OBEL questions.

[Kennay]

Hi all. Thanks in advance for your help. I have an Alembic Tribute and I`m trying to figure out how to use the OBEL. My questions are, 1) If I use a Y cable, do all of the jacks need to be TRS? 2) Do I need TRS jacks to daisy chain my effects? 3) What about using a Y network box? Would I go mono into the amp and TRS into the effects chain? How would I hook up the network box? What kind of network box would I need? Would I need TRS jacks for in between effects? Also does anybody know where I can get the blue Belden cable JG used for these applications? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You!

[RiverRat]

1) a single TRS to the guitar, 2 1/4" mono plugs for FX send and return (same config as an Insert Cable, not the same wiring though)
2) No... 1/4" mono cables are fine
3) Mono throughout the FX chain to the amp... the only TRS jack and plug is the OBEL connection on the guitar or Y Box
4) Blue Belden - search the forums, some folks will make them up for you... there are a few suggestions for where to buy the cable in bulk... I use Allied Electronics.

[tigerstrat]

the only TRS jack and plug is the OBEL connection on the guitar or Y Box

IF you use a "Y" Box, you would then use a straight cable between the guitar and the box, with TRS at both ends .

[Shlotzkin]

Today I wired a CB-2 into my Jerrified strat and I followed the diagram on dozin.com. I plugged the amp and the effects into the guitar and all i was getting was a loud buzzing and loud distorted pops when i tapped the pickups with a screwdriver. I wired everything in exactaly as the picture shows except for the pickup selector switch (it seemed like the pickup selector switch wouldnt work out if i did what the pic showed). So, I figured out where the blade touched the lugs in the 5 positions of the switch and wired it accordingly. Its just not working for me. Also, im not sure if i soldered the capacitors right. Do you solder one end directly into the pickup selector switch then the other end into the second lug of the tone pot as the diagram shows? Or should I do it the normal way?

[waldo041]

dozin's 5 way wiring is correct for the shared 500k tone potentiometer. that's why it's wired that way. the 5 way is double poled. so, it has two sets of lugs that do the same thing laid in opposite of eachother. the pickups are wired to one side in order and the 4th lug is the output. on the other set of lugs, the neck & middle pickups are jumpered over and that 4th lug is used for the shared tone control. since the neck and bridge cannot be used together with a 5 way wired like this, that tone control will not be used simultaneously with another pickup tied to it. it's actually how i believe rosebud & bolt are actually wired with their humbucker neck pickup. tiger, wolf and the travis bean 500's were wired with a seperate tone control by using a dual ganged potentiometer. the wiring would be the same MINUS the tone control jumpers for the neck and bridge, and the 2 tone controls left would tie directly to the neck and bridge lugs on the 5 way. just like the middle pickup and tone control would be wired. this would leave one set of lugs empty on the 5 way.

another thing to note about that schematic is where the ground lands for the bridge pickup tap switch. it is on the empty set side and should be on the lug directly beneath the wires from the bridge pickup.

aside from that, if you didn't wire the 5 way like dozins schem, you might have problems.

[Shlotzkin]

Ok, I rewired the switch according to the diagram. The only sound i get is out of the neck pickup when the switch is in the bridge position. I must have a different 5 way switch. My common lug (the one that the blade is always touching) is where the picture says to solder the neck pickup. Any suggestions?

[waldo041]

Ok, I rewired the switch according to the diagram. The only sound i get is out of the neck pickup when the switch is in the bridge position. I must have a different 5 way switch. My common lug (the one that the blade is always touching) is where the picture says to solder the neck pickup. Any suggestions?

ok, if the glove don't fit we must acquit! LOL. i don't know what's up but i'll try and help. take the 2 common lugs you have, one you already have identified. one of those will have the input to the Preamp. that side of lugs will have the pickups wired to it, wire them in the correct position. now jumper the neck and bridge to their individual lugs on the other side of the 5 way. lastly, wire the tone control to the second unused common. the only open lug should be the shared tone control side of the 5 ways middle pickup position. the middle tone control will be wired directly to the middle on the pickup wired side of the 5 way.

HtH

[Tennessee Jedi]

Is a OBEL battery powered ?
If your battery goes dead would the loop still work ?
This seemed to happen to me recently .... The qtron just started sounding weaker and weaker but the guitar sounded fine while running mono ... but kick in the loop and it would do the weak signal thing ...
I changed the battery and all was well ....
What do you think ?

[Chinarider1A]

ok - here's a strange one. I am running waldo's blaster in my strat. I recently tried running the blaster all the way on and liked the tone. However, when i hit the switch to go through the pedal board, all the effects are much quieter than they used to be. I need to turn up the guitar from 4 to around 6 to equal things out. When no effects are on, the signal strength is the same in the loop and in the straight line. Any thoughts?? Waldo??

Thanks, Dave