S-500 schematic help me understand

[rolloman]

I want to wire my guitar up like the S-500. I found the schematic online at G&L site that I have posted below I will call "Original". I have some doubts about how it shows the Treble and Bass pots wipers connected to one of the outside pot lugs. I modified the schematic to show how I believe it should be and posted it also below. I named it modified. Could someone please take a look and tell me which one is correctly drawn, the original or the "Modified" so that I can finish my wiring project. Thanks so much.

ORIGINAL
[image]http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/jimgmaher/MISC%20GUITAR%20STUFF/S-500_schematic_blockdiagram_zpsyhmgqx4d.png[/image]

MODIFIED
[image]http://i762.photobucket.com/albums/xx268/jimgmaher/MISC%20GUITAR%20STUFF/S-500_schematic_blockdiagram_zpsbjk3ffxw.png[/image]

[Craig]

What guitar are you wanting to update to the S-500 wiring?
Specifically, which pickups are in this guitar?

Here's a photo diagram showing the S-500 wiring (reference: Album: S-500 Diagrams):



We also have the Legacy, Legacy Special, and Comanche diagrams in our Gallery, Instrument Manuals and Wiring Schematics.

Hope this helps.

Once you get this sorted out and are ready to start your project, please post details and photos of your project in "The Project Page" sub-forum.
See: READ THIS FIRST - About The Project Page sub-forum.

[rolloman]

Thanks. The picture does help me and will be really good to have when I'm wiring my guitar. The guitar is a Strat with Fat 50's pickups.

[yowhatsshakin]

The physics of the 2 schematics is equivalent. You'd have some partial resistance in parallel with 0Ω, which would still be 0Ω, in series with the complementary part of the pot resistance.

- Jos

[rolloman]

Thanks. That is what I thought. I've just been more accustomed to seeing tone pots wired like the 2nd drawing that I had redone.

[NickHorne]

As Jos wrote, the two are functionally the same; the only differences being:
That as pots age, the original scheme offers some insurance against track noise, and
It may be simpler and sturdier to construct the original scheme.

[rolloman]

From the photos above it looks like G&L actually wires the pots without the wiper to track end connection like Fender does. Several have told me to leave the .001 out of the circuit. They claim that it is needed due to the bright sounding G&L pickups. I will be using Fender's Fat 50's if I do this wiring in my strat. Also they suggested I might want to go with a more traditional treble bleed using both a cap and resistor instead of the 200pf shown in the schematic. Don't know, just trying to get all my ducks in a row.

[NickHorne]

Yes, the .001 is only to lower the resonant peak frequency, and I very much doubt you will like it with Fender pups. Just don't fit it.
Treble bleed is very personal; they're all imperfect, it just depends on what you like. I personally don't sweat too much about it, so long as I have one, and find G&L's stock cap is fine.

[rolloman]

Does the treble tone pot increase treble upon being turned up? Does the Bass pot increase bass upon being turned up. Or do one, both, or the other do the opposite of that?

[Craig]

Does the treble tone pot increase treble upon being turned up? Does the Bass pot increase bass upon being turned up. Or do one, both, or the other do the opposite of that?

See this post in our G&L Knowledgebase: Can you explain the PTB circuit?.

Hope this helps.

[rolloman]

Thank you. Great info.