Got a weirdish guitar wiring question for ya

Recording Techniques, People Skills, Gear, Recording Spaces, Computers, and DIY

Moderators: drumsound, tomb

Post Reply
User avatar
inverseroom
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5031
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:37 am
Location: Ithaca, NY
Contact:

Got a weirdish guitar wiring question for ya

Post by inverseroom » Wed Sep 05, 2012 3:32 pm

Hey strangers. I am restoring this old Teisco ET-460, and it is wired very strangely. Four pickups, each with switches...plus a conventional tone control...PLUS a BASS/RHYTHM/LEAD switch. And the latter switch is a ROTARY.

The original switch used isn't really a three-way--it's continuous rotary, with only two of four thingers used. You can see it in this diagram; this is the switch I have on the guitar now. It's dumb though, as the knob spins all the way around and in most positions does nothing.

Image

I bought a "real" three-way rotary, and it looks like this:

Image

This is clearly what the guitar was designed to use but doesn't. I want to replace the old one with this one. HOW DO I WIRE IT? Do I just imagine that the whole left half of the original switch is gone, and of what's left, the top right middle-and-three group is moved over to top left?

Also somebody please explain these peculiar cap values to me

User avatar
ubertar
ears didn't survive the freeze
Posts: 3775
Joined: Wed Feb 18, 2004 7:20 pm
Location: mid-Atlantic US
Contact:

Re: Got a weirdish guitar wiring question for ya

Post by ubertar » Thu Sep 06, 2012 5:37 am

inverseroom wrote:Do I just imagine that the whole left half of the original switch is gone, and of what's left, the top right middle-and-three group is moved over to top left?
Most likely, yeah. The thing to do is use an ohm meter and map out what connects to what in each position. Do that for new and old, and set it up so you're making the same connections on the new as you did for the old.

User avatar
inverseroom
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5031
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:37 am
Location: Ithaca, NY
Contact:

Post by inverseroom » Thu Sep 06, 2012 6:15 am

Thanks, Paul! Yeah, RodC says the same, more or less...gonna try it out today. Hope you're doing well.

User avatar
vvv
zen recordist
Posts: 10139
Joined: Tue May 13, 2003 8:08 am
Location: Chi
Contact:

Post by vvv » Thu Sep 06, 2012 7:52 am

But what are you looking at on yer ceiling there?
bandcamp;
blog.
I mix with olive juice.

User avatar
inverseroom
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5031
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:37 am
Location: Ithaca, NY
Contact:

Post by inverseroom » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:41 am

I am of course pretending to look at the switch

ashcat_lt
tinnitus
Posts: 1094
Joined: Thu Jan 04, 2007 1:54 pm
Location: Duluth, MN
Contact:

Post by ashcat_lt » Thu Sep 06, 2012 10:45 am

.03uF is about halfway between the two "standard" values - .022uF and .047uF. The "rhythm" position will sound like if you turned a tone control all the way down. .002uF is a little smaller than the "strangle cap" in a jaguar, and about half the value of the bridge pickup cap on old Rickenbackers. It's a value commonly seen in a "treble bleed" network. Should do a fine job of castrating the thing. The two parallel .03uFs on the Tone pot will add to .06uF, which is bigger than what most people use. When you crank this down it will be a bit darker than what you might expect in another guitar (all other things being equal) but will be noticeably different from the "rhythm" position of the rotary. It also may have been chosen to counteract the icepick nature of four coils in parallel. When you combine that cap with these other two you end up with .09uF - a very dark and bassy sound, pretty much useless for clean work, but try it through a cranked Big Muff!

Theoretically if you were to put it in "lead" mode and then turn the Tone down you could get a bit of a midrangey, almost wah type sound, but I think you'll find the volume drop and attendant reduction of signal-to-noise ratio unacceptable.

Nathangrn
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:04 pm
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Contact:

Post by Nathangrn » Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:23 am

You're already replacing the switch. Why not put in something more useful like a varitone?

http://www.diyguitarmods.com/custom-varitone-wiring.php
"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

http://openbookquiz.bandcamp.com/

http://myspace.com/openbookquiz

http://myspace.com/artiejohnsonnathangreen

Nathangrn
alignin' 24-trk
Posts: 59
Joined: Mon Oct 19, 2009 8:04 pm
Location: Fredericksburg, VA
Contact:

Post by Nathangrn » Sat Sep 08, 2012 7:43 am

This one looks better. Leave the depth pot out and have position on the switch open to bypass it. The full/half coil could be left out or be a push/pull pot.

Image
"Opportunity is missed by most because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." Thomas Edison

http://openbookquiz.bandcamp.com/

http://myspace.com/openbookquiz

http://myspace.com/artiejohnsonnathangreen

User avatar
inverseroom
on a wing and a prayer
Posts: 5031
Joined: Wed May 07, 2003 8:37 am
Location: Ithaca, NY
Contact:

Post by inverseroom » Sun Sep 09, 2012 5:16 pm

Thanks for all the info, guys. I'm gonna stick with the stock wiring, I think--I like the idea of preserving this peculiar artifact as it is. I will probably mostly just use the pickup switches for tonal variation. Should have the body back soon and will test it all out!

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 37 guests