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Help finding correct push/pull pot


Tait
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Hi all, 

 

I've just ordered a pre-amp, with wiring diagram shown at this link. Ideally I also want an additional switch (DPDT on/on), but don't want to do any drilling if it can be avoided. So I was thinking of making one of the pots push/pull instead. The most sensible would be the blend pot for my purpose, but I'm happy with other pots if for whatever reason that makes the most sense (except volume and mid which are already push/pull). 

 

I wasn't sure really how to go about finding the correct pot for this? Obviously I need to make sure it has the correct resistance, but is there anything else to look out for? How do I know if a knob has a centre notch? 

 

Thanks for the help!

Edited by Tait
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I don't think I have ever seen a blend pot with a push/pull switch. If there were such a beast it might not fit in the control cavity as it's effectively two pots and a switch stacked on top of each other.

You may be able to get a 50k pot with a switch to replace the bass or treble control as obviously Bartolini have done it with the mid control. I would contact them direct. I was after some 50k centre detent pots for one of their preamps and the only place I could find them was somewhere in Europe. They were rather expensive though so didn't bother.

Edited by BassBunny
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17 hours ago, tauzero said:

Is there a compelling reason not to use a mini toggle?

 

The bass is rear-routed and doesn't have a pickguard so it would mean drilling through the body. If I ever wanted to sell the bass or even if I decided I didn't like the new preamp then this means I wouldn't be able to put the old preamp back in and return it to the original layout. Obviously this isn't the end of the world and if it has to be mini toggle then that's fine, but I'd like to leave the option there if it is possible.

 

I'm open to alternative options too, for example would replacing the bass pot with a stacked treble/bass and replacing the treble with a mini-toggle work? Or are the holes for mini-toggle/pot different sizes?

 

22 hours ago, BassBunny said:

I don't think I have ever seen a blend pot with a push/pull switch. If there were such a beast it might not fit in the control cavity as it's effectively two pots and a switch stacked on top of each other.

You may be able to get a 50k pot with a switch to replace the bass or treble control as obviously Bartolini have done it with the mid control. I would contact them direct. I was after some 50k centre detent pots for one of their preamps and the only place I could find them was somewhere in Europe. They were rather expensive though so didn't bother.

 

Good point, didn't think about whether it would fit in the cavity! It does seem like the simplest solution would be to try and find the same pot Bartolini have used for their mid control and use it for either bass/treble - it might be worth me contacting them as you suggested. Thanks for the help! 

 

If anyone knows where I can find such a pot please let me know! Cheers

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It might help to show you what I want to use the switch for - I would like the coil tap as shown in the 1st figure of the last page in this pickup wiring diagram. If there are any other creative solutions that just keep the 5 knobs on the preamp wiring diagram from my first post please do let me know!

 

Does anyone know from these diagrams whether it would be possible to set it so the volume active/passive push/pull is also a coil tap, such that it is active humbuckers and passive single coils? This would limit my range of tones but realistically I'm going to want the single coils for a more vintage jazz-bassy tone so will probably want passive most of the time and humbuckers for a more modern sound so will probably want active most of the time. If that is possible then it could be a short term solution just to check I'm happy with the preamp and decide if I think it is worth drilling a mini-toggle at a later stage. 

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11 minutes ago, Tait said:

 

The bass is rear-routed and doesn't have a pickguard so it would mean drilling through the body. If I ever wanted to sell the bass or even if I decided I didn't like the new preamp then this means I wouldn't be able to put the old preamp back in and return it to the original layout. Obviously this isn't the end of the world and if it has to be mini toggle then that's fine, but I'd like to leave the option there if it is possible.

 

I'm open to alternative options too, for example would replacing the bass pot with a stacked treble/bass and replacing the treble with a mini-toggle work? Or are the holes for mini-toggle/pot different sizes?

 

How about replacing the bass pot with stacked treble/bass and getting a rotary 3-way switch with which you could have all three of the options on the last page of the Bartolini instructions?

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4 minutes ago, tauzero said:

 

How about replacing the bass pot with stacked treble/bass and getting a rotary 3-way switch with which you could have all three of the options on the last page of the Bartolini instructions?

 

Good idea - if I were to go down the stacked treble/bass route then this would make sense as it would give me even more options. Is the rotary switch suggested because the mini-toggle wouldn't fit the same size hole as the pot, or would a 3 way mini-toggle switch also work?

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The mini-toggle would be a bit loose in the hole, which was why I thought of the rotary. A mini-toggle goes in a 5mm hole, a guitar pot hole is 7mm. You might need a largeish washer to make sure it's snug. Just look for "toggle switch dpdt centre off" on Ebay, there's quite a few - some 3-ways will be centre on so be sure to get the right one.

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