The reason I'm reluctant to purchase a used guitar, is because simply it's
used, its kind of like how you feel better with a brand new car than with a car that is used (usually at least), feels more secure, just overall better. If i had the choice between a 1997 Mercedes Benz that Tom Cruise drove or a 2002 Mercedes Benz that almost nobody drove (with like 5 miles on the gauge) i'd pick the 2002, i dont know why, thats just me. Most used guitars that I would love the way they feel, i can buy them new, and they'd feel just as good.
I plan on buying a wiring book.
I don't see why it couldn't be done, with a rhythm/middle/treble control for each humbucker, and even if it can't be done yet, i think its a good idea, and it would give alot more tonal possibilities. Same with my 3 Volume/3 Tone idea, its the same as the 2 tone/2 volume only just
add one each.
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"I think I may be misunderstanding you, but you're saying that, in addition to the pot switches (which you turn), you want a selector switch from each pickup, so that each humbucker has a tone, a volume, and a switch, plus a 5-way selector for all the pickups?"
Yes!!! Thats exactly what i mean, but they would all be relatively close together so it wouldn't look
too gaudy.
Here me out-
You have 3 different volume pot switches, one for each humbucker (i'd have 3;total control over volume)
3 tone controls, one for each humbucker (total control, once again)
then for each humbucker, i thought up an idea for a rhythm/middle/lead 3 way selector, to have 3 of those, but to have one for each humbucker, instead of just one to decide which humbucker you choose. This would make it possible to play a kind of rhythm on the bridge pickup, but with some punch (but more rhythm based), or vise versa, etc.
Then a 5 way selector switch, to choose the humbucker that you're using.
So lets go through this.
Your playing on the Neck Humbucker (according to the 5 way selector), but instead of using the Rhythm (from the 3 way selector for that humbucker) you have it on Lead, making it a little more punchy, but still retaining most of its bluesy feel. You have the Volume on the Neck humbucker at, say 6. Your in a jam, and its morphing. Instead of turning the volume up and smacking the 5 way selector switch to go to the bridge humbucker, you simply smack the 5 way selector, and you already have the volume (of the bridge pickup) at 10 and are ready to go. This concept, except for the individual Rhythm/Middle/Treble controls, is just an extension of the LP style (mostly, but theres more:D). Now, lets say your kickin a phatty Solo with your Boss Overdrive Pedal (lets just say) and suddenly you morph into a song. What's the best way to skip the overdrive that your guitar is currently plugged into? Simply use the effects bypasser, it will bypass any effect that your guitar has on it, so you can just go from Overdrive to "Stayin Alive" , if thats your thing.
What's so special about the TRS (as alembic calls it)? Normally, If you change the volume on your guitar, while you have an effect on, the effect actually changes too (usually making it sound sort of awkward). The effects bypasser skips the volume part on
your guitar, has nothing to do with it, it's always running at the same consistency, meaning if you turn the guitar down, it will still run smoothly, since the effect and the volume of your guitar have nothing to do with each other. Genius idea, imo.
It needs 2 cords though to plug into, one for effects, one for the actual guitar.
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"First off... ten switches?? Man, the tohught of managing ten different controls on my guitar is a scary one indeed, especially if I'm doing it live. I'd think twice before that; the Carvin I want has a total of eight, and I'll probably use three of them while performing, tops. It's best to keep the knobs to a minimum, and try to streamline things as much as possible. That way, you can focus on playing well and impressing the girl in the front row with big boobies instead of making sure you're guitar is coming through OK down to the last millidecible."
well thats the thing, its not like you
need to use all 10 switches at the same time, or that much at all. It just broadens your possibilities, gives you more control over what you want it to sound like. You could (if you wanted) leave the three-3 way selector switches at the their normal places like a normal guitar if you wanted, its just an option. You could put the tone controls all the same and the volume all the same if you wanted, just remember which humbucker your using when changing volume.
Personally, i could care less about the girl in the front row with big knockers, i didn't get into music to get chicks, i got into music to play music...must be different for deadheads, or OtherOneHeads, than to the rest of the world...
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"Secondly, the three way switch controls the two humbuckers on the guitar; the isn't a specific "mode" if you will on each humbucker."
But I think that it is entirely possible. Why not? I don't want to sound like im arguing with you or anything, respect you to the highest, but i don't see why this couldn't be done. Perhaps its long down the road, but i think it will be done (if it hasnt been done yet) in the near future.
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"Giving each pickup its own switch serves no real purpose; you could use each switch as a coil tap, but you might just as well get a push/pull pot and wire it so that you can just pull the tone pot up and turn it into a single coil."
Think about the possibilites though, dont you just wish sometimes that you had more options on your guitar? It would broaden the world of guitar, imo, and i see a huge reason for having it done.
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"The tone switch is what you use to decide how much output you want to come through... even on LP's and SG's. The switch just controls which pickup/s are "on." "
And i realize that, but again, its customizability, its just like LP style 2-tone 2-volume, only making it 3 since i'd have 3 humbuckers.
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"The only thing I can really think of having extra selector switches for is as an on/off switch, I've seen some people do that rather than having a master selector switch, but again, why?? You also should think of the guitar's cosmetics; do you really want a beautiful, choice figured top dotted with tons of switches and knobs?"
Its really not that many, i mean think about it. Take 6 Gold Knobs (all close together, in 2 horizontal rows), have the 5 way selector switch moved a little to the right (if your looking at your guitar, if your guitar is on the floor and your looking at it), directly next to the 5 way selector switch is the three-3 way selector switches, each being
right next to one another.
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