Advice for pot in blender wiring

[AJBaker]

I'm using this diagram I got from Phostenix' great site:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/7440801/Guit...t-FP-Blend.jpg

The blender pot adds the neck PU or bridge PU depending on what pickup you're using.

It's a good diagram, but Phostenix simplified it a bit to make it easier for the average modder.

The blender pot works opposite to what it should in that diagram, i.e. at 10 the pickup is out of the circuit, at at 1 completely in the circuit. The solution was to make my own "reverse no-load pot" using my girlfriend's nail varnish inside the pot.
Now I find the taper is a bit screwed up; when blending in the neck, it's only useful from 10 to 7, and blending in the bridge only from 10 to 9, so I thought of putting in a linear taper pot. But now I'm thinking that 250k is probably too much anyway, maybe 100k, or even 50k would be enough? Since the pot will be no-load, I don't have to worry about having enough resistance to completely take the pickup out of the circuit.

What do you think, good idea?

[AJBaker]

And how about putting a resistor across the outside legs of the blender pot?

[Swingbass]

I think maybe you took the wrong side of the taper trace out of the pot? Audio taper is logarythmic. I made my own no load using a 250K Audio taper following instructions I got on the web and it works very well. The instructions I got were very specific about which endof the carbon trace to remove and how much. Maybe you should order a no load A taper 250K pot?

[AJBaker]

The thing is, the kind of no-load made for a tone control works backwards when wired as a blender (turning up lowers the volume of the pickup being blended in). I didn't like the blender working backwards to the other pots, so I modified a pot so it was out of the circuit when turned all the way down to one (a 'backwards no-load').

[Swingbass]

My strat has the n & b pups totally dissconnected at the 0 position. As I turn it up the blend between the pups is very linear. If on the bridge positions I can dial in the neck to taste and vice versa. I like that to me turning up the pot brings in the other pup.

[Phostenix]

Originally Posted by AJBaker

It's a good diagram, but Phostenix simplified it a bit to make it easier for the average modder.

All I did was redraw Fezz' drawing using Visio.

[Phostenix]

Originally Posted by Swingbass

I think maybe you took the wrong side of the taper trace out of the pot? Audio taper is logarythmic.

Yep. If you take a standard 250K audio taper pot & wire it backwards for the blend, most of the resistive trace is between 6-10. So, there won't be much change from 0-6.

If you want it to blend when you turn the knob clockwise, use a linear pot. I'd still use a 250K. You'd be surprised at how much resistance it takes to reduce the volume when it's in series with the pickup. I bet you'd find that a 10K or 50K wouldn't drop the level much. As a no load pot, it would be more of a rotary switch.

[AJBaker]

Originally Posted by Phostenix

Yep. If you take a standard 250K audio taper pot & wire it backwards for the blend, most of the resistive trace is between 6-10. So, there won't be much change from 0-6.

If you want it to blend when you turn the knob clockwise, use a linear pot. I'd still use a 250K. You'd be surprised at how much resistance it takes to reduce the volume when it's in series with the pickup. I bet you'd find that a 10K or 50K wouldn't drop the level much. As a no load pot, it would be more of a rotary switch.

Thanks for the advice for the pot value! But you agree it's a bit counter intuitive having the blender working the opposite way of the volume and tone, no?
I might still try a 50k or 100k pot, and here's why: the most useful part of the blend is either with both at 100%, or with one backed off slightly. Below that it almost sounds like the dominant pickup by itself.
I'll report back once I've done some more fiddling.

[Phostenix]

Originally Posted by AJBaker

But you agree it's a bit counter intuitive having the blender working the opposite way of the volume and tone, no?

I have a number of different switching setups on my guitars, including some failry complex/non-standard switching setups. So, I would say that I'm pretty comfortable with switching options & knob fiddling while I'm playing. That said, the only thing I consistently struggle with are the 2 guitars that have these reverse blend knobs. So, yes, I find them annoying.

Since that's been the traditional way the blend knob is wired, I will probably leave it on the one guitar since I'm thinking of selling it. The other one may get changed. Or, I might sell that one off, too. Check with me again in 15 minutes.....

[AJBaker]

Originally Posted by Phostenix

I have a number of different switching setups on my guitars, including some failry complex/non-standard switching setups. So, I would say that I'm pretty comfortable with switching options & knob fiddling while I'm playing. That said, the only thing I consistently struggle with are the 2 guitars that have these reverse blend knobs. So, yes, I find them annoying.

Since that's been the traditional way the blend knob is wired, I will probably leave it on the one guitar since I'm thinking of selling it. The other one may get changed. Or, I might sell that one off, too. Check with me again in 15 minutes.....

I agree; I've also done some different wiring, and once had an Epiphone with low impedance pickups, and impedance switch and phase switch. The blender is just wrong the way it is.
I do think it's a useful setup though, and worth making variations from. I personally don't need two tone controls, but blending different sound textures from the different pickups is great.

How would you add a series switch, or a half out of phase? And do you think it can be done with a gibson three way? I'm thinking of wiring my Explorer with a blender.

[Phostenix]

Originally Posted by AJBaker

IHow would you add a series switch, or a half out of phase? And do you think it can be done with a gibson three way? I'm thinking of wiring my Explorer with a blender.

You'll end up needing a DiMarzio 4PDT On-On-On 3-way toggle switch or equivalent.

[Phostenix]

Here's a thread where I made a drawing using that type of switch. It looks like I never put that diagram in my wiring diagram library. Guess I need to do that....

http://music-electronics-forum.com/t...86/#post238486

[udimet720]

You may want to check out the following blender threads... This is a very similar set up.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/stratocas...p-blender.html

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech...d-cts-pot.html

As for being intuitive when you use it, I think of it this way. The blender is on a tone knob. So, I don't think of it as volume at all (since it does not control the overall volume). I think of it as 10 = regular tone. 1 = max effect of the circuit - same as for the master tone knob.