Spector attacked me at the pawn shop

[Al Nico]

Fixed now, cleaned up, and setup.

 

Flattened the neck and socket.

 

While the neck is off it got a wash in antibaterial hand soap and a fret polish using a kit that came with some D'addario strings.

It's a very simple solution. Here's the before:

 

Now a quick rub - behave.

 

Nice.

 

So now it is back together. It fitted together in a slightly different place. A few more tweaks of truss rod and saddles brought it into shape a little better than before.

That's about as good as it gets, and it's not bad.

Ready to go from my bedroom woodwork workshop and polishing area, to my bedroom electronics department for new pots.

 

 

[cetera]

Nice. Sounds great on your vid too, really cuts through with a lovely throaty lo-mid growl.

 

Just so you know, those inlays on the neck are aftermarket stickers, but nicely done. There will be dots underneath them....

Always preferred the full inlays myself so looks great!

[Al Nico]

18 hours ago, cetera said:

Nice. Sounds great on your vid too, really cuts through with a lovely throaty lo-mid growl.

 

Just so you know, those inlays on the neck are aftermarket stickers, but nicely done. There will be dots underneath them....

Always preferred the full inlays myself so looks great!

Thank you. Yes, the bridge pickup is so close to the bridge it makes wild mid range sounds, and without a preamp. I like that. No battery.

 

Here's the plan. I've ordered a 'Custom Series - Crafted in America' headstock label from the web to replace the old 'Made in China' sticker. It will validate the inlays, and increase the instruments value to around £9,500.00. Cunning eh?

[Al Nico]

I've been working on a wiring diagram for my latest idea. There is some method behind the madness:

In everyday use I run with both pickups, tone and volumes full.

To get more middle, turn the neck pickup down a bit, less middle, turn the bridge pickup down a bit.

If I use a pick, I may turn the tone down on one of the pickups if I don't need all the click.

I haven't got a taping kill switch, and really ought to have one.

 

So here's the circuit I came up with.

The two pots represent a logarithmic MN taper pot that is built as one pot to make a centre notched pickup blend control. Easy to turn one pickup down a bit.

Then there are two tone switches. Quick selecting pre-set low pass.

Then a tapping kill switch (Break signal switch-Normally Closed, Press = mute) That will be fun.

 

 

The circuit analyser says it's all in phase and won't be hum cancelling. It may be because the pickups are single coil in the model. A bit more research there needed.

I intend to replicate the existing low pass filter spec. They have a subtle effect, just enough to take the growl out. No need to experiment, someone has already done that it seems.

I'd be interested to hear any comments or suggestions/improvements.

 

Edit: I've already had an idea. Looking for switches, the nice ones are the classic 3 way Les Paul type. I could upgrade the 2 way tone switches to 3 way and have a second pre-set tone with a lower dark shelf. Might be overkill?

Edited Tuesday at 22:07 by Al Nico

[Woodinblack]

My comment would be why you have two tone switches? You would have no tone cut with both off, the same tone cut if you have either of the switches on and double the cut if you put both on? If that is the effect you might as well have a centre off switch and do it all on one switch, rather than have the two redundant one on / one off modes?

[Al Nico]

1 hour ago, Woodinblack said:

My comment would be why you have two tone switches? You would have no tone cut with both off, the same tone cut if you have either of the switches on and double the cut if you put both on? If that is the effect you might as well have a centre off switch and do it all on one switch, rather than have the two redundant one on / one off modes?

Thank you. Seems the design is not right, unsurprisingly.

I looked at the circuit analysis. I'm new to this software but perhaps the report for one tone switch on, and one off is maybe showing both pickups being pulled through the cap.

 

Switch configuration: [Bridge Tone SW.ON2:KILL switch.ON1:Neck Tone SW.ON1]

 ┌───────────────────── C2 ─── R2 ──────────────────────┐ 
 │                                                      │ 
 ├─ Dual blend pot - Vol.1-2 ─── Bridge Pickup.North<- ─┤ 
 │                                                      │ 
─├── Dual blend pot - Vol.1-2 ─── Neck Pickup.North<- ──┤─
 │                                                      │ 
 ├────────────── Dual blend pot - Vol.2-3 ──────────────┤ 
 │                                                      │ 
 └────────────── Dual blend pot - Vol.2-3 ──────────────┘ 

'Dual blend pot - Vol' potentiometer acts as a volume control for 'Bridge Pickup'
'Dual blend pot - Vol' potentiometer acts as a volume control for 'Neck Pickup'
'Neck Pickup' and 'Bridge Pickup' pickups engaged, wired in parallel
All pickup coils are wired in-phase
This configuration is NOT hum-cancelling.

 

Ok. So I need to work out how to make them work independently. Learning is fun, for a while, then I'll ask for help.

[Al Nico]

I may have solved the issue. By putting the tone circuits before the blend pot keeps them operating per pickup, I think.

I decided I need a way to mute the instrument. In the end, a master volume pot it the most useful, and graceful way to do that.

 

 

[Al Nico]

Should give a mention to the software developers. DIY Layout Design is donation ware and is really good.

 

Just drag and drop the parts. Start with a pickup, connect it to a jack socket, then test the circuit. Keep adding and testing.

 

Download link

Release DIY Layout Creator v5.5.0 · bancika/diy-layout-creator · GitHub

https://github.com/bancika/diy-layout-creator/releases/tag/v5.5.0

[Al Nico]

I'm now qualified as a passive pickup circuit inspector. From what I learned today by trial and error, I am able to identify that the person who wired the Spector made the same mistake I did in the design room.

 

The Pickups are wired to the volume pots, so the tones effect both pickups.

 

I'm going to start by wiring it up with the pots and listen how it works with the tones independent. I based the tone switch idea on their strangely limited performance, now under review.

[Woodinblack]

Unfortunately due to the nature of passive electronics (and this is on all things - this is ultimately why fender got rid of the dual tones on the jazz), if you put them before the volume then the tone will work independently all the time the volume of one side or the other isn't full up. However, when the volume is all the way up, both tones are effectively wired together, and there isn't much you can do about it, without introducing active electronics.

[Al Nico]

4 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Unfortunately due to the nature of passive electronics (and this is on all things - this is ultimately why fender got rid of the dual tones on the jazz), if you put them before the volume then the tone will work independently all the time the volume of one side or the other isn't full up. However, when the volume is all the way up, both tones are effectively wired together, and there isn't much you can do about it, without introducing active electronics.

Now I'm confused. My Les Paul is passive and has independent volume and tone per pickup. What am I missing?

[Stub Mandrel]

6 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Unfortunately due to the nature of passive electronics (and this is on all things - this is ultimately why fender got rid of the dual tones on the jazz), if you put them before the volume then the tone will work independently all the time the volume of one side or the other isn't full up. However, when the volume is all the way up, both tones are effectively wired together, and there isn't much you can do about it, without introducing active electronics.

 

This.

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Al Nico said:

Now I'm confused. My Les Paul is passive and has independent volume and tone per pickup. What am I missing?

 

That a Les Paul also has a pickup selection switch.

[Al Nico]

7 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

That a Les Paul also has a pickup selection switch.

OK. When the LP switch is in the centre position, both hot signals from the pickups are connected to the output.

Do the LP tones still work independently with both pickups connected?

[Stub Mandrel]

1 hour ago, Al Nico said:

OK. When the LP switch is in the centre position, both hot signals from the pickups are connected to the output.

Do the LP tones still work independently with both pickups connected?

 

No.

 

Edit not with the pups at or near max volume.

Edited yesterday at 07:44 by Stub Mandrel

[Woodinblack]

10 hours ago, Al Nico said:

Now I'm confused. My Les Paul is passive and has independent volume and tone per pickup. What am I missing?

 

Nothing. If you turn both volumes up the tones will do the same thing. However, on the LP, the way you would use it is by switching between the front and back and at that point the position of the tone control would matter on that pickup.

 

Not only that, on an LP the volumes also can kill each other - turn the volume of one pickup to zero, and then put the switch to both pickups, you won't get any sound.

 

But the easy way to show, if you have an LP, try it. Turn one tone full down and one up, switch betwen them, you will see one is muffled, one isn't, switch to both and it will be muffled.

[Woodinblack]

Another easy way to look at it is to look at your diagrams above where you have the two tones. In the first one, the wires that go from the centre position of the pots are joined at the jack socket. Effectively that is one piece of wire, which means you could show it as one wire joined at the pots, that goes to the jack with two switches connected to it.

The second one is better for isolation, but again, if both volumes are fully up it is the same as the outside and centre being connected, which means as both centres are connected, both pickups are connected, so both switches are connected, and effectively inline.

This is unavoidable with a passive circuit.

[Al Nico]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

Another easy way to look at it is to look at your diagrams above where you have the two tones. In the first one, the wires that go from the centre position of the pots are joined at the jack socket. Effectively that is one piece of wire, which means you could show it as one wire joined at the pots, that goes to the jack with two switches connected to it.

The second one is better for isolation, but again, if both volumes are fully up it is the same as the outside and centre being connected, which means as both centres are connected, both pickups are connected, so both switches are connected, and effectively inline.

This is unavoidable with a passive circuit.

Thank you for the explanation. My Epiphone LP is in bits so can't try it. It was used on bridge pickup, full volume & tone. I never got to know the controls. Good job really, I might think it's broken too

I'd sussed the circuits are all joined and wasn't entirely convinced of my fix. Since no one else has fixed physics to work properly either, I'm going to call it a learning success.

The final process that the electrics got was a fix to the dodgy jack socket, then squeeze and reform the shape of the wires and caps so they sit nice, and put the cover back on.

It sounds a lot better now without the jack socket spinning about intermittently shorting. I've heard both tones working but need to update my test method and expected outcomes before I validate their function.

I'll do that when I'm tired of playing it.

[Al Nico]

Review and feedback for the Spector.

Morning. Now that I've had a good look around this used Chinese made Spector, I'll share my review. I didn't spend much so it's not bias.

First thing is the shape. It has the convex curve on the body and it fits beautifully, and hangs in balance and weighs little.

The holes routed for the pickup need to be about 3-4mm deeper so as not to trap the wire and have more adjustment. Nice looking finish.

The neck is once piece, thin, twangy, very comfortable and nicely finished, but feels a bit flimsy and delicate.

It has taken a lot of fettling with the truss rod and some gentle persuasion across my knee to get it in shape and playable. Now it is, it's not holding me back.

The tuners are fine - I reckon tuners often get the blame when the strings are pinched in the nut slots. Nice hefty bridge.

The electrics sound clear. At the right pickup height, they have depth and power.

 

I don't think the instrument is good enough to be a serious gigging instrument, but it is a lightweight, easy playing instrument that looks great, especially with the stick-on inlays.

I'm planning to start my bass career at a pub jam night. It will be perfect for that. Everyone can have a play, no worries. I think it will be a hit.