Washburn VCC: Dual pot takes each HB from series to parallel

[Steve A.]

Contrary to popular opinion the VCC (Voice Contour Control) on the Washburn WI64 guitar is *not* a spin-a-split pot (which varies the linkage from HB to single coil) but a dual-ganged 500k linear pot which varies the linkage from series HB to parallel HB.

I haven't tried this out yet so I don't how it works but it is reportedly humcancelling throughout the entire range of the control. With the WI64 there is no tone control- just two volume controls and two VCC controls. I think that it would work better if there was a single VCC wired up to either the bridge or neck pickup along with a global tone control. Or better yet have a single volume control, 2 VCC's and a global tone control. (My PRS SE guitars have global volume and tone controls along with a 3-way selector switch and I don't really miss the option to adjust the mix of the two pickups in the middle position that much.)





Steve Ahola

P.S. I am always knocked out whenever I run across a guitar wiring harness that isn't in the 1980 edition Donald Brosnac book. BTW are there any other guitars that use this wiring trick?

[Rick Turner]

The real issue is how the humbucker coils sound when run in parallel. I always hated that sound.

[Steve A.]

The real issue is how the humbucker coils sound when run in parallel. I always hated that sound.

I think that it depends on the particular humbucker and the sounds that you are looking for. Getting a cleaner sound similar to a single coil but without hum can be good. I have a friend who likes to use SD Hot Rails in his strats but he wires them in parallel. I've wired up several guitars with series/single coil/parallel switches and find all 3 positions very usable. Also being able to blend between the two linkages could offer some interesting sounds.

I picked up a pair of the Washburn WI64 humbuckers dirt cheap but have not tried putting them in a guitar yet. Washburn may have designed the VCC specifically for these pickups- I dunno.

Steve

[joecader]

Anyone have any additional info on this. I just picked up a used Washburn WI-64. Someone professionally messed up the wiring installing dragon fire p90 type humbuckers..I'm trying to install some dragon fire screamers..thanks in advance..

[AlexShroyer]

I used to own a Washburn Idol (WI-64 DL) with this circuit. Can confirm it was always hum canceling.

With the VCC at either extreme I liked the sound, but in the middle it acted like a very strong treble cut. Maybe that's why they didn't feel the need to add a tone control? For my tastes, I would have preferred series/parallel switches over the VCC potentiometer.

Thinking back on it, I bet the treble loss could have been compensated with a treble bleed cap in there somewhere, but I never tried it.