Active vs. Passive J-bass wiring; K.I.S.S.?

Rickgrxbass

Senior Member
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So, while I have my G4 gutted and getting an oil change as it were, I'm debating replacing the current wiring setup (Aguilar OBP-3, 18V) with a passive setup. Pickups are Dimarzio Ultra Jazz, so I was figuring I'd do three push/pull (or push/push, whatever) pots, V-V-T "standard" Jazz wiring, with series/parallel for each pickup (on volume knobs) as well as series/parallel for the combo (on tone knob).

Or, in other words, this diagram: http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/1ppv1v1t_dualsndneck.pdf

Does this sound to "fiddly"? I tend to think it's still simpler than the active setup it'll be replacing...
 
That diagram doesn't fit what you describe. Two of the pots are missing switches. But, I still wouldn't use it. One pot too many. The two volume knobs will end up in parallel when both pickups are selected, so they'll interact. I'd lose the tone pot, turn the second volume into a tone pot, and call it good.
 
Cagey said:
That diagram doesn't fit what you describe. Two of the pots are missing switches. But, I still wouldn't use it. One pot too many. The two volume knobs will end up in parallel when both pickups are selected, so they'll interact. I'd lose the tone pot, turn the second volume into a tone pot, and call it good.

Incorrect. The volume pots are always parallel when there are two or more running to a single output. When you put the pickups in series, you get a master volume, and a volume that does nothing, but they will never interact with each other.

In any case, the wiring described is done like this.
3781820512_c421120d47_o.png
 
That's what I said, and have been saying for years because it's always been true and is the reason I don't like passive multi-volume setups.
 
oops, wrong link: http://www.dimarzio.com/sites/default/files/diagrams/pj_2ppdualsndv_1pptseries.pdf is what I was thinking of. Stupid copy/pasta. (and my work computer is blocking the image Line6Man posted)

But yeah, I realize the disadvantages of the normal J-bass wiring schematic. Maybe I'll do some sort of rotary-switch setup, it just seems Larry put 4 wires on the Ultra Jazzes for a reason, and I should take advantage of it somehow.

The bass has 3 potentiometer-sized holes in it currently, and I'd like to keep that number of "things" on it (the Aguilar used a rather contrived stacked-knob setup).
 
Yeah, I've got a body here with three holes where I only need two that I'm going to have to figure out how to deal with. I may just install a dummy pot that'll just be there for show.
 
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