Rumple Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Another one of my odd questions My next bass will have humbuckers in and to start with I was wondering whether to try running them passively with a 6 way 4 pole rotary switch for selecting various combinations of the coils, apart from PRS guitars (I believe they don't do this any more) I can't think of this idea being used by manufacturers, maybe there is a reason for that. Anyone tried it or own a bass that has this set-up? maybe it's a bad idea? my thinking is that you could get some quite varied tones with the 6 options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 The only reason I can think of is it's too complicated for the average musician. I have a FretKing guitar that has a similar system although it's a three way rotary combined with a standard toggle pickup selector. Very effective. There's a whole load of wiring options available (at least 28 variations) if you look at two humbuckers as four separate coils, and you'd probably have to do some tests to see which combinations gave worthwhile tones while being significantly different from the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr M Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 PRS always used a 5-position rotary, but it looks like they've moved to 5-position lever / blade style on their current models. I think it's a lot easier to tell what position you're currently in with a lever, but I believe you usually have less wiring option available (fewer poles.) My Dad plays around a lot with pickup wiring on guitars, and I remember he always prefers humbuckers in parallel over just using one of the coils. His view is that the two options give a similar tone (both thinner and brighter that the standard series wiring) but the parallel wiring retains the hum-bucking effect. Probably the two extremes for a single humbucker are the two coils in series, in phase, (the normal thick, dark humbucker tone) and parallel, out of phase (very thin and bright.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 BigRedX that's quite a few combinations to try but if I went for the more traditional ones on say 4 out of 6 then experimented with the other two to see what decent variations in sound I get. Dr M so your Dad thinks it best to always use two coils, but using parallel and series options to get tonal differences? makes sense to keep the hum cancelling properties at all times but I wonder if you would still get a Jazz Bass single coil kinda sound that way. Thanks both for your input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iiipopes Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I have tried just about every combination and scheme of wiring there is over the last 37 years that I have played bass: active, passive, all the conventional bass setups, series/parallel wiring - both of the pickups together and the individual coils of the pickups, etc. I always go back to a conventional 2-noise reducing pickup (whether soapbar on my Ibanez SRA305, P+J [end-to-end humbucking] on my custom bass, or my Rick 4002) with standard jazz wiring V-V-T and a .01 microfarad capacitor inline to the J bridge pickup to cure the phasing and impedance drop issues when both pickups are full on. It's the most versatile setup there is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 I added 3 5-way super rotary switches onto my bass with an MM, P, and J. Its awesome the amount of combinations there is. And you constantly find new sounds. Such as i have the MM out of phase, in parallel with the neck J. The bass from the J, and the treble from the MM makes a cool sound. But unless you're going to be in a bass fronted band where your tone is key, its more of a bedroom fun-to-play type thing to do. Heres my bass that i did it with. http://trichards.co.uk/images/gallery/Current%20Basses/Superp-bass.JPG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 iiipopes I'd definitely be including some of the bog standard wiring options if I go for the rotary switch, if I can get something vaguely Jazz Bass sounding plus something a bit more MM stylie I'll be a happy man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 [quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1368725832' post='2080792'] Heres my bass that i did it with. [url="http://trichards.co.uk/images/gallery/Current%20Basses/Superp-bass.JPG"]http://trichards.co....Superp-bass.JPG[/url] [/quote] That must sound monstrous on some settings! a very punk looking bass, I like it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyJ Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 [quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1368715078' post='2080588'] My next bass will have humbuckers in and to start with I was wondering whether to try running them passively with a 6 way 4 pole rotary switch for selecting various combinations of the coils, apart from PRS guitars (I believe they don't do this any more) I can't think of this idea being used by manufacturers, maybe there is a reason for that. Anyone tried it or own a bass that has this set-up? maybe it's a bad idea? my thinking is that you could get some quite varied tones with the 6 options. [/quote] Many German custom bass builders use rotary switches for pickup selection, like Esh, Marleaux, Börjes, Bassline and LeFay. I've tried a LeFay Herr Schwarz with a humbucker and a singlecoil paired to a rotary switch, and I liked it a lot. The tonal options ware many! However, I personally still prefer a balance pot and a series/parallel/split switch on the bridge humbucker. To me, this seems more versatile and useful, you can dial in a far greater variety of tones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rumple Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 That's interesting to know LeftyJ, glad there are some builders using the rotary switch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommorichards Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 [quote name='Rumple' timestamp='1368777735' post='2081276'] That must sound monstrous on some settings! a very punk looking bass, I like it [/quote] My mate recorded me playing on it. I believe i have the neck and P in parallel with the bridge coil of the MM. Sounds beasty [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrUt93f4O8Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrUt93f4O8Y[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1368719641' post='2080696'] I have a FretKing guitar that has a similar system although it's a three way rotary combined with a standard toggle pickup selector. Very effective.[/quote] Patrick Eggle did something like that on their Berlins. A three-position switch to choose which pickups are on, and a three-position rotary to decide which coils on the humbuckers to use (one, the other, or both). It's a neat setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 [quote name='thisnameistaken' timestamp='1368806566' post='2081833'] Patrick Eggle did something like that on their Berlins. A three-position switch to choose which pickups are on, and a three-position rotary to decide which coils on the humbuckers to use (one, the other, or both). It's a neat setup. [/quote] That's exactly the setup my FretKing has, but then it is an early one from the days when they were still associated with Patrick Eggle rather than Trevor Wilkinson. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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