SB-2 Control Question

[Cinder]

I really like my recent SB-2, bought used from GC a year ago (Candy apple red sparkle, white pg, gunoil birdseye neck - great stage guitar). I mainly use the split pickup, because I like bass that's, well, bassy. As you know, the controls are simply two volumes, and this is great since we don't need no steenkeen tone knobs! But, it's not easy to change to that skinny pickup back by the bridge during a song and control the volume....

So, what if the controls were changed out to a master volume and a blender (like a balance control), know what I mean? It would be cool if the latter could look like a toggle, but function continuously, without stops. Good idea? Already done? Est'd cost?

Thanks,

Rob

[Martin S]

Typically a blender only makes sense if you are using an active blender, i.e. you need a battery.

[Cinder]

Thanks, Martin. That's a bit disappointing news, but I'll get over it.

Rob

[bassman]

A blend pot is not a big deal to do. It just duplicates what you already have with the two volumes but it is going to dull your volume a bit.

The popular mod to do to a SB-2 is to add a tone control to the bridge volume by using a stack knob pot.
The tone control affects the whole bass not just the bridge PU.

[Ken Baker]

Blend pots work best with matched pickups, so the current style SB-2 isn't really an optimal choice for one. This doesn't mean that it's not do-able, even for a passive bass. Stewart MacDonald sells a blend pot that isn't a tone suck because both pickups are at full output at the center detent. As it moves off-center, one pickup remains full on while the other is reduced in volume. Pretty nifty and it works well. The SB-2 would use the 250K version.

The only problem here is that you'd have what amounts to two volume controls in series, so the blend pot would need to be used judiciously. Just be sure to also use a 250K pot as the master volume.

Ken...

[Cinder]

Thanks, guys. I'll get into it after the herd thinning and grass growth around here slows a bit.

-Rob