Making the MMB-4 active???

[stan]

awesome project Arzi, all the best with it.

[Arzi]

Hi

Ok guys - now you got me thinking... If I don't have to use the blend pot - it would be a shame. I can't just stick a flower or something in the empty hole on the control board. So... it seems I have to dig a hole for another humbucker on this one... Let it be a dual Hummie then. Can't be that difficult or?.. Let's see what I can do with just a drill, Dremel and a chisle...

Thanks a lot... Well it's my fault for asking in the first place...

Arzi

[WeirdBits]

If the preamp has a blend/balance pot and your single pickup is a 4 wire humbucker then you should be able to wire each coil to the balance pot. That way you can have humbucker or either single coil or part thereof as you want.

[Arzi]

Ok. Thanks Weirdbits - have to think this thru again... Maybe it's best to wait for the kit and then decide.

[keloooe]

I think it does have the 4 wires, looking at the diagrams on the site...

[Arzi]

So it seems the coil is split. Didn't look at the diagrams until now (dummy...)

If I wanted to use two similar humbuckers I'd have like 10 wires total (with bares) coming from pups alone. Don't know what I'd achieve with two soundwise - would look more well equipped at least. Plus could not split the coils but would have to use the blend to seperate the two pups. The coils would be all active one pup as a whole. Other pups would look kind of silly on a MM type bass.

[keloooe]

Arzi if you are going for the SBK-2 pre, there is also the 2A version where the treble / bass are mixed into a concentric pot found here http://www.ebay.com/itm/TONE-MONSTER...-/181837532619

[Arzi]

Hi Keloooe

I was thinking about what you suggested. Just manufacturer would be Artec - same assembly with concentric pot for bass/treble plus volume and blend. Comes a bit cheaper than Tone Monster with some other stuff I have to order for new rehearsal garage of ours. Including PA-systems (argh...). Posted a link for Artec earlier in this thread. But yeah - gonna go for that alternative.

[keloooe]

Nice stuff mate, I'm deciding between the both as well for my Jazz bass....

[Arzi]

Hi

Since I have now ordered the Artec SE-2A for my build and got a bit greedy - I now want to have to humbuckers in it. Now I have another dilemma...

If I were to use just one pickup I could use the blend pot to switch between coils but now that I want two it's between two full humbuckers - am I right?

So if i want to have more tone options I'd have to put for example a 5-way switch in between the two to do it. This will complicate the wiring of course but will it work with the Artec by just adding the switch in between or do I need to make other mods? Or is there something that prevents this kind of plan? Place of the switch is a challenge with the MMB-4 since there's not much extra space under the pickguard but I could try to fit it there the same time I make room for the other pickup - maybe lower part of it.

Anyway - these mods just keep on piling up even though this was supposed to stay fairly simple...