Electronic guitar pickup selector

[ola_strandberg]

Hi!
I have tapped all my electronics guru resources and understood that what I thought was a simple matter is not so straight-forward.

Essentially, I want to create an electronic "switch" that can be used to connect two electronic guitar pickup signals: first signal alone, second signal alone, both in parallel, both in series and both in parallel out of phase.

One of these could be used to control a single humbucker. Two could be used to control a three pickup single-coil instrument, etc.

To simplify matters, creating something that is an electronic version of a DPDT switch would suffice. I believe that things like impedances etc of guitar pickups make it more complicated?

Any input would be greatly appreciated. For details on my current project, please see my home page.

Thanks in advance,
Ola

[wakibaki]

4 switches. Forget the impedance.



1. 1

2. 2

3. 1&2

4. 1&3

5. 4

w

There might be a smart way to do this with less switches, but I can't see it at the moment...

[leadbelly]

Originally posted by ola_strandberg
To simplify matters, creating something that is an electronic version of a DPDT switch would suffice. I believe that things like impedances etc of guitar pickups make it more complicated?

Yes, there is a challenge in creating these, not directly because of the impedance, but the fact that passive pickups' are very low level signals. I don't know this field of electronics well, but I think that will find that solid state relay technologies will all have much too high leakage current to work in this app. I think your best option would be to read some of the forum threads on relay based attenuators. Relays optimized for small signals like used in those apps are likely your best bet.

[Terry Demol]

Originally posted by leadbelly


Yes, there is a challenge in creating these, not directly because of the impedance, but the fact that passive pickups' are very low level signals. I don't know this field of electronics well, but I think that will find that solid state relay technologies will all have much too high leakage current to work in this app. I think your best option would be to read some of the forum threads on relay based attenuators. Relays optimized for small signals like used in those apps are likely your best bet.

Guitar pickups put out healthy level. In fact some high OP humbuckers
can put out over 1V for a short period of string attack.

The issue is very much the high impedance. The gtr pickup wants
to see very high Z and very low C and hopefully no solid state type
capacitive modulation.

T

[wakibaki]

BS. This is music, not electronics. If you start ******** around with active devices you'll need a battery in your guitar.

Later production Fender Strats have a simple switch arrangement to allow adjacent pickups to be connected in parallel. There is no impedance issue.

Just connect up the switches as shown above and try it...

w

[karahara]

Maybe some switch like these: Schaller, Rotary Switch
will help you.

[Terry Demol]

Originally posted by wakibaki
BS. This is music, not electronics. If you start ******** around with active devices you'll need a battery in your guitar.

Later production Fender Strats have a simple switch arrangement to allow adjacent pickups to be connected in parallel. There is no impedance issue.

Just connect up the switches as shown above and try it...

w

Yes - I did say "no solid state type capacitive modulation."

Did you read the post or understand it?

T

[wakibaki]

¿Qué?

Have you ever rebuilt a guitar?

w

[Nordic]

A battery does not need to be a bad thing, like Uncle Jed's little Fet preamp... low enough power consumption to probably do a few thousand hours on a 9V... BTW if someone feels like donateing 2 of those j201 fets, I'll gladly take em... they are a bit unobtanium here.

[leadbelly]

Ola, as you can see, sometimes a poster's request gets drowned out by others' chest thumping. I can see you are new so please do not get discouraged and feel free to post follow ups.