Pickup selection combinations on a 1958 2-knob 325....

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Fri Oct 11, 2002 8:54 am

Glen or Larry:

On an original 1958 325 with a two-knob configuration, was only one pickup available at a time, i.e. switch down=bridge p/up, straight up=middle p/up etc...?? I know Larry Wassgren's '58 is still a two-knob guitar; Larry, are 'ya out there??

joe_hardman · Post by **joe_hardman** » Sat Oct 12, 2002 11:27 am

Switch down = bridge pup, switch up = neck pup and switch straight = both middle and neck pups.

aladams · Post by **aladams** » Sat Oct 12, 2002 5:31 pm

that's the way it's always been with my 325's. However, with my latest, a 1981 320, I've added Toasters, and in the bridge position, I've added a Humbucker. To this end, I will probably have the hookup go as follows...down, all humbucker, mid...mid pickup, up, neck and mid. I hope my buddy Rick can do this! I'll definately keep you guys (and Gals) posted. God bless! AL A.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Sun Oct 13, 2002 4:32 pm

Thanks Joe...You don't run into many that have that setup anymore!!!!

glen_l · Post by **glen_l** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 2:12 am

I believe that the switch in an original 325 operates the same as a modern 325 re-issue. With a plain switchcraft 3 postion toggle there is no way to isolate just the neck pickup unfortunately. The neck and middle pickups are hard-wired in parallel before the switch.

So, with the switch 'up' you get the neck and middle pickups together. Switch in the 'middle' will give you all 3 pickups. The switch 'down' gives you just the bridge pickup

I love the look of them but, the problem with the old 2 control 325's would be with the toggle in the middle position. There would be no way to balance the levels coming from the Treble and Bass sides of the switch. The Bass would pretty much swamp the Treble unless there was some resistor network added into the ciruit to prevent this, or extra windings on the bridge pickup perhaps.

Think of it this way. Get your standard Ric, wind all the controls to maximum, and the mixer all the way to the bass postion (this effectively takes it out of circuit). Now use the toggle switch to compare the level with it set 'up' (bass) and then 'down' (treble). The Bass will be much higher than the Treble.

It's just the way it is due to the relative string movement over the pickups. The 0.0047 high pass cap in the treble path on early rics makes it even more noticeable. Now put the switch in the middle postion. What do you hear? All three pickups are on but you won't hear much treble....

joe_hardman · Post by **joe_hardman** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 3:04 am

Either my memory is going with age or I've been playing my Fender Strat too much this year. (Or both?) After reading Glen's message I checked my original '58 325 and it is in fact wired switch down = bridge pup, switch up = neck and middle pups together and switch straight = all 3 pups.

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 3:57 am

Glen and Joe: All of the modern 325's I've had my hands on(including my 325/12V63) are wired up as you guys have stated. So, in essence, the extra two knobs after 1958 never had any bearing on the pickup selection; it only added more control over the back two pickups...the selection is today as it was since the original 1958's were made....

glen_l · Post by **glen_l** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 11:31 am

Yes, the extra two knobs enabled the level and tone for the front and back pair of pickups to be adjusted independently, making the middle switch position more useful.

glen_l · Post by **glen_l** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 11:32 am

I guess you could also play around with the pickup heights to balance the levels on those two-control 325's.

If you have the bridge pickup way up and the other pair adjusted down.

grsnovi · Post by **grsnovi** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 1:06 pm

I was somewhat disappointed to learn of the selections available on the 370/12 I just got. The ability to explictly turn each pup on/off seems like such a fundamental thing. Of course, that said, I just run it full bridge pup (switch down).

glen_l · Post by **glen_l** » Mon Oct 14, 2002 1:33 pm

I replaced the basic switchcraft toggle with a 6 way rotary switch on my modern 320. I can select any combination of the 3 pickups now. I've been meaning to rewire it to give some phase inversion combinations too. Perhaps even a series pickup setting.....

leftybass · Post by **leftybass** » Tue Oct 15, 2002 4:32 am

Glen, you may have read in other posts about my 1968 370/12, which was actually a 360/12 when it left the factory...about a year later it was re-wired to a 370/12 and has two toggle switches; one is a 3-position Strat swtich and the other is a regular Switchcraft toggle, similar to the two added toggles on a Byrd 12-string. The guitar now has two tone controls and one master volume, like a Fender Strat(whoever did it must have enjoyed a Fender configuration). The Switchcraft toggle allows the different phase inversion combinations that you have thinking of doing to your 325---it definitely gives you sounds that you can't get out of a stock Rickenbacker......