Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
- SirManth
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Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
Hello everyone, this is my first post. I'm thinking of turning the ryhthm circuit switch into a series/parallel switch for the pickups. Does anyone know if this has been done before? A better question is does anyone know how I could go about doing this? It seems like it shouldn't be very difficult.
- d-rock
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
Welcome...
I drew this diagram and made the mod on my old JM. I loved it. It gave me that beefier "4th" position, pseudo humbucker sound.
I drew this diagram and made the mod on my old JM. I loved it. It gave me that beefier "4th" position, pseudo humbucker sound.
- SirManth
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
D-rock, thanks for posting that schematic. I'll be rewiring it in the next week or so. Did you come up with a different use for the rhythm circuit volume/tone pots? I was thinking, ideally, it would be nice to have each set of volume/tone pots to connect to a single pickup in the manner of a Les Paul. Is this a difficult setup with the switch becoming a series/parallel switch?
- Maukio
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
I'm curious, what happens when you select the neck pickup alone and have the other switch set to series? Does it mute all output?d-rock wrote:Welcome...
I drew this diagram and made the mod on my old JM. I loved it. It gave me that beefier "4th" position, pseudo humbucker sound.
- In-Sound
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
Yeah, neck would be dead. Bridge only and middle postion would both give you series.Maukio wrote:
I'm curious, what happens when you select the neck pickup alone and have the other switch set to series? Does it mute all output?
- d-rock
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
Yup, it's actually a cool kill switch type of thing.In-Sound wrote:Yeah, neck would be dead. Bridge only and middle postion would both give you series.Maukio wrote:
I'm curious, what happens when you select the neck pickup alone and have the other switch set to series? Does it mute all output?
- ukfuzz
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
I used that schematic last weekend for one of my Jags so belated thanks to d-rock for all the heavy lifting.
- Maukio
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
Hmm, that would be pretty cool! I've tried using the rhythm circuit as a killswitch before and that switch, though a quality Switchcraft, started goofing up pretty quickly thereafter. I was pretty rough on it, but still... Having the main 3-way as the kill switch seems like it'd be much better as that switch is much more tough and easier to toggle.In-Sound wrote:Yeah, neck would be dead. Bridge only and middle postion would both give you series.Maukio wrote:
I'm curious, what happens when you select the neck pickup alone and have the other switch set to series? Does it mute all output?
I was planning to wire up the currently unused rhythm circuit switch in my Jazzmaster to bypass my 500k volume and tone pots b/c every now and then I need a real bright abrasive sound unlike my usual darker sound, but now I'm tempted to also add this series/parallel switch via a push-pull pot or something.
- barn
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
i did quite some research on making my jazzmaster rhythm circuit a series switch, but with the 2nd vol and tone pots still working and fully independant of the lead circuit. i came to the conclusion that you need a massive 12-pole miniswitch for doing that, because you have to switch both pickups and the controls at the same time. some weeks ago i finally installed all the stuff in my jm and its working great. really fat humbucker sound, especially great wirth overdrive/distortion. and you can have two fully independent settings and just change from one to the other with the former rhythm switch in any playing situation. the only bad thing is that the miniswitch will only fit 90° turned, so its a right/left switch instead of up/down, but you get used to that easily. this could be changed with a new custom pickguard of course, where the switch sits a little further inside.
i'll try to make some pics in the next days and i'll draw some schematic for you guys.
i'll try to make some pics in the next days and i'll draw some schematic for you guys.
- kalipigeon
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
I'd wire up the two rhythm circuit pots as a passive treble cut and passive bass cut (like a G&L), and then make the two lead circuit pots your volumes for each pickup. That seems like it would be pretty easy to adjust tone on the fly that way. The bass cut would come in handy to remove some of the boominess that series can add as well as just being neat in general.
- barn
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
yeah thats also a very cool idea! but i think in the moment i prefer the solution with two independant circuits and two different settings. isn't it great, you can do so much with the rhythm circuit to suit your own needs.
- hikikomori
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
do you mean something like this on my edit: friends' jazzmaster?
with mustang switching for the pickups.
with mustang switching for the pickups.
Last edited by hikikomori on Sat Jul 17, 2010 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
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- barn
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
thats really cool. what does the rotary switch do? and what are these pickups?
- hikikomori
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
the chickenhead knob is just for the volume, sorry nothing crazy herebarn wrote:thats really cool. what does the rotary switch do? and what are these pickups?
the pickups are: neck position (classic player jm neck)
bridge position (SD hot for JM) sounds thin in comparison to the crunchy darker sounding neck
there are two tone controls for each pickup, and they only work for one setting, which is 'up' when the mustang switch is in the down position, then it's the pickup itself (very clear sounding) setting straight to the volume pot.
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- barn
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Re: Jazzmaster series/parallel switch
i see. i like volume controls at this position. great for volume swells and stuff. but you probably don't do that with a chicken head...
nice guitar.
nice guitar.