No blend on Dot ?

[Scotland]

I have just ordered an Epi Dot but read somewhere that in the middle position, both volume controls act as a master so you can't blend one pickup to another is this correct and if so, how can this be changed to act as most other guitars do ?

[Bender 4 Life]

They'll blend nicely........but if you dial either to a volume below about 1, it acts as a master and cancels all sound.

[Scotland]

Right, so what I read on some other forum is not true then. That's great as I really want to mix the two pups for various sounds.

Thanks.

[mud guy]

They blend. You can get myriad sounds via blending.

 

-mud

[KX36]

The standard way Gibson type guitars wire their volume pots is that, in the middle position, turning either one of them to zero mutes the guitar. This was done because it was decided that it's more useful for a guitarrist playing live to be able to mute the guitar in one action than to be able to predictably blend the two pickups. When they're not zero, there is some blending, but the way the 2 pots interfere with eachother makes it difficult to predict how they will behave (see my previous posts in various threads about pots in parallel affecting eachother's taper).

 

If you prefer to be able to nicely blend the two pots in a more predictable way and don't mind having to roll off 2 knobs every time you want to mute it in the middle position, you can rewire the pots for "independant volume". I think that makes the blending more natural, but I can't think of a scientific reason why it would off the top of my head. I've done it, I love it, but I have easy access to my pots because I've got a Les Paul, it would be harder for you to get at the pots. Either way, it's not going to be any less able to blend than any other guitar with 2 pickups and 2 volume pots.

[Bender 4 Life]

what KX is referring to is commonly called "50's wiring" and can be found by using the search engine, or looking in the DIY section.

I find that the blending is "predictable" enough if you just leave either volume pot at a constant level and use the other to bring your volume up/down.

On humbucker and P-90 equipped guitars I use the "blending" method for about 95% of my playing.

[Strumbone]

You guys are goooood....oh, and howdy Scotland...welcome to the show.

[KX36]

what KX is referring to is commonly called "50's wiring"

 

Actually' date=' '50s wiring [i']usually[/i] refers to where the tone circuit connects to the volume circuit. i.e. having it connect to the output of the volume pot to the switch rather than the input to the volume pot from the pickup.

[Scotland]

I am having a hard time blending these pickups. I used to have a Les Paul and it was easy to blend but for whatever reason, I can't balance them on this guitar. How do I wire it for the predictable option ?

[KX36]

Basically, you just identify the volume pots, see the 3 lugs on them, the 2 that aren't wired to earth (i.e. the pot casing) need to be switched round so that the middle lug has the pickup's hot output and the one on the left when looking from below the pot has the switch. The connection to the tone pot can be on either one of these two lugs, it depends if you want to do the "'50s tone wiring" or keep it as the modern one. There are plenty of wiring diagrams on the internet. The main thing in your way as long as you're confident at soldering basic electronic components and have a decent soldering iron is that your guitar has no access panel on the back of it so you have to do some rediculously frustrating surgery to get the wiring out of the F-hole to do it.

 

To my feel, the independant volume mod does make it much easier to blend the two, although I wasn't sure about it in my earlier post, I went home and had a play and it does seem to be better.