The parallel/series modification; will cost you not even $10.

[kilian]

So I've spooked around Talkbass a few days and I've found a very usefull thing.

The parallel/series modification!

huh?
It goes like this: normally you have a jazz bass (other pickups are sometimes capable too) with two pickups and those are wired in parralel. If you install a switch (either a push/pull pot or a DPDT switch) you can swap between the two things. Parallel is your normal tone and series will give you a more beefy/fatter tone. It is sometimes said as a mix between a Pbass pickup and a Musicmanpickup. This will give you (even) more tonal variations on your jazz bass.


http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=15665&stc=1
Basically it looks like this.

Ok now we want to achieve this.. but how? You will need:
- a switch or the pushpullpot.
- some wires
- solder equipment
- time (this is important! do everything slow and it will be OK)

Originally Posted by talkbass user bigbeefdog

I'll assume you have the tone pot section of your push-pull wired correctly, and just address the pickup circuit. I'll also assume you've gone down the road where "pull" is "series" (as you suggested you have).

Here's your push-pull (numbers are added to the lugs for purposes of the discussion to follow)

| | shaft
------
° ° ° tone section
------
------
°1 4°
°2 5° push/pull DPDT switch
°3 6°
------

How it should be wired:

- Jumper 1 to 4.
- Cut the "hot" wire from your neck pickup "in the middle" (assumes length is sufficient); the lead coming from the pup goes to 2, and the lead coming from the neck vol pot lug goes to 3.
- Cut the "ground" wire from your bridge pickup "in the middle"; the lead coming from the pup goes to 5, and the lead coming from the bridge vol pot ground (probably the back of the housing) goes to 6.

When you push down on the new pot, the internal connections are 2 to 3, and 5 to 6. So, as per the last two bullets above, pushing down simply "re-makes" the connections of the wires that you just cut. This is the usual Jazz bass wiring, or "parallel".

When you pull up on the new pot, the internal connections are 2 to 1, and 4 to 5. So the "hot" lead from your neck pickup is now connected "in series" to the "ground" lead of your bridge pickup by means of 2 to 1 (internal), 1 to 4 (jumpered), and 4 to 5 (internal). This is series mode; your neck vol pot will go dead (bridge vol pot is now master vol).

If you follow that, you will get your bigger, beefy, more basslike tone
Read everything careful to understand it, I will upload a picture later when I have the camera..



I hope this helped.. feel free to ask questions. I thought that it was a real cheap, but extremely good mod.

^^For a Jbass or another bass with two pickups.

And the next schematic will be for a Pbass. Read further in the thread for more information. Pbasses are already in series normally (because the Precision pickup is actually two little pickups in one), so you will install the switch to switch from series to parallel.

Originally Posted by doodooking

i take no credit for this, it was from bgavin from talkbass, although the following explanation is from me, the schematic isnt

basically what you want to do is the wires that are connected together on your p bass, black wire in the schematic is the corresponding one. not all wires will be the same color, and actually, none of the wires on my bass was the same. also for the "red" and "green" just connect it to the pot where the schematic says to, you dont need to connect it to the switch first

[URL=http://img511.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dpdtswitchpoints8dy.jpg][/url]

also about the screws, they work so i dont care, as long as they hold the pick guard down, im ok with it

EDIT: fixed a few things.

[edgebass5]

just a bit of note, the switch you indicated is actually DPDT, which stands for doublt pole, double throw.

The series/parallel mod is very cool and very cheap. A bit more accurate description of the tonal characteristics would be this:

parallel: lower output, lower mids, lower bass
series: higher output, more mids, more bass

Also, a humbucking pickup (i.e. a pickup that has more than one coil in the same casing) can be setup with the series/parallel mod on its own. For instance, a jazz bass with DiMarzio Model J pickups could have two series/parallel switches, one for each pickup, and they would work independently of each other.

[kilian]

^^Ah I knew there was something wrong with the switch.. I was already in doubt. Do you have an explanation of the mod you're talking about? Because I have humbucking pickups.. Or an how to.

[edgebass5]

well, it'll be different for each pickup. For instance, with DiMarzio Model J's, jus email DiMarzio tech support and they'll send you a wiring diagram on how to do it (as well as a diagram for how to put each pickup out of phase of each other).

[kilian]

I've shot them an email. I will post the scheme if they have replied to me and when I've tested it out.

[kilian]

EDIT:
red wires = 'hot' wires
green wires = grounding wires


Tadaa:


Placing humbuckers in series, I don't know what the black and white wire normally are.


Remember that the pushpull pot can also be at the neckvolume position or at the bridgevolume position Just figure it out a bit. Or use the facts I posted earlier.

Good luck!

[spaz21387]

so what would the wiring look like if i just added a switch. and then drilled a hole in my pickguard for the switch to work cuz i dont know where to get a push pull pot.

[kilian]

^^The same. A pushpull pot is just a pot with a switch integrated. Just look at the schemes and you will find out how to connect the wires to the switch. Questions? Ask

[spaz21387]

If i went to my local shop and asked them would they do it for me? Im scared i would mess something up.

[Mr. Pickle]

all music shops are different, you probably need to call them. however, i'm pretty sure most of them around here would do it.

[PainKiller8191]

all that look so scary, I'm not getting anywhere near my bass with no soldering iron

[e p]

Is it possible to do this mod on a P J configuration. If not, what must be done in order to do so?

[azn_bassist]

Originally Posted by e p

Is it possible to do this mod on a P J configuration. If not, what must be done in order to do so?

u can probally put your P and J series or parallel to each other

[kilian]

Originally Posted by e p

Is it possible to do this mod on a P J configuration. If not, what must be done in order to do so?

The same as with 2 jazz pickups.


See the first post or the second scheme from Dimarzio.

[Troy]

Does this work with a Fender P? Also god forbid if I **** up, but how much will new pickup cost?

[doodooking]

i got 2 questions:

can i do this on a p-pick up?

and can i use a SPDT or is it necessary to use a DPDT?

ex SPDT:
http://guitarelectronics.zoovy.com/product/SWM11

[kilian]

^^That switch will work I think.

But you can't do it on a Ppickup, normally you will switch two pickups into series/parallel. I think it CAN be done with a P pickup, but you have to adjust the whole pickup for it. Because a P pickup is basically two pickups stacked together. If I'm right..

Or it has to be a humbucking P pickup like a Dimarzio model P

[doodooking]

Originally Posted by kilian

^^That switch will work I think.

But you can't do it on a Ppickup, normally you will switch two pickups into series/parallel. I think it CAN be done with a P pickup, but you have to adjust the whole pickup for it. Because a P pickup is basically two pickups stacked together. If I'm right..

Or it has to be a humbucking P pickup like a Dimarzio model P

actually, i found someone that did it with his p bass

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63924&page=2&pp=20&highlight=series

pic
http://www.ofgb.org/reference/Music/Fender/Images/mim-p-08.jpg

I just wanted to know if the schematic would be the same for a jazz, but instead of the two individual pickups, you would use the two halves of the p pickup

[kilian]

^^Can you actually give me the number of that post? I can't find it there.

[doodooking]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showpost.php?p=740968&postcount=24