Pickup control wiring

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Not sure what you'd want to do with the 2 leftover control holes though?

it seems to me that if you went to a balance control, you would lose the subtlety of control offered by separate volume knobs

how about the tone controls, do you want to retain separate tone controls?
it not, then...

 you could convert one of the tone pots to a master volume control, wired in after the 3-way switch. you retain individual volume controls for each pickup for blending and then have master volume/master tone for main control

ala Gretsch guitar
http://www.gretsch-talk.com/forum/attachments/technical-side-things/24330d1352400799-5435t-50s-wiring-image-3082593512.jpg

Yes, I think that could be the answer! 
The individual volumes could be set to give the right mix, and then left alone. I would then be able to adjust the volume and tone with the two 'master' pots. To see the wiring used in a Gretsch proves that it works.
Now I'll have to decide if I'm brave enough to re-wire one of my guitars ...

Least you won't have to make any extra holes on a normal 2 vol. 2 tones.

Have fun getting at all the pots...

(Hee, hee)
Of course!
Should'a seen that one!

David_A wrote:Yes, I think that could be the answer! 
The individual volumes could be set to give the right mix, and then left alone. I would then be able to adjust the volume and tone with the two 'master' pots. To see the wiring used in a Gretsch proves that it works.
Now I'll have to decide if I'm brave enough to re-wire one of my guitars ...

That's how this ones wired.

Easy job to do.

That's a lovely guitar - I feel a GAS attack coming on.   It's obvious where the master volume is on this one, but if I were to mod my guitar using the four existing holes it could get confusing, especially when swapping from one guitar to another. Maybe I will just have to convert all of my 4-knob guitars (there were 9 of them at the last count)! 

Master V, Master T at the top.

Two pup volumes at the bottom.

Simple enough.

As for getting confused, that's another story....

My Westbury Deluxe is set up with two volumes and two tones. 

Each works as you would expect if neck or bridge pick-up is selected.

If both pickups are selected, then either volume acts as a master. Not sure how it is wired, but there is a spider's web of it in the cavity as it does coil taps and phase malarkey stuff too.

The Westbury sounds complicated, but you must have plenty of interesting sounds to choose from. 
Isn't it odd how the sound can be so completely different between two guitars when you have both humbuckers on together? Some makes of pickup mix together really well, producing what I would describe as a 'bell' tone. Others just seem to fight each other and you can't get a pleasing mix. That's partly why I've been thinking about an alternative wiring layout. I'd be able to pre-set the best sounds, and it would be easier to swap from one guitar to another.
There is one other problem though. Those last couple of numbers on the volume (8 to 10) can cause a HUGE difference in the sound, as well as the volume! At one time I used a volume pedal to get round that one; I could just leave the guitar volume on 10 if I wanted to. I also had the ability to produce a 'bowing' effect (I never could get the hang of using the guitar's own volume for that).

Adey wrote:My Westbury Deluxe is set up with two volumes and two tones. 

Each works as you would expect if neck or bridge pick-up is selected.

If both pickups are selected, then either volume acts as a master. Not sure how it is wired, but there is a spider's web of it in the cavity as it does coil taps and phase malarkey stuff too.

the way it works just depends on how the potentiometers are connected to the pickups. no extra wiring required.

 

separate volume pots are wired before the 3-way switch. for this example, lug 3 on the volume pot is connected to ground.

if the pickup is wired to the first lug and the output is wired to second lug (the wiper), then either volume pot will cut the signal off when both pickups are engaged. because the wiper is connected to the output, if you ground the output, no sound. this is probably how your Westbury is set up. not truly a master volume, but it will cut off all output.

if the pickup is wired to the wiper (lug 2 or center) and the output is wired to lug 1, this controls the pickups independently, pickup output sweeps from full output to the other end of the 500k pot and a ground point. the 500k element nominally blocks the ground connection from affecting the output signal. as the pot is rotated, the pickup signal is sent to the point of least resistance, either output or ground.

Sorted.....

Yes, thanks gittarasaurus, your explanation makes perfect sense.
Do you have any opinion on which configuration works better?  

I suppose the only way to get fully independent control of the pickups is with an active circuit.

David_A wrote:

I suppose the only way to get fully independent control of the pickups is with an active circuit.

No!

it is each player's choice what is "best"
and that is subject to change depending on the situation

the wonderful thing about electric guitars is that they can be set up in whatever way the player is seeking in controls and configurations

many guitars these days have stereo output. eg. bridge piezo + magnetic pups

Too right Mike.

There's 100's of configurations, just what suits one.

In search of the lost chord......   buy/try more guitars

Yeah, Mike needs more guitars.  




(Bloody enabler.)

In reply to Westbone's emphatic 'No!' I have to disagree ...

A pickup is an inductor, and will have a natural fundamental resonance fequency. This will be affected by what is connected to it. For instance, if you connect a capacitor to it of the right value you can make a tuned oscillator (as in an old radio). Now I know that the internal resistance of most pickups is high, and this makes them perform more like resistors than inductors. However, if a guitar has low 'impedance' pickups (I have just such a guitar), the sound of the pickups can be noticeably altered by connecting different size capacitors.
If two pickups are connected together, you are connecting two inductors and each will have an effect on the other one's sound. The only way to keep the pure sound of each pickup is to either (a) have a separate output for each (stereo output) and let the amplifier do the mixing, or (b) have an active mixing circuit built into the guitar.

David_A wrote:In reply to Westbone's emphatic 'No!' I have to disagree ...

Wait for it...  

Barry wrote:

David_A wrote:In reply to Westbone's emphatic 'No!' I have to disagree ...

Wait for it...  

Nothing to wait for Bazza...  .   Sorry, not going to  even try to explain.... . The only way is active...NO! or stereo,(your 2nd choice) NO!
There's plenty out there on the interweb thingy, go figure.

Emphatic indeed...