Using push/pull pots as 3-way switch?

Hi there,

Long story short I am planning my first full build. I am doing LP inspired setup with 2 hums, 2 volume pots and 2 tone pots. BUT I really hate the look of 3-way switch on LP's.

Is it at all possible to bypass 3-way switch by using push/pull pots as selectors instead. Lets say my volumes are the p/p pots. both pots down position would be both pickups active, volumes and tones working as normal, but if I pop up first pot it would disable neck pickup. Just like when using 3-way switch. and popping the second pot would disable the bridge pickup. I am not interested in coil splitting and practicality aspect is irrelevant as this would be more of a novelty item.
I just would like to know if and how this could be achieved. Please explain it like to a child. I have extremely limited understanding of electrics. Detailed wiring diagram would be much appreciated but simple possible/not possible will also do.

Thank you

I imagine it would be possible. All you would have to do is wire the signal from from the volume pot through the switch in the pot instead of through the normal switch.

I haven't found a diagram yet, but it's a pretty easy. You only need two of the six lugs on the push pull switch to do it. You can use the standard LP wiring chart for the volume and tone. The only real difference is that the wire that goes from the V pot to the switch will now go to the middle lug on one side of the push pull pot. Solder a second wire to the bottom lug on the same side (the bottom is farthest from the top of the pot). Solder the other end of the bottom-lug-wire to the tip lug on the jack. It's exactly the same for both pickups.

It doesn't matter which side of the push pull pot you use. It only matters that if one is on the right side, the other must be on the right side too.

Something like this should work. Repeat for each volume pot. *correction Lug 3 should be connected to ground.*

I like this idea. I kind of swing between wanting a guitar with a hundred knobs and switches, and wanting a guitar with the bare minimum in the way of visible electronics.

Yes, as described. I don't know whether the possibility of a both off combination would be annoying . Might even be useful.

An alternate option might be to dispense with switches altogether and wire it with independent volume controls like a jazz bass. The disadvantage would be both tone controls acting on both pickups, at least when both volune turned up.

A variation might be to have one tone wired as a conventional treble cut and the other as something different. Maybe a more aggressive treble cut, maybe something more unusual.

Lastly don't forget the rotary switch. Given a rotary switch instead of one tone you could have two vol, selector and master tone . The rotary switch could also provide a phase option with a further position.

You could probably also arrange it so that one pot did a neck or bridge selection, and the other did a both pickups on or 'as selected by the other pot'. That way you couldn't get an unintended and embarrassing silence.

Yep, that sounds smart. One switch (a) has both poles active, with volume controls connected to each pole and output to both poles, one contact unused. The other switch has one pole active, with a volume control connected to each side and the output to the centre. When a is on both pickups always sound, when off it does nothing. B will always pass one pickup only.

Thank you for ideas and advices. I'm pleased to learn the plan is doable and not even overly complicated. Then again some good points were made (of the sound of silence) and now I'm unsure which configuration I want to do so perphaps you actually made my life harder :) Nevertheless my LP shall be born switchless... ...in due time

If you want easy, simply turning the pickup on and off with the push pull is simplest, since it requires the least soldered connections. It does have the "disadvantage" of silence with both switches up...unless you like having a kill switch in which case it is a "feature."

If you want the most intuitive then the rotary is probably best... Looks like a knob, works like a switch. No push pull's necessary. But it's a bit more complicated to do the soldering. You'd only have one tone knob, but to me that might be an advantage too ;-)

I am in the process of putting one V one T one rotary switch into a standard strat pickguard for similar reasons. I wanted to use a knob rather than micro-switches.

What I would do is think about how I'm going to play the instrument. That may give you some clues about what will suit you best.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JimC

What I would do is think about how I'm going to play the instrument. That may give you some clues about what will suit you best.

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That's a good point. If you need to quickly switch between neck and bridge pickups in the transition between parts of a song, having to push one knob down and the other up seems much harder than flipping a toggle. Plus if you do the knobs in the wrong order (up then down) you will get a volume stutter.

Push-push pots would be easier to use than push-pull.

If it's particularly the toggle you hate, replace it with a blend pot, then you can have the same knob as your vol/tone. That leaves your push pulls for splitting phasing and parallel/series.

Was also going to bring up the blend pot. Though it would require sacrificing another pot, so something like 2V 1T and a blend for pickup selection. That would let you bias toward one pickup instead up just on or off. Or you could fit it into the toggle switch hole if you just don't want the switch but are okay with an additional knob.

Otherwise I'd agree with Simon's suggested wiring since you probably don't want off/off. A kill switch is a control option but generally not used though push-pull.

I think Tassie was suggesting the blend pot goes in the position the toggle switch on a LP goes. It would make it look rather Gretch-like IMO, but it's certainly an option.

You have definitely given me lots to think about. While using rotary switch or similar would perphaps look bit better than toggle I would like to stay in four knob configuration. Last couple of days I have tried to sketch up and understand the Simon's proposal and for the life of me I can't figure it out. If anybody has wiring diagram for that lying around please save me and share

Quote:

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Originally Posted by OutOfYourDepth

I have tried to sketch up and understand the Simon's proposal

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Something like this @Simon?
Attachment 36245
Lower switch always connects one pickup or the other, upper switch connects both or none.

Yes. The top switch is probably better described as bringing in both pickups or having no effect (rather than no pickups) leaving the bottom switch to do the neck/bridge pickup selection.

OOYD, can you convert Jim's switch diagram to the contacts on a push/pull switch?

Thanks for the diagram. I understand the symbols other than that im not entirely sure.. or even nearly sure.
Something like this?
Attachment 36265

You're almost there.

Here's couple of ways you could wire it, in both cases the neck volume push/pull selects the single pickup (down for Bridge and up for Neck), and the bridge volume push/pull selects between single pickup or both (down for single, up for both).

Jim's type of layout:
Attachment 36320

Same result, different way:
Attachment 36321

Hope that helps.

Weirdy to the rescue!

Brilliant! This was definitely much more than I ever dared to hope for. Many thanks to all of you.
With such detailed instructions I feel pretty confident I can make it work.