Building a Djent Lefty Guitar: Best Passive Pick Ups?

Hey Guys, (First post)

I've recently been building the left-handed JM-1 Model during quarantine. Since finding and affordable left handed at a reasonable price is always a pain. It's the body of a Fender Jazzmaster, but I've dubbed it the "Djentmaster". I thought "if I'm gonna put a bunch of fancy new hardware in it, I'd like to do it myself". So I've been learning new skills to do so (like how to solder, paint and and use a sander). I've used several youtube tutorials, but have basically followed along Pitbull Guitars videos and Brad Angove videos for techniques and ways of doing things efficiently.

Within my research I have found that things like tremolo bridge, headstock machine heads, pick guards can be left-handed (or need to be left-handed I should say). Here is a list of all of the stuff I've put into the guitar that did not come with the kit:

Wilkinson Left Handed 6-in-line E-Z-LOK Guitar Tuners Tuning Pegs

Graph Tech Black TUSQ XL Sleek String Tree

GraphTech PT500000 TUSQ XL Black Self-Lubricating Slotted Nut

Wilkinson/Gotoh VS-100N Tremolo Black - Left handed

Dunlop SLS1503BK Straplok Traditional Strap Retainer System

I'm almost done with it, but I thought I'd ask, what are the best passive pickups in the Djent genre? I've been looking at:

Seymour Duncan Alpha & Omega Pickups (Mark Holcomb signature, from Periphery)

Bare Knuckle Juggernaut Humbucker (Misha Mansoor signature, from Periphery)

Seymour Duncan Black Winter

EMG Jim Root Daemonum (Slipknot guitarist) just to have a bit of versatility, but maintain the "heavy" factor.

Also, I know why some might ask "why aren't you using active pickups?" and to be honest, for a first time building a guitar, I don't feel comfortable cutting a cavity into the quitar, specially since I don't have the tools for it (I have literally used a dremel and a sander for all of the build)

Additional Questions:

Is there such a thing as left-handed pickups? (don't see a category for selecting left-handed pickups)

Are there left-handed cable sets? I looked at Obsedian Wire and they basically say "only compatible with Right Handed guitars & Basses. We hope to do Lefty sets in the future but we can not say when at this stage."

What would be the best way to set up these pickups? I know that it is a preference thing, trying to get most out of this guitar.

Thanks in advance!


I'm posting what the guitar looks like now, but you guys can check out the progress here
(uploading everything here is kind of a pain do to image constrains)

No expertise in Djent-style pickups, but I'd also consider (if you haven't already) the BK Silo https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk...humbucker/silo

There aren't specific L/H pickups. They are all built fundamentally symmetrical. So don't worry about that.

There are specific volume potentiometers and knobs available for L/H guitars, though a lot of L/H guitars made commercially don't bother with them. On a R/H guitar you turn the volume knob clockwise for maximum volume (and the same for tone). This works exactly the same on L/H guitars, though some L/H people do prefer to turn the volume and tone knobs anti-clockwise for maximum volume and tone.

Volume pots should have a log/audio taper, whilst tone pots can be either linear or log/audio taper. For the specific L/H pots, linear pots work the same (though you use the other end tag connection on the pot compared to 'normal'), but for volume you need a reverse log/reverse audio taper characteristic pot to do this. The two end tap connections on the pots get connected the reverse to how they would be on standard volume pots. You'll also need knobs with 1 to 10 in the reverse order.

Please note that the Pit Bull forum doesn't tolerate pics showing trade mark infringements, so you'll need to black out any F logos on photos of non-F guitars if you don't want them removed/unlinked.

Thanks for the advise Simon!

I'm trying to set up a coil split but I am not versed enough in this to know what I need to do so. Trying to model the hardware of the guitar after the Juggernaut HT6QM Model

The Specs being: 1 x master volume, 1 x master tone (push/pull select), 5-way blade pickup switch

I think I've decided to go for the Juggernaut Pickups
and the website does include a parts section, but I'm still confused by the type of wiring I need to do/what do I need to do it.

Do you have any tips on that type of wiring I need to do/parts I need for it?

Thanks again.

The Jackson already has the pickups being coil split.

https://www.fmicassets.com/Damroot/O...H_5W_MISHA.png

You can do that with a suitable 5-way switch and 4-wire conductors on the pickups. Can't find a diagram on the web so far though, but WierdBits should be able to come up with a suitable diagram.

But that doesn't give you any neck- or bridge-only single coil only pickup options. Personally, I probably wouldn't bother with that style of guitar and those pickups, but if you want it as versatile as possible, then it is probably achievable, but it will interfere with the 5-way switching when operated and you may end up with silence in some positions.

Dropping the Jackson position 2 and 4 options, but instead having them as bridge single coil or neck single coil, then you can use this BK wiring diagram.

https://www.bareknucklepickups.co.uk...ch_9a8dd79.pdf

On the Jackson control system, the tone control pot is a push/pull one where the pull position disconnects the tone circuit for a brighter sound. You can do this more simply with a no-load pot.

Yeah, wanting to get as many options as possible is a very ambitious. Specially for someone who's never done this before.

I saw that they have the 1 volume 1 tone push pot but for a 3 way switch (Which I would presume would give me positions 1,3 and 5 from your diagram).

They also have the PRS way of doing it 2 humbuckers, 1 volume, 1 tone and a 5 way switch but I don't know the difference between the push pull pot and this way.

Would the no-load pot give me the same versatility as the push pull pot?

Thanks again.

But would love a reference because I don't quite understand all of the diagram and it doesn't say "you need this hardware to do so". I know it is an ambitious feet, but really wanna get it done.

With 4 pickups - and two splittable humbuckers amounts to 4 pickups - there are litterally dozens of ways to wire these things up. Especially with more than one switch, which is what switched pots give you.So you need to figure out what you want, which is hard before the guitar is built, but the good news is you can always alter the wiring later if you don't like it. That first bare knuckle diagram you've listed with the 3 way and the push pot seems to me a sensible and versatile option. It gives you 6 options, basically this:
Attachment 36837
If I didn't have strong feelings elsewhere I'd go for that. Using the push switch just to switch out the tone control seems a bit specialist to me...

My comment would be that the two single coils in parallel option probably isn't hum cancelling, which is always nice with single coils and lots of gain. It could be made hum-cancelling, but with much more complicated wiring and probably a 3-way super switch.

Also, as all the pole pieces are the adjustable screw type, there is no easy way to determine which way round the pickup should be fitted to get the single coil bobbins selected as per the diagram. The side of the pickup the output lead comes from may help here, though arranged for L/H installation, the bobbins will be rotated.

I'm all for keeping it relatively simple. My Les Paul Jimmy Page model has 21 possible pickup sound options, but I only ever use 7 of them, and generally just the three normal humbucker sounds. Yes, you can get a lot of different sounds, but most sound weak and 'meh' to me.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

You can do that with a suitable 5-way switch and 4-wire conductors on the pickups. Can't find a diagram on the web so far though, but WierdBits(???) should be able to come up with a suitable diagram...

---

Adding an extra push/pull will allow the full Jackson layout on the 5-way superswitch plus give you the single split coil option in positions 1 and 5. I can draw it up if needed.

WeirdBits,

That would be awesome. Would appreciate it so much. I emailed the guys at bare knuckle and they said I would need:

1. Juggernaut Pickup Set
2. Single Cut Short Shaft Installation Kit
3. CTS Push Pull Short Shaft 550K (Also had a question about the difference between 550k and 280K)
4. CTS 550K Potentiometer Short Shaft
5. Oak Grigsby 5-Way Super Switch

I would still be interested in upgrading the input jack jack and all of the cables that are meant for the inside of the guitar. Would love some recommendations on those.

Lastly, thanks again so much for taking the time to answer all of my questions. I didn't know that this forum would be such a huge help.

Ok, the important question (as Simon already mentioned): wired righty or lefty?

The pots listed are audio (log) taper (type A) which give a big value change towards ‘10’ and a small change towards ‘1’ when wired ‘righty’ - which is what suits the way our ears hear changes. So, you turn them clockwise for max volume and counter-clockwise for minimum, which some lefties don’t like. If you wire them ‘lefty’ you can then turn them counter-clockwise for max volume and clockwise for min, but you get the small change at ‘10’ and the big change at ‘1’ which usually doesn’t work for your ears.

The solution can be to use reverse audio taper pots (type ‘C’) as they can be wired ‘lefty’ and give you the correct taper direction, but they can be more difficult to source.

It really come down to what you’re used to using. How are your other guitars wired and which direction do you turn the volume for max etc?

And, regarding the 550K vs 280K pot values. Generally, 500K’ish pots are considered better suited for humbuckers as they retain more ‘highs’ and stop them being too dark/muddy. 250K’ish pots work best with single coils as they lose more ‘highs’ to help warm up the sound and reduce the icepick-in-ear factor. 500’s are a sensible choice for your layout with the humbuckers.

Also, best not to start ordering electronic parts until you’ve finalised your plan and worked out exactly what you will need to make it all work.

A pickup has inductance, impedance (resistance) and capacitance (not a lot of capacitance, but it plays a part in the pickup's sound). How much of each depends on how the pickup is constructed and with what gauge wire the pickups are wound with. Single coil pickups generally have less inductance, impedance and capacitance than humbuckers. The inductance, impedance and capacitance form an electrical tuned low-pass filter circuit (i.e. frequencies below the frequency are passed, and ones above it attenuated increasingly as the frequency increases), with a boost in output around the filter cut-off frequency.

The volume control pot electrically becomes part of the filter circuit and the higher the pot value, the higher the cut-off filter point (and frequency peak) is. The larger the inductance, the lower the cut-off frequency is. So humbuckers generally have a cut-off frequency and boosted hump in the mids, whilst for single coils, that frequency and hump is in the treble area. One of the two reasons that humbuckers aren't as bright as single coils and have a lot more mids in their output.

Standard choice of pot values for humbuckers is 500k (as this helps keep the frequency peak quite high) and 250k for F-style single coils, as this brings their frequency peak down a bit and stops their sound being too cutting with the trebles boosted.

Because potentiometer values have tolerances, the actual resistance will normally vary by up to ±10% from nominal, so a 500k pot could be between 450k and 550k ohms in value (and a 250k between 225k and 275k). BK promote pots that have a 550k and 280k nominal value, so that ±10% means that the minimum pot value will be at least 500k (or 250k), ensuring that the pickup doesn't sound too dull. In tests, almost everyone prefers the sound of a brighter pickup to a duller one.

In reality, most pots are reasonably close to their nominal value, which is why most manufacturers stick with 500k and 250k values. You can always buy more pots than you need, measure them before use and use the ones with the higher values for volume pots (where the higher resistance has most effect).

Because the volume pot is just part of the filter circuit, and not the whole circuit, increasing the pot resistance further and further gets you a bit more brightness, but it tails off rapidly after about 1Meg ohm. In addition, any additional brightness falls into the high frequency region filtered out by your guitar amp's speaker, so it's not worth going above 1 Meg ohm, even of the most powerful humbuckers (which can be almost all mids with very little treble content).

Lowering of the pot value will make the pickup sound duller and duller, and also reduce the pickup output level as the value goes down, so you generally don't want to stray too far from the standard values unless you want to tame very bright pickups or really try and brighten dull ones.

So, 500k ohms nominal for humbuckers and 250k ohms nominal for single coils. 550k and 280k respecively for the BK pots if you want to guarantee the pickups will be on the bright side.

I had not even noticed that WeirdBits. Guitar volume up is counter clock-wise, but I don't really care to be honest. I would just turn the knob until I hear it get louder. I'll try the right-wire style in order to benefit the small change in our hearing as you mentioned.

And it's a good call, the "Buying electronic parts until finalizing a plan".

Also, if you guys have any suggestions on any of this stuff which materials work better etc, please recommend by all means!

Ok, I’ll draw it up with right-wired pots. Do you want the tone control to be a push/pull to remove it from the circuit, like the Jackson layout? And, if so, do you want the tone control removed when the pot is ‘down’ or ‘up’?

Also, what are you doing with the pick guard and control plate? The JM-1 normally has 1 volume and 2 tones on the control plate and the blade switch on the upper bout. You’ve said you just want a master volume and master tone plus the 5-way switch, but how will they be positioned? Will you be using a new 2 pot only control plate and still have the switch on the upper bout above the neck pickup or something else?

If you want to use the stock control plate you could mount a mini-toggle switch in the extra pot hole and use that to give you the single coil options instead of adding an additional push/pull on the volume.

Yeah. Push/pull would be awesome. I'd like the tone to be removed when pulled.

I made a pickguard (because I knew that the stock plate of the JM-1 wasn't made with the layout that I wanted to have for it. You can see it in this album. For some reason, the sizes of pics are too big to be uploaded directly and didn't feel like resizing them.


I made it with the switch up top. It would make sense for it to be closer to the bottom, but with the shape of the cavities of a JM-1, it makes more sense to have it be up top, like a traditional

If I have to, I could make another guitar pick, I don't mind it. I really wanna have this be "as custom" as possible, and a learning experience where I have to change things etc. if that makes sense.

I just built a dedicated drop tuning telecaster and used a tonerider octane in the bridge. It sounds amazing!

Ok, hopefully this diagram does everything you want and is clear enough to follow. However, alcohol may have been involved in the process so I make no guarantees... Normally I would use an actual photo of the switch in the layout but with a superswitch a simpler diagram makes things much clearer. The boards on the CTS push/pull pots make it a little awkward to show all the connections, but hopefully you can see what is going where.

The pots are wired 'right-handed' (as specified) so you will be turning them clockwise for max/10. The specs for the Bare Knuckle Juggernauts list the coils as symmetrical so I've flipped them vertically with the wires at the top so that their relative coil positions remain the same as for a right-handed guitar, and the switch is wired accordingly. Having the wires at the top is actually easier with the switch position too.

Volume push/pull 'up' splits the Humbuckers to the Inner coil only for positions 1 (Bridge) and 5 (Neck). Tone push/pull 'up' removes the tone control from the circuit. It's drawn looking at it from the back of the pickguard:

Attachment 36916

Let me know if I've screwed anything up or if something is unclear.



Note: A 5-way superswitch is big, really BIG, both in width and depth when trying to mount it in a shielded cavity. Before you start wiring it up mount the switch onto you pickguard and see if it will fit cleanly into the cavity without catching or digging into anything. It'll save a lot of headaches.

Well done, Wierdy :cool:.

So adding some insulating tape over the copper tape anywhere around switches or pots is highly recommended.

Weirdy is like a wiring ninja who appears stealthily, imparts his sensei wisdom and then disappears again.

The Wiring Kid

Solder on...
Solder off...
Solder on...
Solder off...

This is amazing! Thanks so much for the diagram, Scott.

Now I guess anyone can answer this question:

Recommended wires/parts for this? (Aside from the pickups :P)

Are you in Australia? If not wherabouts in the world? Just makes it easier to point you at suppliers somewhere in the same country at least (if possible).

Sorry for not replying earlier. The way this forum works is very old school. I am not in Australia (I wish!). I'm currently living in Chicago, Illinois US.

Also, the bare knuckle people got back to me (after a good month ) and made this diagram. Any thoughts on it?

Attachment 36986

It’s a good diagram and great that they sent it to you. It shows that their coil connections on the Juggernauts aren’t mirrored between the two pickups (the cross-over on the lower right poles of the switch), but their other general diagrams do appear to be mirrored. I used a mirrored layout based on those other diagrams, so mine would actually give you 1 inner and 1 outer coil in positions 2 and 4 rather than 2 inner or 2 outer.

The rest of their layout is essentially the same just using an alternative way to make the connections, ie. linking the tone pot via the cap etc. I’ll mod my diagram in the next day or so with the changes so you can still have the option for the second push/pull and coil splits.

You are legend, man.

Simon, any thoughts on the wiring? bare knuckles has a bunch of stuff. Will def use their 5way switch and their capacitor, but was wondering about jacks and isolation paint for the inside. I've already laid down some copper tape, but idk if that is the best way to go. Thoughts?

Updated diagram with the tweaks from BK's layout:
Attachment 37002

With the altered diagram I've streamlined some of the connections so now there are only 4 wires going from the volume pot to the switch, whereas the old version had 6. That will make it a lot easier for wiring and reduce the bulk in the cavities.

I altered the tone control so the capacitor becomes the link between the pots and adjusted the push/pull accordingly (it's still 'up' to disconnect). The 'light blue' on the cap legs is to indicate insulation, which is a good idea so the cap can't short on anything. I usually just strip some insulation off pieces of scrap wire and slide it onto the cap legs before soldering them in place. If you'd prefer to have the cap on the tone pot with a wire link to the volume, just wire it like it is in the first diagram.

Regarding what type of wire to use, you have a few choices. The 'purple' and 'dark blue' wires both carry 'hot' signals and should therefore be shielded. The 'orange' is a switched ground and needs to be insulated so it can't short to ground when it isn't supposed to. The 'dark grey' is a standard ground connection wire and can be anything, insulated or bare. In a copper tape covered well shielded cavity you could get away with non-shielded 'hot' wires, but generally it's still better to have them shielded especially when using a lot of gain.

You could use shielded push-back wire to carry your 'purple' hot (core) and 'dark grey' ground (braid), another length of shielded push-back for the 'dark blue' and then any 22/24 AG insulated wire for the 'orange'. The shielded push-back is great and durable, but it can be tricky to work with the shielding braid, and you have to be careful it can't short onto anything it shouldn't.

An alternative is to use modern shielded 4-conductor wire. With this you could carry all your connections in a single cable, using core wires for your 'purple', 'dark blue' and 'orange', and the outer bare to carry your main ground. It's good wire for carrying many connections in a single cable but again can be tricky, especially with stripping the insulation and soldering the smaller core wires.

In my opinion copper shielding is generally much better than conductive paint (which can require many coats), except in situations where you simply cannot use the tape due to the shape/area or don't want it to be seen.

As for your parts, your Juggernauts and 2 x CTS Push Pull Short Shaft 550K pots will obviously come from Bare Knuckle (I'd get a couple of spare push/pulls if you can afford it, just in case). Their 0.022uF Jensen cap is nice, but extravagant for a cap.

As you are in the US StewMac is a one-stop shop for you:
- Switchcraft or PureTone mono jack.
- Orange Drop 0.022uF capacitor.
- 3 times as much wire as you think you'll need.
- Knobs to match the CTS push/pulls, split-shaft fine knurling.
- Oak Grigsby 5-way Super Switch.

I've probably forgot something, but hopefully that covers most of your questions etc.

Just in case some Aussies read this thread, PureTone jacks and spares (panel nuts in gold, black and silver) are available at https://kronigmusic.com.au/brand/pur...-technologies/