stereo bass wiring

[iamtak]

I have a two pick up passive bass that I'd like to try out stereo wiring with. I want to be able to send the two pickups to two separate signal paths.

Here's the question - Is it possible to wire this up so that in a SINGLE jack if i use a stereo cable i get the split signals and if i use a regular mono cable it will sum the two signals and act like a normally wired bass? I'd like to be able to use the bass with friends who might not have the set up for a stereo signal.

alternatively, I'm not opposed to having two jacks on the bass - one stereo and one mono. Any thoughts on how I might go about that? 

 

[Cagey]

You could do it with a stereo jack and a SPDT switch. The SPDT switch could be on a P/P pot, so you don't have to drill a hole.

A 1/4" stereo jack has a tip, ring and sleeve connection. Wire one signal source to the tip, and the other to the common terminal of the SPDT switch. Wire one side of the SPDT switch to the tip, and the other to the ring connection. Tie the commons of both signals together at the sleeve connection.

With the switch in one direction, it's stereo out. In the other, it's mono.

Note that in mono mode, you have both sources in parallel, so you mess with the output impedance of the guitar/bass. But, that happens anyway with guitars/basses with multiple pickups that are allowed to be run together so I wouldn't sweat it.

 

[iamtak]

okay, that totally makes sense!

Just checking my understanding here - if you inserted a mono cable while the bass was switched to stereo you'd only hear the pickup wired to the tip connection, right? In this case the pickup on the ring connection would be grounded out by the mono cable?

 

[Cagey]

Right. Won't hurt anything, but you'll lose one pickup's output.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

okay, that totally makes sense!

Just checking my understanding here - if you inserted a mono cable while the bass was switched to stereo you'd only hear the pickup wired to the tip connection, right? In this case the pickup on the ring connection would be grounded out by the mono cable?

The same thing happens when the novice plugs an 1/8" stereo cable into 1/4" mono adapter so they can play their iPod through the PA.  They get a lesson in stereo recording. "Where'd the lead guitar go?"