Help me figure out the awesome V12

Tue Oct 06, 2020 6:37 am

I am a novice guitar player with limited experience so please bare with me.
I recently purchased a Doheny V12 because it seems so versatile and is gorgeous. Earlier in the year I came into possession of a G&L ASAT Classic Bluesboy Tribute. I was very impressed with the quality and playability of the guitar and the superb customer service (thanks Memo) so when I saw the V12 in clear blue I did not think twice about buying it.
Here is my dilemma:
The pamphlet that came with the guitar has minimal information on the controls. I would appreciate receiving some guidance on the various controls and the purpose. For instance, I know that the micro switches toggle between series, single and parallel but I am overwhelmed figuring out when it is desirable to use each setting. Add in the tone knobs and it just gets more complex!
My lack of experience with electric guitars is evident. I would appreciate it greatly if experienced players, especially other V12 owners could coach me up with some pointers.
TIA,
Robert

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Tue Oct 06, 2020 7:30 am

These videos might help to point you in the right direction:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cih636QCaxg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KtFJISt6Y

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Tue Oct 06, 2020 8:47 am

Or this page from Yowhatsshakin's awesome website. http://www.yowhatsshakin.com/yowhatssha ... ucker.html

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Fri Oct 09, 2020 5:05 am

Thank you for the links. I have watched the youtubes before but I need to watch a few more times to get a grip on what is being offered.

I would like to know technically what the difference between parallel and series is. How does the physical wiring effect the tone?

Can the PTB pots be used to alleviate the need to adjust tones from the amp or does the amp adjust whatever the guitar inputs to the pre-amp circuit?

Perhaps what I really need is a basic tutorial on electric guitars...

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Fri Oct 09, 2020 6:34 am

The technical difference between series and parallel humbuckers is the way they are wired. Most humbucking pickups are wired in series, where the electrical current passes through one coil of the pair, then through the other coil of the pair. This creates a higher total impedance of the pickup and more output. A parallel humbucker is wired such that either end of one coil is connected to the same end of other coil and electrical current passes through both coils at the same time. This creates a lower total impedance, less output, and a thinner sound. Being able to select the wiring configuration increases the versatility of the instrument for playing different types of music.

There are really no pointers other than to mess around with the settings and determine what sounds good to you for the type of music you are playing.

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Tue Oct 13, 2020 2:45 am

Thanks for that explanation. It cleared some things up for me.
I did a lot of surfing the web and came across a few good tutorials on basic electric guitar dynamics and basic amp settings. Should have done that a long time ago! :roll:
The single most helpful info I came across was the differences between the G&L PTB system and just about every other control system out there. Once I understood why simply diming the pots was working against me things started falling in place.
Looking forward to a long and happy relationship with this guitar.

Re: Help me figure out the awesome V12

Wed Oct 14, 2020 12:08 pm

Nobody can really tell you the "correct" answer to how you should use that guitar.

It's super versatile. I have a regular Doheny and it's super versatile.

They'll do lots of things you might not care about. You will have to develop your own personal style as you grow as a player and experiment with what the guitar does and what sound you want for your music.

There are lots of rules of thumb but there are tons of exceptions to every rule.