2 push-push, no selector

[Chart72]

Hello,
Looking to use push-push pots instead of a pickup selector to keep a build looking really minimal. The idea is volume selects between neck & bridge, and tone selects both/one - will this accomplish that? Not sure about the “antennas” on the one/both switch.

 

[NoTeleBob]

Nothing connects the bridge or the neck to the single pickup option on switch 2. You need to have a jumper across the two center terminals on the first switch - or move the "output" to the other side of the switch.

Otherwise it looks good.

 

[Steve Holt]

Apologies for the crude drawing, I'm just doodling on my phone. But this should work, as long as I've understood your push/push pots to operate the same as the DPDT switches in familiar with.

There may be a more elegant way, but with this setup your first switch chooses neck (up) or bridge (down) if the second switch is in the up position you'll be able to make this choice. The second switch in the down position instantly engages both pickups no matter the position of the first knob.

that green jumper was necessary to get the neck pickup active when the first switch is up and the second is down.

I'll take some time tonight to draw it better (for fun) and double check my work.

 

[Ricky D.]

If it was my project, the volume pot would be neck pickup on/off, tone pot bridge on/off.

 

[Chart72]

Thanks for the replies everyone -

@Ricky D. that was my first thought as well but then switching from one pickup to the other becomes a 2-button operation, which I am not a fan of.

@NoTeleBob -of course, yes thanks for pointing that out! Still learning to design my own circuits - even the crude ones.

@Steve Holt - I like what you have drawn - going to take me a moment to understand it but it seems good

 

[Steve Holt]

Here's a better drawing that's complete. The only change I made was moving the wire that goes from from the switch to the volume pot over one lug. I'm assuming you're doing a telecaster. It might be a bit tricky to wire as most push/pull and push/push pots have tiny little lugs. There is one lug that has 3 wires going to it.

 

[Steve Holt]

Thanks for the replies everyone -

@Ricky D. that was my first thought as well but then switching from one pickup to the other becomes a 2-button operation, which I am not a fan of.

@NoTeleBob -of course, yes thanks for pointing that out! Still learning to design my own circuits - even the crude ones.

@Steve Holt - I like what you have drawn - going to take me a moment to understand it but it seems good

Yeah it can be tricky. I always have to imagine all the different switching positions and trace each outcome in each position.

So knowing the basic function of how these DPDT switches works is very helpful too. I like to think of it like B and E (the common lugs) are always on. And then moving the switch changes what they're connected to. But B and E do not connect to each other unless you use a jumper. ABC is one pole, DEF is the other pole. These are separate unless you connect them.

So in my mind I imagine both switches up, so that would be AB - DE | AB - DE Start with where the pickup wire comes into the switch and trace it to its conclusion. It will either make it to the (EDIT VOLUME pot, thus sending signal to the switch and out to the amp, or it will die off somewhere where there is no connection to keep it going.

Then I start changing the scenarios.

Volume up Tone down
Volume up Tone up
Volume down Tone up
Volume down Tone down

I hate to say it, but your original diagram doesn't accomplish a whole lot. Follow the wiring diagram and you'll see that the neck pickup has no way of getting to the output wire on the other switch in any scenario. The bridge pickup only connects to the output when the volume knob is down and the tone knob is up. With both volume and neck down, neither pickup is connected.

Hope that helps! And I hope I haven't made any glaring mistakes

 

[Chart72]

View attachment 996736

Here's a better drawing that's complete. The only change I made was moving the wire that goes from from the switch to the volume pot over one lug. I'm assuming you're doing a telecaster. It might be a bit tricky to wire as most push/pull and push/push pots have tiny little lugs. There is one lug that has 3 wires going to it.

Hi Steve
Thanks a million for this! Wired it up today and it works great. Had to reflow the bridge pickup lead and did the tone control backwards at first but everything is working great now. Managed the 3 wire lug by making jumpers from a capacitor leg. Didn’t understand it as a drawing but it made lots of sense once I put it together. I’ll post pics when the guitar is done!

However- for the sake of conversation, if you are interested - would my original diagram still be dysfunctional had I included jumpers across the middle lugs of both switches? It seems ok with that edit in mind but I may be missing something still

 

[Steve Holt]

Okay let's take a look.

Volume up Tone up - Neck is on - Bridge is on
Volume Down Tone Up - Neck is on - Bridge is on

Volume up Tone down - Neck is on - Bridge is off
Volume down Tone down - Neck is off - Bridge is on

So yeah, that actually accomplishes what you were trying to - much less complicated than what I'd drawn out.

So with this drawing your tone up has both pickups engaged and town down let's you use the volume to switch back and forth.

In my drawing tone up let you choose while tone down engaged both.

I told you there was a more elegant solution, and it was staring me in the face along with the comment from NoTeleBob.

Oh well, I had fun and it works! Glad you got it going. Definitely post the finished guitar.

 

[Steve Holt]

Actually if you did this it would work the exact same as the above post. Now I feel bad for not seeing it before.

Sorry I tricked you into using a whole roll of wire.

 

[Chart72]

Ah cool! Well, more than one way to skin a cat. Good to get a little soldering practice in too! Felt more comfortable by the end. Need to get wire strippers tho I keep putting that off…

My misconception about dpdt switches was that the common lug was internally jumpered already - I know, it makes no sense - but that’s how I arrived at that first diagram. So I did learn something about these switches. Thanks for the help along the way.

 

[Steve Holt]

What kind of switches did you buy? Do you have a link? The only push push pots I ever see are like the Fender S1 with the button in the center. Or are these push/pull?

 

[Chart72]

250K Audio Guitar Pot w/ Push-Push Switch

Buy 250K push/push pots and other guitar pots and other electronics parts at GuitarElectronics.com. Huge selection, low prices and quantity discounts.

guitarelectronics.com

These are the ones. Dime pots but the taper is pretty good.

 

[epizootics]

Ah cool! Well, more than one way to skin a cat. Good to get a little soldering practice in too! Felt more comfortable by the end. Need to get wire strippers tho I keep putting that off…

My misconception about dpdt switches was that the common lug was internally jumpered already - I know, it makes no sense - but that’s how I arrived at that first diagram. So I did learn something about these switches. Thanks for the help along the way.

Did you build this one? That is hands down the coolest guitar I've seen in a while

 

[peterg]

+1. Took me back to my childhood watching The Flintsons on my lunch hour.

 

[Chart72]

Did you build this one? That is hands down the coolest guitar I've seen in a while

Thanks! Yup I built it.

+1. Took me back to my childhood watching The Flintsons on my lunch hour.

Very much going for the clumsy cartoony look!

 

[Si G X]

Very cool... as someone who dislikes toggle/blade switches I don't know why I've never thought of doing this, I've done blend pots and (what I usually settle on) single pickup guitars .... but this is a nice solution.

 

[Si G X]

That bridge is great too, is it a wooden plate with a brass saddle or something?

 

[Chart72]

That bridge is great too, is it a wooden plate with a brass saddle or something?

Yup! It’s 1/2” thick at its thickest, tapers to 3/8” at the pickup, and is recessed into the guitar ~1/4.” the brass saddle is recessed as well, like an acoustic. One of these days I will put in set screws to adjust action but for now it’s cutting slots deeper and shimming if action needs to be raised.

 

[Chart72]

Here’s the prototype I did - kinda dig the all white. I have three more coming, I can do a build thread if people are interested.