What is this OLP wired as?

[Matt P]

Afternoon, i'm currently guardian of my friends OLP while he's working away, i've got full permission to use/modify/improve it but i'm not sure what's going on with the wiring, it doesn't look like anything i've seen before, the controls seem to be volume, tone tone but i can't find any real info on what's in there and only the volume seems to do anything.

it's had a kent armstrong pup fitted (he claims i fitted it but i don't remember doing it)

i've taken some pics (sorry they're only phone pics, the wife's gone away for the weekend and taken the camera)

[attachment=93919:26112011008.jpg]

there's also a diagram that i've made of the wiring

[attachment=93920:26112011012.jpg]

can anyone shed any light on this for me? should i re-wire as per the seymour duncan vol-vol-tone diagram or maybe a series parallel switch or a vol-blend-tone (i've got a blend pot here doing nothing)

Thanks

Matt

[Ou7shined]

Weird, it does look look like 2 tones (obviously the pots are earthed) and an unnecessary anti-pop resistor at the jack. Someone's been playing sparky.
If you've got 2 pups in that OLP then yeah make it vol/vol... unless you prefer a balance knob.

[hubrad]

The resistor, rather than capacitor, on the 2nd tone pot probably bleeds more mid-bass than treble so it will be a different tone control.
As for the bit at the jack socket, I remember seeing that years ago (it's a resistor-capacitor or RC filter) and if it's been done right it has no effect on the tone but decouples you from mains earth. I can't remember exactly how it works, but I thought it was supposed to be on the earth contact to function as a safety device.
Bloomin' cobwebs! Maybe someone else has more of a memory of this?

[Matt P]

hmm i'm thinking that a new control setup might be in order then, it's a single pickup but with 4 conductor wiring so each coil can be seperate, just need to decide which control setup to go for, a popular one seems to be volume-tone-series/parallel switch, anyone know of a good supplier for ready wired control plates (thinking of simply removing the current one and putting aside so it can be easily returned to it's current state.
another option would be a musicman pre, one up for sale on evilbay at the moment, worth a punt?
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/120816706573?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

failing that i'll just pick up the correct pots and get out my soldering iron.

Matt

[LukeFRC]

make a copy of the original 2eq musicman preamp and stick that in that is what I would do

[Matt P]

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1322513137' post='1451988']
make a copy of the original 2eq musicman preamp and stick that in that is what I would do
[/quote]

that's a fine idea, but i might save that for when i get myself an olp ( really fancy one having played this one a fair bit) i might just put in a vol-tone switch setup for this one, i don't think my friend's a fan of batteries in basses,

thanks for all the help

Matt

[mcnach]

The first OLP MM2 had that wiring (VTT), yup, a bit unusual, but that's how they were at first. I had one like that and didn't do much for me. Then they switched to VVT, one volume for each coil. Essentially a Jazz type wiring. Again, I'm not a fan on the OLP of that wiring. Volume, Tone and switch like you suggest seems a much better combination to me. It would be cool if you use a rotary switch so that you still have three identical knobs and keep the look. Or not.

[Matt P]

ahh thanks for that mcnach, i thought you'd be along at some point, looks like this is an early one then, i think i'll keep the wiring as it is and swap out the whole plate, is it the same as the musicman ones or do i need to find an olp one?
and can anyone point me towards a 3 position rotary switch?


Matt

[mcnach]

[quote name='Matt P' timestamp='1322604968' post='1453552']
ahh thanks for that mcnach, i thought you'd be along at some point, looks like this is an early one then, i think i'll keep the wiring as it is and swap out the whole plate, is it the same as the musicman ones or do i need to find an olp one?
and can anyone point me towards a 3 position rotary switch?


Matt
[/quote]


yeah, my spidey sense tells me when there's activity on the OLP front

The plate on my OLPs is *a bit* different from that on my 2002 Stingray. It is a little, just a little shorter, and then not all the screws align perfectly. I would just remove the pots with the wiring attached as it is (except the ground and pickup cables, of course, which have to be unsoldered) and install the new wiring. That way you can return it to the original state easily, and you will not have extra screw holes or anything if you use the same plate.

[V4lve]

I replaced the electronics in my mm3 with an Artec SE2A Active EQ. Big improvement.

[Matt P]

[quote name='V4lve' timestamp='1322740473' post='1455089']
I replaced the electronics in my mm3 with an Artec SE2A Active EQ. Big improvement.
[/quote]

I looked at those artec preamps, they look the business and are very affordable, i'm going to keep this bass passive but i'm considering fitting an artec to my precision bitsa.
Matt

[allighatt0r]

If you need a pre-made wiring setup done for you, drop [url="http://basschat.co.uk/user/7835-kiogon/"]KiOgon[/url] (John) a message and see if he can sort you out, he did me a set of P electrics for my Sue Ryder P and they were spot on. Highly recommended.