2 Humbuckers, 3 pots.
- Thread starter Stonker
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amigarobbo
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You could go Volume - balance - Tone.
The choice as they say, is yours.
Also you could put the coil splits on push pull pots?
The choice as they say, is yours.
Also you could put the coil splits on push pull pots?
dmraco
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I have found more use for 2 volumes and 1 tone. It helps you adjust the mix of the pickups for more variety.
Honestly I find the tone knob a useless accessory. The only guitar I use it is a single pickup Jr. I built. I will turn the tone down a bit for clean tones that simulate a neck positioned pickup. This is for a guitar. I would imagine with a bass there is much more use for a tone knob....
Honestly I find the tone knob a useless accessory. The only guitar I use it is a single pickup Jr. I built. I will turn the tone down a bit for clean tones that simulate a neck positioned pickup. This is for a guitar. I would imagine with a bass there is much more use for a tone knob....
I have always preferred 1 master volume on all my basses and guitars. My "Partscaster" has a single volume (H-S-H), and a tone which always remains at "10".
My basses are a different story ... the tone controls are all active, so the boost or cut is much more useful than a passive tone (IMO). And balance pots seem to be the most traditional way of selecting pickups on a bass with a single volume. I have never seen one on a guitar, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.
My basses are a different story ... the tone controls are all active, so the boost or cut is much more useful than a passive tone (IMO). And balance pots seem to be the most traditional way of selecting pickups on a bass with a single volume. I have never seen one on a guitar, but that doesn't mean it can't be done.
TonyFlyingSquirrel
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I omit the tone control entirely, and designed my TFS6 to not even have one.
The only exception is my Bari-Tele, since it is primarily single coil voiced, and I use 500K pots.
The only exception is my Bari-Tele, since it is primarily single coil voiced, and I use 500K pots.
Jumble Jumble
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500K pots, .022uF caps, is my recommendation.
In fact a might just use a 0.01uF capacitor for the neck pickup.
In fact a might just use a 0.01uF capacitor for the neck pickup.
Ace Flibble
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Phat Cats are really bad wired in series. 4-way wiring with series is useful with Telecasters, because those pickups have such clear string definition they can be wired series without getting muddy. SD Phat Cats are not that tonally different from PAF humbuckers, and wiring them series just results in a very, very bass-heavy tone.
Treat the Phat Cats like you'd treat humbuckers. That's the best way to think of them.
Obviously, since they're actually single coil pickups, they can't be split, as you asked about earlier.
Phase reverseal can be interesting with Phat Cats, but that is only an option if you pay extra to have the SD Custom Shop make them with the additional wire necessary.
As far as pots and capacitors go, it depends on the guitar. Phat Cats were designed with one 300k pot and one 500k pot, but SD use a fairly balanced/slightly bright guitar to do most of their designs, and in warmer guitars most people use two 500k pots instead.
The capacitor is entirely personal preference. There's no right or wrong value to use. Just decide how much treble you want the tone controls to roll off and pick the value that matches that. Bear in mind that Phat Cats are much warmer than other P-90 pickups, so you may want to use a weaker tone control than you first think. Again, treating them like you'd treat a classic humbucker is the best way to think through these things.
Treat the Phat Cats like you'd treat humbuckers. That's the best way to think of them.
Obviously, since they're actually single coil pickups, they can't be split, as you asked about earlier.
Phase reverseal can be interesting with Phat Cats, but that is only an option if you pay extra to have the SD Custom Shop make them with the additional wire necessary.
As far as pots and capacitors go, it depends on the guitar. Phat Cats were designed with one 300k pot and one 500k pot, but SD use a fairly balanced/slightly bright guitar to do most of their designs, and in warmer guitars most people use two 500k pots instead.
The capacitor is entirely personal preference. There's no right or wrong value to use. Just decide how much treble you want the tone controls to roll off and pick the value that matches that. Bear in mind that Phat Cats are much warmer than other P-90 pickups, so you may want to use a weaker tone control than you first think. Again, treating them like you'd treat a classic humbucker is the best way to think through these things.
