Comment

Comment by Taffy Evans on March 28, 2019 at 12:22pm

Hi Paul, I'm playing devils advocate here really, but as I respect your knowledge on these kind of subjects, a question.

If we are talking about the faithful reproduction of the pickups intended sound, and bypassing pots and going straight out the jack.......doesn't that put the signal into another chain of pots in the amp, and so colour the sound. Would it be best to go straight to the preamp, power amp then speaker. Like I said playing Devils Advocate.

I had a world class pickup manufacturer tell that the "Strat" pickups I had ordered for a guitar I had built would not sound as he intended in the body timbers I had used. It made me think would the wrong amp have a similar effect in changing his intended sound.

Cheers Taff

Comment by Daniel Walter on March 28, 2019 at 11:14am

Paul, thank you. I commented to pick that i started this blog to gain information. the more you know the better. And you have provided a wealth of information. Certainly with more than one pickup, you need a blender pot and or three way switch and volume, like a jazz bass. (blend). So pots are a necessary evil, but that raises another issue. There are pots and there are pots. Just like most things, there are cheap pots and well made pots that cost much more, but are worth it. I purchased the parts for a j-bass harness from this bass guy that disappeared, but the pots were twice the size of the mainstream, and well made. they didn't have split shafts, like yesteryear, but are recent. I guess it boils down to simplicity, some like it simple and hard core. Thank you for all your info, it helps.

now, as far as amps go, 20 watts doesn't give you double the output of 10 watts. what's with that? and i'd like to understand more about 4ohm vs 8ohm, and what the difference it makes whether they are wired in series or parallel? And how does an amp give you more output when plugging in an external speaker? I don't mean that you have another speaker, but i have a nice promethean bass amp that the manual says has "different" watt ratings, depending on the setup.? jeez.

Comment by Paul Craig on March 28, 2019 at 6:26am

Our Church's sound system has a couple large 600 to 800watt power amps to run the sound board, effects processor, EQ, mics for choir, mics for instruments, mics for singers, mics for instruments, guitar amps, bass amp, stage monitors, output speakers, DI system and anything else you want or need. So with that much power amp backing it all, anything can be done to project enough volume and good tone for everybody on stage.

My stance on having pots was so that you can have more versatility on your sound and don't have to need a soundman to watch over you constantly or have to keep walking over to your amp to make adjustments.

Small amps that many people use with their CBG's that are battery operated do usually need all the volume and help you can get for a stage set. I have a 1watt Ruby amp and a 2watt dual chip Ruby amp that would need to go through a PA on stage. I have a old 20watt Radio Shack PA Amp that I use here at home through a good 15" speaker. Without those pots on the guitar it would be back and forth all the time, but since I have them I just turn the dial.

Okay, you like the dial set on 10 or no pots. The output amp or board has to be set for your sound. If you have pots on the guitar, your amp and board still get set up for that. Only difference is that you have access to make changes on the guitar that's much more convenient and versatile. If all your songs are blasting all the way, eventually all your songs will sound the same to your audience. This is why all the big Rock Bands had to do some touching Ballads to break it all up. You can't do touching Ballads without being able to make sound adjustments.

Example: Gibson Les Paul Junior guitar has one bridge position P90 pickup, one volume pot and one tone pot. By adjusting those pots, you can get neck position sounds(darker and more moody) or set to 8 on the knobs for bridge tones and all the way up for lead blasting tone and volume. You can't do any of that on a guitar without pots unless you'd rather run back and forth to the amp or have to rely on that already overworked soundman.

Comment by Daniel Walter on March 28, 2019 at 3:36am

nice looking and sounding swamp in that video !

Comment by Paul Craig on March 27, 2019 at 6:46pm

No worries Pick, no offense.

We all like things differently, to each his own.

Comment by Paul Craig on March 27, 2019 at 6:45pm

It's best to have a ground for the pickups(back of volume pot), switch, pots and bridge/tail piece to ground lug of the jack. It's best to have a dedicated ground for your amp for safety and to keep unwanted noise at bay. A small 9 volt battery/walwart operated amp isn't a safety issue with getting a shock through the cord. ;)

Pots(volume and tone) set a tone parameter for your pickups. 250k = Bass dominate - 500k = midrange dominate - 1meg = treble dominate. This is why you get a overall brighter tone using higher value pots.

With the pots on 10, they are at full output with their designated value influence with minimal resistance that doesn't really matter. When you begin to turn them down, resistance to the signal is added to lower volume or lower tone for the tone circuit.

Pots on the guitar make it easier to adjust without having to trust someone else to read your mind at the board to help you or too busy at the board with a issue with other equipment to handle your wants/needs at the same time. The soundman wants to set everything at the beginning of the show or at rehearsal and be free to handle unforeseen problems instead of just focusing on you. So when you need more to be heard over everybody else for the solo, it's nice to be able to turn it up or adjust the tone and go for it.

Piezo's are totally different because of the impedance mismatch. I usually use 2 round piezo in parallel to 1meg pots and mounted near the neck to get away from the high toned bridge area. I like the Rod Piezo tone much better, but they are better mounted in the bridge and wired/plugged into a preamp which usually comes with a 3 or 5 band EQ - AKA pots unless you make your own circuit.

Comment by the anonymous pick on March 27, 2019 at 4:03pm

After re- reading my post below , it  seems it may be viewed as having  a sassy feel to it .  Totally unintended,  I assure you ,any insensitive  feel of it is just the result of repeating  points in this repeating debate that pops up from time to time.

and certainly nothing directed at , nor implied  of my esteemed colleagues  here on this page.

 cheers . Just wanted to clear that up.;-)

 

Comment by Daniel Walter on March 27, 2019 at 12:56pm

pick, you know what amazes me? the pickup is just a small passive signal. you can plug it into my clock amp or the PAs at madison square. it's awesome. and if you are in a large venue, that's why the peeps have "monitors", or in layman's terms large speakers so they can hear what they're playing. local bar sounds good. a good meditation mantra: beeeeeeeeeeeeeer, beeeeeeeeeeeeeer, beeeeeeeeeeeeeer, beeeeeeeeeeeeeer.

Comment by the anonymous pick on March 27, 2019 at 10:37am

Madison square garden,... bedroom,... local bar,... TV studio.....  all the same ... not needed.

If one is is  playing Madison square gardens , and feels  schoolbook logic nagging their conscience, I'm sure they have a capable  sound man  to take care of it if  they can afford to play there, or one that  will nod at them pretending  he made any unnecessary changes  requested. Or if one  has control issues they can always  hook up a vol/tone pedal . if  or if not "needed" .

Grounding strings  is another issue .  I don't , and won't .

 firstly . it is not needed on my guitars . If you get the right pickup , the right  treatment  , the right setup .  it is not needed .   my guitars are as quiet as can be . no  hum  or hiss , or static . you cant even tell you are plugged in till you hit the strings . i pride myself on that.

Secondly . it's safer , you will avoid the shock risks that grounded strings guitars  are susceptible to. (all be it rare cases ., it happens more than one thinks ) .

now . ill shut up before this starts to sound like a  "removing exhaust baffles" and "needed" back pressure "  Harley forum  biker vs book reader argument. ;-)

Comment by Daniel Walter on March 27, 2019 at 5:33am

Paul, i meant to add this question. why does/would the pickup need additional grounding, as the the negative lead goes to the ground lug on the jack, and would be plugged into a properly grounded amp? (plus you need your fingers on the strings to ground). (also, my 9 volt battery amps and many others who make them are quiet, with no apparent ground). (maybe because they are from 1 to 5 watts? still plenty of volume).

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