JB Potentiometers

This is very interesting. Is there a reason not to just use a simple straight attenuator pot for the bridge but still wire the neck as normal? Maybe bad tonal effects as it rolled off?

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Please post, when it leaves your head and arrives on screen/paper! I would be very interested, if this is just a slight change…

For my DiMarzio config I have created a pseudo-solderless solution, so I could rewire everything very easily…

Not sure how you would wire this attenuator @howard ? in series with the pickup ?

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I think we may be seeing this from two different perspectives. Yours is how the wiring is done and mine how it works. At least we agree that this set up equalizes the volume of both pots which is needed to defeat the hum. This is pretty much as I described it as far as the result goes.

VVT won’t do that without both pickups being set to equal volume. This is why I play noiseless pickups so I can micro control how much of each pickup I want in the mix without having to worry about hum.

I have a G&L M2000 bass with a single volume and a blend pot as well. That allows me to roll in more neck or more bridge pickup or equalize the two. As I said. I’m not an electronics guru so how it accomplishes this you might better explain as to how the volume from one pickup can be enhanced over the other with a single knob unless it’s boosted or the other lessened.

All I’m interested in is the result and it’s benefit.

Yeah that’s the simple idea I had but it might be weird to have a high load then in parallel with the neck? Not sure

Actually the VVT wiring is not really different, as the volume pots add resistance in series with the pickups without being a voltage divider.

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I have basses with both set ups. I can’t really say that I prefer one to the other. It’s just the nature of that specific bass and getting accustomed to it vs the others. Although I can say this. A VVT allow me a more precise blend of neck vs bridge pickup. I often use the bridge pickup almost like a second tone control rolling in as much as I want to create more edge from the neck or split coil pickup.

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That’s true, might work? I guess it wouldn’t interact with the tone circuit either if you wired it like a VVT. It would be exactly like a VVT with the first V wide open.

I’m surprised you haven’t re-wired it with a rotary switch.

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Oh one thing I will never, ever do is mod this particular bass, it’s rare. I have new tuners and a new bridge on it for balance but those required no modding, just screwing them in. I kept the old parts to restore to original if desired.

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Yeah that’s it. the ground on the volume pots on a VVT is used to ground the pickup when not in use

The way to do what I was talking about with a pickup at 100% and the other with its own pot is just about like removing the unused pot and connecting the pickup’s output directly to the master output. Not more complicated.

Standard JB wiring :

“Asymetrical blend” with the neck pickup always at 100% :

(and then you’ll have to add a master volume but that’s not the point)

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Yeah that makes sense, adding the master volume is then easy.

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Makes sense then.

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She does look nice with the Gotoh bridge though.

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Don’t buy a Charvel. Not that you’re considering that (thought they do have DP126 stock). It’s VVT, with an additional feature that you turn either of the volume all the way down, it turns the signal off for both pickups. The reasoning is if you want to unplug or just stand around you don’t have to turn off both volumes. That through me for a loop let me tell you. “I wanna listen to the P, let me turn off the J, Hey, where’d the P go? Hey, it’s back? what???”

Silly feature

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@howard can I see the closeup of that pickup please. Yamaha man they are just awesome with the pickups.

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same on Gibson guitars when both pickups are selected

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It’s my favorite P pickup, really mids-rich ceramic. I like it much more than any aftermarket pickup I have heard. My SBV-550 had the same one. @John_E has two on his SBV-J2 :rofl:

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Here it is in action, with the lady herself playing it. Love the tone. It’s exactly what I want in a P.

Live so the audio is only ok but it still just completely takes over and drives the song when it comes in.

Polysics - Live at Studio Coast 2008 : this is a good example in my opinion of what this excellent P pickup can do. Also on this song you can ear it alone at 1:58. Killer tone.

(also I love Fumi, and also I love Polysics)

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