Gr-1sf

[Jeff Sheridan]

Hey Kells80aus,
you mentioned getting the StewMac wire, does that mean the provided wire is a bad idea to use?
Just wondering, Jeff

[WeirdBits]

The CA Country Gentleman wiring layout is fine: master volume, master tone, and an individual volume for the bridge only. No volume for the neck should help retain a touch more high end sparkle, while you can still control the relative volume of the bridge.

The circuit I suggested would allow you to balance both pickups, say 70% bridge 100% neck, or 100% bridge 50% neck etc, when in the middle position. At the centre detent both pickups are at 100%, turn it towards the bridge and the neck stays at 100% but the bridge decreases, and vice versa. But, the balance pot setting for the selected individual pickup still applies when not in the middle position. If you have it set at 100% neck and 75% bridge and then switch to the bridge position the bridge will still be at 75%, if you switch to the neck position the neck will still be at 100% and vice versa. If you wanted 100% bridge you'd need to turn the balance pot back to the centre detent etc. I think this type of circuit would be good if you want to adjust the relative volume between the pickups, but not so good if you're the type who like to constantly tweak the bridge volume etc.

Good quality shielded wire is a plus for hollow bodies if you want to minimise hum and interference. You can't shield the cavities in a hollow body and there are usually some long wire runs to pickup selectors and master volumes etc, so good shielded wire can make a big difference in how 'quiet' the guitar is.

[Jeff Sheridan]

The CA Country Gentleman wiring layout is fine: master volume, master tone, and an individual volume for the bridge only. No volume for the neck should help retain a touch more high end sparkle, while you can still control the relative volume of the bridge.

The circuit I suggested would allow you to balance both pickups, say 70% bridge 100% neck, or 100% bridge 50% neck etc, when in the middle position. At the centre detent both pickups are at 100%, turn it towards the bridge and the neck stays at 100% but the bridge decreases, and vice versa. But, the balance pot setting for the selected individual pickup still applies when not in the middle position. If you have it set at 100% neck and 75% bridge and then switch to the bridge position the bridge will still be at 75%, if you switch to the neck position the neck will still be at 100% and vice versa. If you wanted 100% bridge you'd need to turn the balance pot back to the centre detent etc. I think this type of circuit would be good if you want to adjust the relative volume between the pickups, but not so good if you're the type who like to constantly tweak the bridge volume etc.

Good quality shielded wire is a plus for hollow bodies if you want to minimise hum and interference. You can't shield the cavities in a hollow body and there are usually some long wire runs to pickup selectors and master volumes etc, so good shielded wire can make a big difference in how 'quiet' the guitar is.

WierdBits, That sounds cool, is there anywhere I could see a diagram of this wire job?
Thanks for the explanation, I was confused about if you could go full volume from one pickup to the other without touching the pup selector and then the pot, now I know you can as long as the balance pot is in the middle, giving full volume to both.
Is it hard to wire up? I'm kinda new at it but am game if I can see the layout on paper.
Thanks, Jeff

[abutton]

Hey Jeff - you really know what you are doing - the guitar looks spectacular already!!!

I already don't understand anything you are doing with the guys but it sounds exciting

You are inspiring me now

Good luck with everything - send more pics as you go along - cant wait to see how it turns out

Cheers,

Alan

[WeirdBits]

Jeff, it's still just an idea in my head at the moment, but I'll try to get some time later and draw up a diagram for you.

[WeirdBits]

This is just off the top of my head, but I think it'll work as advertised:



Depending on the configuration of the balance pot (they can vary), from the centre detent turning it clockwise will keep the neck at 100% and decrease the bridge volume, turning it counter-clockwise will keep the bridge at 100% and decrease the neck volume. Swap the red/green pairs between the upper and lower lugs if you want to reverse the direction (red top, green bottom).

The coloured wiring is to show what needs to connect to where, but how you make those connections will ultimately depend on your layout. For instance, the ground wire (black) to the switch could be the shield on a two core cable (for the red and green) from the balance pot which then links to the pot's ground which goes to the common ground point on the tone pot etc. The No-Load tone pot is just a idea, a standard tone pot would be fine.

Use it at your own risk

[Jeff Sheridan]

This is just off the top of my head, but I think it'll work as advertised:



Depending on the configuration of the balance pot (they can vary), from the centre detent turning it clockwise will keep the neck at 100% and decrease the bridge volume, turning it counter-clockwise will keep the bridge at 100% and decrease the neck volume. Swap the red/green pairs between the upper and lower lugs if you want to reverse the direction (red top, green bottom).

The coloured wiring is to show what needs to connect to where, but how you make those connections will ultimately depend on your layout. For instance, the ground wire (black) to the switch could be the shield on a two core cable (for the red and green) from the balance pot which then links to the pot's ground which goes to the common ground point on the tone pot etc. The No-Load tone pot is just a idea, a standard tone pot would be fine.

Use it at your own risk

Thanks WeirdBits that looks awesome! Plus I think it'll work good for me and make the guitar real tone finding friendly. Today I will check the local guitar store and look for a few little parts I don't have. I'll send picks when I get started, next I'm gonna put a few clear coats to protect the paint and smooth out the tape edge between the binding and paint

[Jeff Sheridan]

Hey Jeff - you really know what you are doing - the guitar looks spectacular already!!!

I already don't understand anything you are doing with the guys but it sounds exciting

You are inspiring me now

Good luck with everything - send more pics as you go along - cant wait to see how it turns out

Cheers,

Alan

Thanks Abutton, this forum us mutually inspiring! I definitely felt lost on the wiring but now I'm at least excited to give it a shot (after the advice from Weirdbits). Im sure learning a lot which was my main goal.
aloha, Jeff

[kells80aus]

Hey Kells80aus,
you mentioned getting the StewMac wire, does that mean the provided wire is a bad idea to use?
Just wondering, Jeff

Hi Jeff, the supplied wire isn't shielded at all. Using it on a GR-1SF would see the git producing some extra hum, as you just cannot adequately shield one of these.

I like Wierdies idea of a single balance pot, my loom effectively has two, one for each pup, A single pot would be easier to dial in a
balance

Cheers PK

[Nickosaurus]

Awesome finish. Reminds me of an old hot rod