Ideas for unused push/pull already installed?

[Schlieren]

The current Tele clone I'm building has the following options available:

in phase / out of phase
parallel / series

with one pot used for a varitone circuit, and the other two used for individual volume controls.

One of the pots is used for the phase option, while the series / parallel option is controlled at the 4-way switch.

There will be a DPDT on both of the pots, and let's assume for now that if we can't think of a use for the extra, unused DPDT switch, it is still going to be on the guitar.



Could anyone suggest a use for this, given that it's going to be on the guitar?

 

[Unwound G]

Connect the switch to a pre-recorded killer solo sound chip in case of emergency should your fingers cramp up or Johnny Hiland happens to be in the audience. :laughing3: :laughing11:

Seriously, you can hide a dummy coil which can be switched on and off with either of the two pickups for hum reduction purpose.

 

[rockskate4x]

i wonder if you can connect it to an active preamp or boost. something like the emg pa-2, maybe?

 

[Schlieren]

Connect the switch to a pre-recorded killer solo sound chip in case of emergency should your fingers cramp up or Johnny Hiland happens to be in the audience. :laughing3: :laughing11:

arty07:

Seriously, you can hide a dummy coil which can be switched on and off with either of the two pickups for hum reduction purpose.

Since one of the pickups is a split-coil and the other is a single coil, me likey...

i wonder if you can connect it to an active preamp or boost. something like the emg pa-2, maybe?

It's rear-routed so there's plenty of room and that was something I was thinking of as well, but batteries and such...

 

[line6man]

Tone control bypass or killswitch.

 

[erogenousjones17]

Smoke bomb. It worked for Ace Frehley.

 

[Cagey]

Just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it. One can make a pretty good argument for simplifying onboard controls. Less to go wrong, less to fumble around with, less confusion, less mistakes, less weight. Many players have a tough enough time using their volume control as much as they should simply because of time constraints. Start adding more switches and pots and the problem gets worse.

But, you could use it to bypass all the volume and tone circuitry to run the pickups straight out the jack. Gets you some added level and clarity.

 

[tfarny]

I'm with cagey - I want a convenient master volume and a single tone control in easy reach and not surrounded by other stuff. Additional doodads are for between-songs and should be out of the way. For instance my hardtail strat is wired standard 5-way, master V master T, then the second tone switch is push pull for series, twist for blend (bridge / neck). I'm slowly going to be re-working all my guitars on those general lines.

 

[Unwound G]

I'm with cagey - I want a convenient master volume and a single tone control in easy reach and not surrounded by other stuff. Additional doodads are for between-songs and should be out of the way. For instance my hardtail strat is wired standard 5-way, master V master T, then the second tone switch is push pull for series, twist for blend (bridge / neck). I'm slowly going to be re-working all my guitars on those general lines.

Reworking towards master volume and a single tone or with all the doodads as in your hardtail Strat ?

 

[Schlieren]

Simple is clearly better... in some situations.  Maybe most situations!

In this case, not so much: I'm not worried at all about getting confused or about ergonomics, as this is primarily a guitar for the studio, and as such it's way more important (if you are poor like me) that the thing have as wide a range of timbres as possible.

Thanks for all the suggestions however!  I'll be sure to indicate which way we decided to go...

 

[Schlieren]

After some consultation, the tone control bypass is the way it's going to be.  still have to decide if it's just a bypass of the varitone, or if it's a bypass of the varitone + volume knobs, or it's a bypass of the varitone + volume knob + switches... i left it up to my guitar tech

i liked the idea of a dummy coil but went with the recommendation of the tech; i can always change it though right?

thanks for the recommendations!

 

[Schlieren]

update: the guitar tech said he's going to go for a total bypass of everything, for a true "lead boost"  arty07:

let's see how it sounds!!  should know in a week or so...

 

[Schlieren]

Now the tech I hired is re-thinking his opinion as the varitone is on the other end of the circuit, and the push / pull could only bypass the volume knobs, which he's not sure would produce anything very useful (or even all that different).  So he's thinking about what to do instead.  :sign13:

I am finding that after having made about five billion decisions with this build, it's quite nice to have someone else's brain doing the rest of the work.  So long as I don't have an empty push / pull and it's something that has some utility, I'll be happy whatever it is.  The joys of "collaboration" (a.k.a. here's some money, you do it)