Individual volume controls on a Bluesboy?

The place to discuss, post photos, video, and audio of the G&L products (US instruments, stomp boxes, etc.) produced after 1991, including the amps & gear we use with them.
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Serge
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Individual volume controls on a Bluesboy?

Post by Serge »

As much as I love the overall Bluesboy experience, I would like to have the option of maybe toning down the neck bucker at times. Would I run into difficulties (polarity, what not), if I were to wire my USA Bluesboy with individual volume controls (and one master tone)? Maybe something along the lines of https://sites.google.com/site/phostenix ... #TeleHS2VT

Or would it be better to also have individual tone controls while I'm at it? I would use concentric (stacked?) 250/500 CTS pots; would it be better to have 500/500s instead? Or would would it make the bridge pickup too ice-picky?.

Also, the Bluesboy has a 0.047 µf cap from the factory; anything to gain by going 0.022µf as per diagrams currently floating?

Thanks for your insights!
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blargfromouterspace
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Location: Central Highlands, Australia

Re: Individual volume controls on a Bluesboy?

Post by blargfromouterspace »

It will be fine as long as you get the wires the right way around. I think the concentric pots would be the way to go, 3 pots on the control plate would be a little cramped IMO. I haven't experimented with different capacitor values (I think it sounds right as it is) but at 5c or less a pop it'd be a cheap experiment.

Tell us how it goes!
-Jamie
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Serge
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Joined: Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:55 pm
Location: Ontario, Canada

Re: Individual volume controls on a Bluesboy?

Post by Serge »

Hi!

Thanks for your input. I got around to doing it. I mounted the switch and pots (1- 250k/500k stacked pots for volume controls; 1 no-load 250k pot) on a Fender Telecaster control plate to save myself some aggravation (so I thought) by having everything mounted on a module, so in the end it would simply be a matter of unsoldering the pickup and jack wires from one control plate, and soldering them to the controls on the other plate.

Everyting went well until I put the Fender plate with the new controls on the (2007) Bluesboy. Contrary to the information I had found on this board, they are not the same, the mounting holes being at 150mm center to center on the G&L plate, and about at 148mm on the Fender plate. The G&L plate is also substantially thicker, at about 5/64", vs the Fender plate (about 3/64"). All measurements made with an electronic caliper.

Aside from this little annoyance (misaligned holes; I will switch the plates later), everything is working fine. The 500k pot seems to somewhat open up the Seth Lover. The dual (stacked) pots allow changing the balance between the two pickups, the neck bucker having a tendency to be somewhat overpowering. The no-load tone control (with the Fender-issued 0.22µf cap) makes a slight difference at the no-load position, but not enough to floor me (at least to my 60-year old ears).

Overall, I like the added flexibility of the dual volume controls.
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Sean Clavin
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Location: Ozark, MO

Re: Individual volume controls on a Bluesboy?

Post by Sean Clavin »

As far as the stacked pots are concerned, you should go 500K for the HB and 250k for the single coil.
Gold Flake ASAT Deluxe Semi-Hollow & Red Flake Bluesboy Semi=Hollow.......THEY SCREAM!!