tone. I'm having some trouble figuring out how best to do that. Here's basically what I'm trying to do: All that crazy wiring out of the circuit is no problem. My issue is trying to figure out how to split the output between the passive output jack and the active amp circuit. As you can see in the "diagram," the amp circuit goes to a speaker and to a 3.5mm headphone jack. I don't want it to go to the main guitar output jack. That little circuit also has a built-in pot you can't see in the diagram that's directly connected to the circuitboard. When you turn the pot to zero, it turns off the battery (nice). It looks like this: How might one accomplish this without complicating the control scheme? The goal: One potentiometer controls the active amp circuit. One potentiometer controls the passive output. No other controls. Here are some ideas I've had already... 1.) I could use a pan pot (commonly mistaken for a blender pot), and wire it in reverse, which I think would work. The problem is that if the pot is ever turned all the way toward the passive output, the active output won't work. That's inelegant, and might confuse my wife. 2.) I could use a push-pull switch. This really wouldn't be too difficult to do. I could set it to send the signal to one output when it's pulled up, and one when it's pushed down. But again, it's an inelegant solution. I can just see my wife calling me away from my work because her bass won't come on, and I have to pull the little knob up for her to make it work. She's not dumb, really. Highly intelligent, in fact. Just...I dunno. Girly? Not tech-savvy? 3.) I might be able to use what's referred to as a "true blender pot," such as the one featured here: Acme Guitar Works 250K Blender Pot The only problem with that is I can't find any good information on them, and can't figure out if they'd work for the purpose I intend. 4.) Just do like in the "diagram" and split the wire out in two different directions. I don't really think this would work though. I think the signal would find the path of least resistance, wherever that might be, and not do what I want it to do. Even if it did work, I'd have to turn up both volumes at once to make the amp work. Inelegant. So if any of this makes sense to anyone, I'd sure appreciate some input. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks, David

By hot leads, I meant the ones that carry the tone directly to the output jack, as opposed to the ground leads. Think of it like a battery, or a light bulb. There has to be a complete circuit made in order for the pickups to work. I've gotten so frustrated with my current, exceedingly complicated project, I've repeatedly thought about how nice it would be to have a guitar with a P90 in the bridge position, and no controls whatsoever. This would be the wiring diagram: In the picture, the fat gray wire represents the hot lead, or what you might think of as the output. The smaller black one is the ground. You have some fat gray wire in your guitar too, or you should, if it's wired like a Gibson. That metal braided stuff around the wire is shielding, and it's supposed to keep electrical interference from getting into the signal. However, if the shielding is not at some point grounded, it doesn't do any good. That's why, in the picture, you see the gray part connected to the ground. In real life, it looks something like this: Except, of course, that's a very sloppy job. You get the idea though. If you can trace a line of shielded wire from your pickups to your jack, and if all those shielded wires have the shields grounded, you shouldn't be getting electrical interference in your guitar (as far as I know, and my knowledge is limited). Anyway, that's what I meant by hot leads, but that may or not be your problem. Buzz is a hard thing to nail down. David

The only reason I can think of as to why a volume pot would do that is that it has a messed up resistor. But you wouldn't have that on both of them. I think you're right that it has to do with electrical interference. Does it use shielded wiring on the hot leads? And if so, is the wire shielding properly grounded? David

Glad that works!

I'm not awesome with this stuff, but I think it would work. You use a 3-way blade switch, and wire everything on one side, like this: I think it would look something like this: You might want to have someone more experienced look that over. Good luck, David

For the benefit of anyone who may hesitate to order a Trem King from Ralph, I just want to say that the package arrived as advertised with every piece carefully packed. At the price he gave me, I wondered if something might be fishy, but it's the real deal. He gets them in bulk, so the unit arrived without any pretty packaging. It was just in little plastic bags. There were no instructions included, but the Trem King website provides all the instructions you'll need, and them some: http://www.tremking.com/inst.html It also does not come with the template the company offers, but honestly, if you can't make a simple little template like that, you have no business installing this bridge. Get someone to do it for you. That being said, this is not a bridge you can just drop into your strat and play. It takes a little work, but nothing that would be hard for anyone building a guitar such as those we see on this site. Just simple routing and a little knowledge about scale length/bridge placement is necessary. I hope that's helpful. I'd encourage anyone interested in one of these bridges to forget about spending the $150 direct from tremking.com, and just buy one from Ralph. By the way, thanks Ralph. I'm a very pleased customer (and in no way affiliated with...anybody at all). David

Prostheta, thanks for your reply. Forgive my ignorance, but an electrolytic is sort of like a capacitor, right? I don't really know anything about electronics. So.....this?

I admit this question is probably way too easy for most of you guys, but I want to use a Ghost piezo system in my new project, which will include the Acousti-Phonic preamp. I get SO SICK of unplugging my cable in the middle of church to save on battery life. Can I just set up some sort of switch that will disconnect the battery or something, so it won't drain? Assuming my magnetic pickups/piezo pickups/both switch is in the magnetics only position, would I hear a pop when I turned it off? And would I run into any other weird buzz-type/whatever problems? Thank you for your time. I appreciate it. David

This is the first time I've voted in a long time, but my hat's off to maddhattr88. Elegant, traditional, and wildly original. Just an altogether well-executed build. However, since at this instance he's tied with John, I'd be really happy to see either of them win. David

I think I need one of these. Do I have to wait until next Christmas for a great deal to roll around again?

All items sold!

Bearclaw top sold. Grover tuners sold. Ok guys. Final offer here. For a limited time only. Somebody want to try and make a guitar for under $100? This could be a good step in the right direction. All the gold GFS hardware listed above, including... 3X3 Gold Mini-Tuners (GFS, Item E46) Gold Licensed Floyd Rose Bridge, "Fastloader" with Gold Nut (GFS, Item D08) Gold Jack Plate with Jack (GFS, Item K41) Gold Strap Buttons (GFS, Item K32) Gold Pickup Rings (GFS, Item K56 - POSSIBLY K57) Gold Neck Plate (GFS, Item K02), Scratched Complete Les Paul Electrical Component Kit, including 4 500K pots, a 3-way toggle, 2 capacitors, and a jack (GFS, Item F08) Yes, I found the gold neck plate screws. I'm also throwing in a set of Dimarzio gold pickup mounting screws/springs, and some cream plastic binding. It's two lengths of it, about 4' each. Final price... Fifty dollars!! (plus shipping) It's everything you see in the picture below, with the exception of the half-finished guitar body and the couch it's resting on. Act quick or it's going to the garage! (Or Ebay maybe?)

NotYou - sent you a PM. Here's where I stand on this stuff. A number of guys at OLF have expressed interest in individual items. If anyone wants to take the whole lot by 12:01AM Central time Monday for $350 or as trade for a Mexican Strat, they get it. Assuming that doesn't happen, items go as follows: Bridge saddle locator: OLF member Brazilian Rosewood acoustic bridge: OLF member 18" straight edge: OLF member K&K Pure Western Mini: OLF member K&K Pure Prephase Mini Preamp: OLF member Both radius blocks: OLF member Tuner hole jig: OLF member Here's what's left! 3X3 Gold Tuners Grover, 18:1 Bearclaw Sitka Acoustic Top, High Figure, Steel String (LMI, Item WSBCHFJ) (Incidentally, this could make an interesting top for an electric too. Hey, Warmoth uses Spruce tops sometimes.) And all this gold hardware from GFS: 3X3 Gold Mini-Tuners (GFS, Item E46) Gold Licensed Floyd Rose Bridge, "Fastloader" with Gold Nut (GFS, Item D08) Gold Jack Plate with Jack (GFS, Item K41) Gold Strap Buttons (GFS, Item K32) Gold Pickup Rings (GFS, Item K56 - POSSIBLY K57) Gold Neck Plate (GFS, Item K02), Scratched and NO SCREWS! Complete Les Paul Electrical Component Kit (GFS, Item F08) Basically, there's enough hardware there for a guitar, assuming it's a dual humbucker guitar with a FR. If anyone wants to buy all that GFS stuff as a lot, you could end up with a relatively inexpensive guitar build. I'll set it as a lot for $60 OBO. If you were to buy all that stuff from GFS (and they're already dirt cheap, especially considering the quality of the parts they sell), you'd spend $168.15. Tempted? David

I’m starting a new project, and with it, I’m drawing a close to two other projects that I’m just not going to finish. So I’m selling a bunch of things I don’t need any longer in order to fund my new project. There’s a lot of stuff here. You can either reply in this thread or PM me if you’re interested in any of it. You cover the shipping. The total amount I spent on these items is approximately $677.32, not counting tax or shipping. If anyone’s interested in the whole lot, I’ll sell it for $350 (or I might entertain a trade for a MIM Strat). I'll also give preference to anyone that wants to take it as a lot. I’m just gonna list these items out with links to where you can buy the items new, so you can see pictures of the items and their original prices. 3X3 Gold Mini-Tuners (GFS, Item E46) http://www.guitarfetish.com/3x3-Gotoh-Style-Tuners-Oversized-Buttons-Gold-Finish_p_35.html Condition: New Price: $15 3X3 Gold Tuners Grover, 18:1 http://www.amazon.com/Grover-106G-Rotomatic-18-Locking/dp/B0007Y2CYQ Condition: New Price: $40 K&K Pure Western Mini Acoustic Pickup http://www.kksound.com/puremini.html Condition: New Price: $75 K&K Pure Prephase Mini Preamp http://www.kksound.com/prephase.html Condition: New Price: $50 Saddlematic Bridge Saddle Locator (StewMac, Item 4462) http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tools/Special_tools_for_Bridges/Saddlematic.html?actn=100101&xst=3&xsr=94007 Condition: New Price: $20 Gold Licensed Floyd Rose Bridge, "Fastloader" with Gold Nut (GFS, Item D08) http://www.guitarfetish.com/Gold-Floyd-Rose-Fastloader-Locking-tremolo-system_p_379.html Condition: New $40 Complete Les Paul Electrical Component Kit (GFS, Item F08) http://www.guitarfetish.com/Complete-Les-Paul-Upgrade-Electrical-Component-Kit_p_179.html Condition: New $12 8" Radius Block w/ 12" Radius (LMI, Discontinued) Condition: Used Price: $5 Radius Block, 2-Sided, 16"/20" Radii, 12" Length (LMI, Item SRPL1620) http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=Radiusing&NameProdHeader=Radius+Blocks Condition: Used Price: $10 3-In-Line Tuner Hole Jog 2068 (StewMac, Item 2068) http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Tuner_installation_tools/Tuner_Drill_Jigs.html?keyword=2068 Condition: New $18 Precision Straight Edge, 18" (StewMac, Item 3850) http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Measuring/Precision_Straightedges.html Condition: Barely used. It has cosmetic scratches, but nothing that affects function. Price: $25 Bearclaw Sitka Acoustic Top, High Figure, Steel String (LMI, Item WSBCHFJ) http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts.asp?CategoryName=++Tops+-+Tonewood&NameProdHeader=Bearclaw+Soundboards Condition: New, and it appears to be in perfect condition. However, in full disclosure, it was in my garage (Dallas, TX) from August-March. Pictures available upon request, and if my price is inappropriate, please let me know. Price: $45 Brazilian Rosewood Acoustic Bridge, Martin Style, 2.125" Spacing (cncguitarparts.com) http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e30/iamdavidmorris/BrzRswdBridge.jpg Condition: New Price: $10 Zebrawood Humbucker Covers http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e30/iamdavidmorris/ZbrHBCovers.jpg Condition: Well, I made these. Never used them. Just wanted to see if anyone might be interested in them. They're finished in Tru-Oil, and if they don't fit your humbuckers, I'll send you your money back (minus shipping)! Price: $15 Finally, I'm selling all this gold hardware as a lot: Dimarzio Gold Humbucker Screws/Springs http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/product/DiMarzio-Humbucker-Mounting-Hardware-Kit?sku=364746&src=3WFRWXX&ZYXSEM=0&CAWELAID=26024613 Gold Jack Plate with Jack (GFS, Item K41) http://www.guitarfetish.com/Rectangular-curved-output-plate-Gold-FREE-jack_p_656.html Gold Strap Buttons (GFS, Item K32) http://www.guitarfetish.com/Pair-Classic-Strap-Buttons-Gold-Free-Screws_p_590.html Gold Pickup Rings (GFS, Item K56 - POSSIBLY K57) http://www.guitarfetish.com/Pair-Gold-Plated-Brass-Pickup-Rings_p_595.html Gold Neck Plate (GFS, Item K02), SCRATCHED AND NO SCREWS! http://www.guitarfetish.com/Ultra-Thick-Gold-Neck-Plate-with-Screws-for-StratTele_p_769.html Condition: All new except the neck plate, which is new, but as noted, has some scratches and will not come with screws. Price: $15 Thanks! David EDIT: I wanted to note that when I say something is in new condition, in most cases I've opened the packaging and looked at the items, made sure they were in good shape, and closed the packaging again as best I could. Also, if you want to buy a particular item, I'll flag it for you (first come, first served), but I'm going to hold off a few days at least before accepting individual offers in the hope that someone may want to take the whole lot.

Double post: Deleted

Thanks for your help, Ripthorn. I'm actually going to incorporate two push-pulls (or push-pushes) as well, which will give me a total of 17 possible pickup settings, which is way more than enough for me.

Thanks for your reply, Ripthorn. I see the confusion. Let me be more specific. The intention would be to use an L.R. Baggs X-Bridge with the Control X Preamp. The five way switch would work like this: Position 1: X-Bridge Position 2: X-Bridge + Neck Pickup Position 3: Neck Pickup Position 4: Neck Pickup + Bridge Pickup Position 5: Bridge Pickup I see your point, but it would be preferable for me to be able to switch to the piezo sound in the middle of a song, without having to mess with knobs. Think it would work? Thanks again, David

Hey guys, I haven't posted here in a long time, but I've started a new project, and I'm really not good at electronics. I was hoping someone might be able to help me out. I want to use 2 P-Rails pickups in the following configuration: http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2_prails_1v_1t_tspp Later I want to add a piezo bridge. This is more or less a strat style guitar. I was thinking I could use a five way blade switch in place of the 3 way toggle in the schematic, and just leave the third pole open until I get the money together to buy the bridge. Will that give me any problems? Also, if I buy a piezo bridge later and connect it to the third pole, will it function as I'd expect? Thanks in advance for your help.

I haven't been around much lately, but Nic, if you're still around check out the Official Luthiers Forum. They've got plenty of information on double tops there. Acousticraft, it's sort of a new trend. I haven't done it, but it's supposed to give you a significantly louder acoustic sound. They sell the Nomex at LMI, if I remember correctly. -Dave

I realize this isn't exactly what you're looking for, but I just want to throw out there that I recently picked up one of the new 12" radius blocks from LMI that have a different radius on each side. I'm really happy with it, and what a great value! http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....r=Radius+Blocks -Dave

Can you get any wood from the mahogany family? If you can find sapele, Spanish cedar, or something like that, it should prove similar. As stated, limba's a great substitute. What woods are available in your area? -Dave

Yep, just looking through the Warmoth site will give you a bunch of ideas for shape. As for me, I think I just prefer it round. I haven't tried enough different things to develop a strong opinion, but the new LP asymmetrical thing doesn't sound like my cup of tea, for sure. It's not like my hand stays in the same position while I play. Maybe if I were playing the same three chords over and over... -Dave

You start with reading. Make sure you understand what you're doing before you start your work. Your next step is design. Then you make a template.

Shanbo, If you've already read the Melvyn Hiscock book, you should be good to go. Just ask questions when you need to, and continue to be a perfectionist. Look through some of the seven string builds here, as there are a ton of them, and you'll get it figured out. My biggest advice for you would be to not buy anything until you need it. That goes for both tools and hardware. You'll find your needs and ideas may change a lot as you work through this project. Good luck, and make sure to post pictures as you go! -Dave

I really like this guy's method. It's pretty simple, and you don't have to build a jig. -Dave