Grateful Dead Music Forum

After years of talking about it, I've started my project.

I'm using my '81 Blazer (Strat-like) as my test bed. It has an HH pickguard. I purchased the same Dimarzio humbuckers that came with the Cowboy and installed them in the '81 Blazer. I hardwired them for single coil and get a really nice glassy Strat sound, just like the Cowboy, The guitar is a fantastic player! So far, so good.

The Cowboy has a HSH pickup configuration and the Blazer is routed likewise. I purchased another HH Blazer pickguard off eBay and had the seller route a place for a middle single coil pickup. I also ordered an SSS pickguard for an alternative approach/guitar.

The next steps are to mount the middle single coil pickup and install the following:

- on/off toggles for each pickup
- trisounds for the two humbuckers wired for HB series, single coil & HB parallel
- tone & volume pots

Questions:

- I would really like to control the tone & volume for each pup, however, that could involve 6 pots! Not a great solution. Can I purchase pots which control both volume & tone? That would get me down to 3 pots. Also, are there good quality mini pots that I can use so they don't take up too much space? In general, who makes good quality pots.

- can anyone recommend a good source for the switches?

If I can't use separate volume pots (due to space constraints), can anyone recommend some sort of device (trimpot?) that I can use to regulate the middle single coil output to match the HB's??

I'll get around to posting some pics...

tnx,
mk

If the guitar isn't going to have any onboard ugb/preamp type devices than why not use concentric pots? Do a search and see if that will work for you. You could have vol/tone per pot per PU. 3 total. In theory, you could still have an onboard device but you'd have to wire in some resitors on each pot's volume portion to lower it's value to the 25-50k neck of the woods.
~MJH

I'm guess that with 3 concentric pots, I won't need any onboard ugb/preamp type devices. However, that does beg the question regarding which caps/resistors/pots to use when I have 2 pups that can run HB or single and a third which is only single. 250K/500K/1000K for the pots, .022 for the cap?

mk

Firstly, congrats!!!

mkaufman wrote:If I can't use separate volume pots (due to space constraints), can anyone recommend some sort of device (trimpot?) that I can use to regulate the middle single coil output to match the HB's??

Agree with 3 concentric pots.

You cannot regulate the middle single coil output to match the HBs. You need to boost it. Should take about4db. I'm sure somebody here or on GH knows a good on-board clean boost.

I guess I don't understand. I suspect I will primarily use the middle single coil at the same time as using the outside pickups in single coil mode. So, I'll have 3 single coils, each with their own volume pot. Will that cover me?

If I use the middle pickup with the outside pickups in HB, I would suspect a big volume difference (of course, that depends on which single coil I use). Would the volume pots cover me there as well?

The Cowboy actually has trim pots for each pup. Maybe that provides the most flexibility which would permit me to tailor things as my requirements change?

I would think that initially I would throw in a single coil and see what happens. Start simple...

mk

You'll be fine if you suspect using all a shorted HB to single with the middle single.

I'd suggest you consider how you'll manage volume/tone change with coil taps.

That was a big challenge for me.

Please explain.

There is a significant volume drop and tone change when going from series dual-coil to single coil.
And a severe volume drop and tone change when going from series dual-coil to out of phase neck & bridge.

If when using, say, you neck pickup in series and are sitting perfectly in the mix you short and goto single you'll be under the mix.

Yes - I'm very familiar with that issue. So how do you address it?

My Ibanez AR500 has a built-in EQ/Preamp which I can use to boost or cut. With this project, I won't have that option.

mk

Parametric EQ. A wide boost around 800 hz of 3-4db

ok - I have a clean boost pedal which may work too...

mk

I use my clean boost which works PERFECTLY when going from Series to Parallel Dual Coil!

I would make your guitar active with some kind of gain like a SPC or a Stratoblaster to maintain the impedance drop you would have without it.

Chris:

How about the same Ibanez AR500 EQ??? I have an extra vintage EQ board and I've spoke with Gary Brawer about sticking it in an external box with the same functionality as if it were internal. He actually suggested the idea... If I do that, I can use it on any guitar!

btw...that Boston stuff has to go!

mk

Dozin wrote:I would make your guitar active with some kind of gain like a SPC or a Stratoblaster to maintain the impedance drop you would have without it.

Chris, would you please explain more what you mean by impedance drop?