Greg_L wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:54 pm
How are you going to select, split, and tone control two humbuckers with only two knobs and no switch?
The 4-knob is the most flexible option there is, no?
When you split you split both humbuckers. You just have to remember if you're going from a split neck pick up to a bridge humbucker you have to whack the tone pot with the heal of your hand after you push the pickup selector toggle down.
I think 4 knobs looks way to fussy on anything other than a trad LP.
Mutt, my preference for scratch plate on a pelham blue guitar would be 3 ply black with the white line around it.
Greg_L wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 1:54 pm
How are you going to select, split, and tone control two humbuckers with only two knobs and no switch?
The 4-knob is the most flexible option there is, no?
It can either be done with rewiring (not a problem for me it isnt a gigging guitar), a mini toggle on the scratch plate somewhere (interchangable) or you can get three position pots (harder to find in the 500k range and I'm still waiting for a couple of samples to arrive to see if they fit the cavity They are coming from India...). From what I can tell they are pretty much just a push pull with a mini toggle pull built in, they maybe junk, I dont know thats one of the reasons I've held back on the pup routes..
Currently a mini toggle on the scratchplate is the cheapest and easiest and easily reversible by just putting a new scratch plate over it if ever I wanna ditch it..
It can either be done with rewiring (not a problem for me it isnt a gigging guitar), a mini toggle on the scratch plate somewhere (interchangable) or you can get three position pots (harder to find in the 500k range and I'm still waiting for a couple of samples to arrive to see if they fit the cavity They are coming from India...). From what I can tell they are pretty much just a push pull with a mini toggle pull built in, they maybe junk, I dont know thats one of the reasons I've held back on the pup routes..
Currently a mini toggle on the scratchplate is the cheapest and easiest and easily reversible by just putting a new scratch plate over it if ever I wanna ditch it..
Lol. Just keep it simple dude. Just do it like a normal guitar.
It can either be done with rewiring (not a problem for me it isnt a gigging guitar), a mini toggle on the scratch plate somewhere (interchangable) or you can get three position pots (harder to find in the 500k range and I'm still waiting for a couple of samples to arrive to see if they fit the cavity They are coming from India...). From what I can tell they are pretty much just a push pull with a mini toggle pull built in, they maybe junk, I dont know thats one of the reasons I've held back on the pup routes..
Currently a mini toggle on the scratchplate is the cheapest and easiest and easily reversible by just putting a new scratch plate over it if ever I wanna ditch it..
Lol. Just keep it simple dude. Just do it like a normal guitar.
I would if was a guitar that I would be gigging with or have round the house but this one has to serve as a test bed for the pups. I have over 15 guitars round the house and office. Dont need another one... Any way what ever I do will take around an hour to turn into a one pup Jnr so it's all good.
I was thinking about this while watching my kid at his football this evening... It should also be easily possible to work two pups without a toggle using no load blend pots, kind of like a Jazz Bass with the vol on the blend pot.. You can get those with push pull dpt's for switching, ive put them into basses before. .. I'm obviously gonna have to kick this around in my head a bit more. Decide exactly what the aim is and what outcome...
That was the next thing I was gonna suggest. Blend pots.
But if this is not a guitar that you actually want to use for anything, and it is just a test bed, then wouldn't it make sense to give it full flexibility? That means four knobs. You can't toggle/blend pickups, split them, and independently adjust tone controls without the traditional 4-knob and selector setup.
Think about it...say you want to blend the full humbucker at 80% tone with 50% split-neck pickup volume at 30% tone setting? How do you do that with two knobs nd no switch?
You can get pan/blend pots with switching, they just aint that common in the guitar world. Ive fitted and used them on basses to blend two pups and allow phase and series switching and also for active switching and then route to the tone and jack.. As I say I'm still in the thinking through stage and for me it would have to definitely be no load blenders so the pups can be truly isolated then switched. I would even sacrifice the tone control cos I wont need one. I could always switch it back though if I ever pass it on and nothing lost, if I drill extra holes it kind of is what it is then... I really would rather avoid the 4 knob route but I aint totally anti. I just like the challenge of thinking these things through..
You are right about not over complicating it and "just doing it" to a point, but thinking these things through is how we all learn... A bit like you and your amp mods... You do one and that leads to other ideas and you go.. WTF is all that about and maybe I could do this... Thats where I'm at...
Should add that for my purposes here the tone control isnt really important. I will just want to hear raw pup and switching. I guess to really achieve what I want I could easily just sit down and design and build a guitar that does just that but this build kind of inspired me to see if I could make this thing do what I want... I may back away from the idea I may not...
Greg_L wrote: ↑Tue Oct 10, 2017 5:45 pm
I hear ya. If it were strictly up to me I'd have a guitar with a bridge pickup and one knob. That's it.
You could also try concentric pots. Have the outer pot be one thing, the inner something else.
Yeh I considered that too. Would be OK if they had switching... Could be an option if I do chose to include a tone pot or want a broader sweep for the volume. I dont recall seeing no load concentric though Let alone switched or stacked. I could be wrong... One thing for sure is that I want to be able to revert this to a stock set if and when the need arises...
I've made a decision on this damn thing and I'm going to do it single pup humbucker in the bridge with normal vol/tone. I'm getting pretty busy and over the next few months I'm flat out building other stuff so I want to get on as far as possible BEFORE THEN.
On the headstock, Ive taken gergs Gretsch Penguin and JD,S Washburn and tried to marry the two.. The Gretsch is too big for a Jnr neck and the Washburn looks too narrow and angular to me for a Jnr... Here's a compromise freeehand sketch. What you think?
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I like that, Mutt - but I'd make the top of the headstock slightly narrower at the points (not much - just a about a cm) and the bottom of the headstock a tiny bit wider at the points.
JD01 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 17, 2017 1:11 pm
I like that, Mutt - but I'd make the top of the headstock slightly narrower at the points (not much - just a about a cm) and the bottom of the headstock a tiny bit wider at the points.
I tried that and it ends up looking like a canoe paddle..... One thing you have to keep in mind is that to be balanced I have had to vastly reduce the Gretsch outline as that belongs on a big box and also reduce the length of the washburn to keep it in line. Going your way kind of emphasises the round corners too much..
Here is that outline in place. It actually looks better than on a freehand sketch...
headstockoutline2.jpg
headstockoutline1.jpg
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You're right - it does look better than when sketched.
I actually think the bottom of the points on the headstock nearest the nut are just right but that the top should be shrunk just a tiny bit
Its not a hell of a lot bugger its just the cameran angle I think. Its always suprising how moving something a few millimteres can change the whole balance.
The ones on the bench to are gibson templates that I drew that with... On the right is the Les Paul outline.
In a way it's better to cut it too big cos If I want to trim it down I can... Right now I have some wings being glued on so I shall sleep on it..
Mutt, just looking at that last one you posted again I think it would look great if you just narrowed the top slightly, so that the headstock wasn't significantly re-curving outwards. This would also bring the posts more in line with the nut-slots wouldn't it... which satisfies my OCD.
One thing you have to keep in mind is that to be balanced I have had to vastly reduce the Gretsch outline as that belongs on a big box and also reduce the length of the washburn to keep it in line. Going your way kind of emphasises the round corners too much..
