A/B Box for tuner/guitar

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 15 Sep 2009 2:02 pm

Someone had an A/B box they made here awhile back that you could clamp on the leg of your guitar,or lay it on an effects ract that you could flip a switch to go to a tuner,or a volume pedal from your guitar. Any one remember who it was?

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 15 Sep 2009 2:18 pm

This might be it Kenny...

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

Kevin Mincke · Post by **Kevin Mincke** » 15 Sep 2009 2:38 pm

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 16 Sep 2009 6:38 am

I use the JerryRig.

Ken Metcalf · Post by **Ken Metcalf** » 16 Sep 2009 7:10 am

Jerry Rig here

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 16 Sep 2009 8:59 am

Yes, Dick ,this is the one,and you're the one that built this.

Are you making them,and selling them?
I'd like to have one,or make one myself.How's the wiring diagram? Thanks inadvance.

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 16 Sep 2009 9:01 am

Where can you get the Jerry-Rig? That's a more compact design.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 16 Sep 2009 9:25 am

Kenny, I'm not building them to sell. But if you email me, I'll send you the wiring diagram of mine. Works great. Personally I think the Jerry-Rig is a real good unit. I'm just one of those guys that likes to do it all myself. DS...

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 16 Sep 2009 9:48 am

Jerry Harkins makes the JerryRig.
You can contact him at harkins@ktc.com

Chuck Snider R.I.P. · Post by **Chuck Snider R.I.P.** » 16 Sep 2009 4:29 pm

A Jerry-Rig is ideal for use on a pedal steel. Not sure if Jerry is still making them or not. Last fall I thought he had considered not making them any more. I have one and it's great! You should contact Jerry about cranking out another batch. He sold them at a very reasonable and modest price. I lucked out and jumped onto a used one being sold here on the forum.

-Chuck

Robert Cates · Post by **Robert Cates** » 17 Sep 2009 5:44 am

I tryed to contact Jerry by the E-mail that you gave Erv, but nothing yet. Maybe he just hasn't checked his e-mail yet. If anyone gets in touch with him ,let me know. I am very interested in his Rig

Thanks Bob

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 18 Sep 2009 3:09 pm

This the diagram of the A/B Switch box I call The Dickfer A/B Switch. Thought it might be of help if you wanted to slap one together yourself. The link I posted above has information on parts. This shows it with three 1/4 Phono Plug Jacks, because some showed an interest in that. Of course I could have used a double pole single throw switch. Handy tie point?
Please excuse the drawing, gave up all the CAD stuff with the last job I had.

jerry harkins · Post by **jerry harkins** » 19 Sep 2009 3:40 am

Sorry guys, that was an old email address.
the good one is jharkins@nctv.com
I don't have much call for these anymore so I only build a batch about every 6 Months.
Thanks , Jerry.

Don Hinkle · Post by **Don Hinkle** » 19 Sep 2009 4:55 am

This is somewhat "sideline" topic - I really like having a "Y" cable coming out of my guitar. This way I can have the tuner on at all times. This allows me to simply lower volume pedal to check open tuning. However, I LOVE having it on all the time when practicing because as a new player, I can look to see what notes I am hitting if I stumble onto something that I want to figure out. also helps out checking my ear vs my eyeballs.

I find that playing "thru" my peterson stroboflip effects my sound just a little.

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 19 Sep 2009 5:39 am

Dick, What type of 3-way switch is that you used? Everything else looks like standardhardware,like the jacks.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 19 Sep 2009 6:31 am

Kenny, I got the box and switch from Parts Express, but they are not the only ones I looked at. I think they were the most reasonable.

From my previous post:

The (Case) box and switch from Parts Express(www.parts-express.com). Case #320-742, Switch #060-338, all the other parts I had gotten for another project. 2ea. 1/4 Jacks and 1ea. 1/4 Plug. R. Shack I think. I don't think it's to bad for a first time run at this. Sure makes life easier on stage. Also, the case is cast aluminum so I think it will polish up real nice too.

From the pictures here, you can see the box was the smallest I felt would work for me. Mine used the plug instead of 3 jacks. It is 1 1/2" X 3 1/2" X 1 1/4". All holes should be snug but not tight fit on the jacks and switch. Plan the plug and switch placement carefully if you us this small a box. I think it is a pewter material and should polish up nicely. I just never bothered, going for functionality. Works perfectly and is very handy.

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopi ... highlight=

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 19 Sep 2009 6:35 am

Thanks Dick, I pulled up parts express website,and they have alot of goodies.

I found the switch too. #060-338.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 19 Sep 2009 6:39 am

Glad you found it Kenny. Email me if you have any questions, I'd be glad to help. DS

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 19 Sep 2009 8:38 am

Just FYI. If you are using a buffer (Sarno Freeloader, Hilton Digital Sustain, Goodrich Matchbox, etc.) between your guitar and volume pedal, you can go down to Radio Shack and buy a splitter that has one male quarter inch jack on one end and two female quarter inch plugs on the other end. Plug the splitter in to the output of the buffer and now you have two outputs before you go to the volume pedal. Run a cord down to the volume pedal and another cord over to the tuner. No switches needed. Just back off on the volume pedal and tune up. This works well with a my inexpensive Korg CA-30. No change in the tone or volume when plugged in.

This will not work if you try to split the signal before the buffer. The resulting tone will be terrible.

I used to do this with a Hilton Digital Sustain and am now doing it with a Sarno Freeloader.

It's worth a try. The splitters are pretty cheap!

Click Here

Lee, from South Texas

Bruce Bouton · Post by **Bruce Bouton** » 20 Sep 2009 6:02 pm

Look up Loopmaster This guys got every kind of switcher there is. Reasonable and great sounding.

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 22 Sep 2009 8:09 am

Mr. Bouton is absolutely correct, these folks have it all. And they seem to be very reasonable.

http://www.loop-master.com/

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 22 Sep 2009 10:32 am

Could you just put in a TRS jack in the guitar? Say,,, Tip and Sleeve to volume pedal, Ring and Sleeve to tuner? Somewhere I have an Insert(?) cable that does a Send and a Return to a TRS plug. One TRS plug is split into two cables with standard 1/4" jacks. Wouldn't that work? And the guitar would still work normally with just a regular 1/4" cable if you didn't wanna use a tuner?????

Dick Sexton · Post by **Dick Sexton** » 22 Sep 2009 1:29 pm

John Billings wrote:

Could you just put in a TRS jack in the guitar? Say,,, Tip and Sleeve to volume pedal, Ring and Sleeve to tuner? Somewhere I have an Insert(?) cable that does a Send and a Return to a TRS plug. One TRS plug is split into two cables with standard 1/4" jacks. Wouldn't that work?

Yes John, that would work. But, if you then used a standard TRS Jack(Connector)in your steel and plugged in a Standard 1/4" Plug, NOT TRS, you would short the ring part of the TRS Connector to the Sleeve portion of the same connector. That would short the hot to shield of your pickup, resulting in no output.

As stated by Lee, a Radio Shack splitter that has one standard male quarter inch jack on one end and two standard female quarter inch plugs on the other end would be a usable option to an A/B Switcher. This is essentially the same as using a TRS connector and plug with the option of taking it out and plugging direct to you steel.

I'm going to take Lee's advice and get one of the RS splitters as a back up to my A/B Switch box. They take up almost no room in the Pack-a-Seat. Thanks Lee...

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 22 Sep 2009 1:52 pm

Just be sure you don't try to split the signal at the output jack of the guitar. Due to impedance issues, the tone will be terrible. The splitter does work just fine after a buffer device, such as a Goodrich Matchbox, Sarno Freeloader, or Hilton Digital Sustain.

Lee

John Billings · Post by **John Billings** » 22 Sep 2009 2:10 pm

Dick, would it work if you used a TRS jack on your cord to the volume pedal, without a connection to the Ring? Just having two guitar to volume pedal cords, for when needed, one with the split for the tuner, and another with a TRS on the guitar end, and a standard 1/4" jack on the other, would seem to be a simpler solution than having to use an A/B box clipped to the leg of the guitar.
All this tuner hook-up stuff is new to me! My working guitar is a Kline, and I really don't have tuning problems with it. I'm gettin' myself confused!

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