Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one
flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the
volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought
this was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop
and playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar
2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....

Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my
backgrounnd is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor
design...

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??


"ARLOWE" <ARLOWE@nose.picker . com > wrote in message
news:mn.da177d84b2ede60a.90583@nose.picker . com ...
>I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one
>flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the
>volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought this
>was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop and
>playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar
>2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....
>
> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my backgrounnd
> is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor design...
>
>

Thay did it on purpose but you can move one wire and the volumes will be
independant.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

Fisher brought next idea :
> "ARLOWE" <ARLOWE@nose.picker . com > wrote in message
> news:mn.da177d84b2ede60a.90583@nose.picker . com ...
>>I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one flaw
>> that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the volume
>> down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought this was just
>> shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop and playing
>> several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar 2volume+2Tone
>> controls I realized this was the norm....
>>
>> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my backgrounnd is
>> in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor design...
>>
>>
>
> Thay did it on purpose but you can move one wire and the volumes will be
> independant.

It's not an easy fix on a semi hollow body...or at least
mine...reversing the connections on the volume pots will fix it
though...

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

ARLOWE wrote:

> Fisher brought next idea :
>
>> "ARLOWE" <ARLOWE@nose.picker . com > wrote in message
>> news:mn.da177d84b2ede60a.90583@nose.picker . com ...
>>
>>> I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has
>>> one flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre,
>>> turn the volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I
>>> thought this was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back
>>> to the shop and playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars
>>> with similar 2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....
>>>
>>> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my
>>> backgrounnd is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still
>>> poor design...
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Thay did it on purpose but you can move one wire and the volumes will
>> be independant.
>
>
> It's not an easy fix on a semi hollow body...or at least
> mine...reversing the connections on the volume pots will fix it though...
>
>

Ah, c'mon, where's your sense of adventure? You just need an extra hour or so,
and be able to spare a handful or two of hair! ;^) * tinyurl . com /2ayu35
The guitar isn't banged up, it's marks from the tape and finger prints.

I tied dental floss to each pot, but that somehow got all tangled up and
required pulling out and fishing a SECOND time. A job that I am NOT looking
forward to in the future, but four push/pull pots with cap upgrades and Seymour
Duncan Jazz/JB made a HUGE difference over the stock setup.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

ARLOWE wrote:
> I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one
> flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the
> volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought this
> was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop and
> playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar
> 2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....
>
> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my backgrounnd
> is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor design...
>
>

...I find that to be a useful "feature", and wouldn't have it any other
way - there's neat effects you can do by rolling one pickup all the way
off and toggling the selector switch in and out of cut-off in time - I
do that with the descending bend in the opening of Voodoo Chile with a
bit of echo, rather than rapidly rolling the volume off and on like
Hendrix did with his Strat.

I also use it in between songs to just plain rapidly silence the guitar
- like an on/off switch. Then I only have to roll one knob on if I want
both pickups instead of two.

--
- Rufus

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

On 26 Apr 2008, Rufus <not@home . com > wrote in alt.guitar.beginner:

> ...I find that to be a useful "feature", and wouldn't have it any
> other way

Me, too. It's a feature, not a bug.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

Nil <rednoise+news@REMOVETHIScomcast . net > wrote:
> On 26 Apr 2008, Rufus <not@home . com > wrote in alt.guitar.beginner:
>
>> ...I find that to be a useful "feature", and wouldn't have it any
>> other way
>
> Me, too. It's a feature, not a bug.

It's a matter of what you're used to and a personal preference.

Most Gretsches and Rickenbackers are wired with the two "hot" leads on
the pots reversed. I happen to like it that way better.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

Rufus wrote :
> ARLOWE wrote:
>> I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one
>> flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the
>> volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought this
>> was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop and
>> playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar
>> 2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....
>>
>> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my backgrounnd is
>> in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor design...
>>
>>
>
> ...I find that to be a useful "feature", and wouldn't have it any other way -
> there's neat effects you can do by rolling one pickup all the way off and
> toggling the selector switch in and out of cut-off in time - I do that with
> the descending bend in the opening of Voodoo Chile with a bit of echo, rather
> than rapidly rolling the volume off and on like Hendrix did with his Strat.
>
> I also use it in between songs to just plain rapidly silence the guitar -
> like an on/off switch. Then I only have to roll one knob on if I want both
> pickups instead of two.

I can see your point.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

ARLOWE <ARLOWE@nose.picker . com > wrote:
> Rufus wrote :
>> ARLOWE wrote:
>>> I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has
>>> one flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre,
>>> turn the volume down on either pickup and you loose both
>>> pickups...I thought this was just shoddy design or error, but after
>>> a trip back to the shop and playing several new so called "Name
>>> Brand" guitars with similar 2volume+2Tone controls I realized this
>>> was the norm....
>>>
>>> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my
>>> backgrounnd is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still
>>> poor design...
>>>
>>>
>>
>> ...I find that to be a useful "feature", and wouldn't have it any
>> other way - there's neat effects you can do by rolling one pickup
>> all the way off and toggling the selector switch in and out of
>> cut-off in time - I do that with the descending bend in the opening
>> of Voodoo Chile with a bit of echo, rather than rapidly rolling the
>> volume off and on like Hendrix did with his Strat.
>>
>> I also use it in between songs to just plain rapidly silence the
>> guitar - like an on/off switch. Then I only have to roll one knob
>> on if I want both pickups instead of two.
>
> I can see your point.

There are advantages and disadvantages either way.

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

On Apr 26, 6:55 pm, ARLOWE <ARL...@nose.picker . com > wrote:
> I own a Crafter ES335 clone and it sounds wonderful. However it has one
> flaw that is annoying. With the pickup selector in the centre, turn the
> volume down on either pickup and you loose both pickups...I thought
> this was just shoddy design or error, but after a trip back to the shop
> and playing several new so called "Name Brand" guitars with similar
> 2volume+2Tone controls I realized this was the norm....
>
> Maybe it just me being a bit anal...Or maybe it's because my
> backgrounnd is in the electical/electronics industry.. . it is still poor
> design...

Gibson guitars work that way - always has, AFAIK. There is a probably
a good reason for it for Gibson to adopt it as a standard. Oh wait a
minute... it's coming to me... when the pickup selector is in the
middle both pickups are active - as if they are one pickup, thus the
volume knob for either pickup controls both because that's what the
middle position is set to do. At elast, that's my story and I'm
sticking to it :)-

Greg

Greg

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

oasysco wrote:

> Gibson guitars work that way - always
> has, AFAIK. There is a probably
> a good reason for it for Gibson
> to adopt it as a standard...

That wiring scheme was invented by Desi Gibson.
He's a wonderful man who has a wonderful
DVD course on how to play wonderful guitar.
It's really a wonderful thing, that
wonderful DVD.

I'm not a shill because I have a job in computers.


someguy@gmail . com

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??


"Lumpy" <lumpy@digitalcartography . com > wrote in message
news:67i8lcF2pcap2U1@mid.individual . net ...
> oasysco wrote:
>
>> Gibson guitars work that way - always
>> has, AFAIK. There is a probably
>> a good reason for it for Gibson
>> to adopt it as a standard...
>
> That wiring scheme was invented by Desi Gibson.
> He's a wonderful man who has a wonderful
> DVD course on how to play wonderful guitar.
> It's really a wonderful thing, that
> wonderful DVD.
>
> I'm not a shill because I have a job in computers.
>
>
> someguy@gmail . com
>

That's wonderful. ;)

Re: Why are so many guitars wired WRONG??

Lumpy wrote:
> oasysco wrote:
>
>> Gibson guitars work that way - always
>> has, AFAIK. There is a probably
>> a good reason for it for Gibson
>> to adopt it as a standard...
>
> That wiring scheme was invented by Desi Gibson.
> He's a wonderful man who has a wonderful
> DVD course on how to play wonderful guitar.
> It's really a wonderful thing, that
> wonderful DVD.
>
> I'm not a shill because I have a job in computers.
>
>
> someguy@gmail . com
>
>

...strictly MIDI?

--
- Rufus