Switches on a PC1

[danastas]

My PC1 just arrived these evening and I'm having some difficulty figuring it out. For one, when I toggle what I think is the blend switch, the sound cuts out. I'm pretty sure I know which is the sustainer switch (closer to the neck) and which is the blend harmonic switch (closer to the tail). The top switch definitely increases sustain and sends the strings vibrating. But I just read here that if the batteries are dead (I can't run out and buy 9 Volts right now cause it's late) then the on switch for the sustainer will cut the sound. So now I'm thinking, could the lower switch be the sustainer instead of the one closer to the neck? That would explain the sound cutting out. If not, then I may be having trouble with the blend switch. It may not be working.

Can anyone tell me which is which?

Also, through my Vetta, the Super 3 sounds pretty awful, and I've tried it through a variety of amps. Love the neck, the style, am scratching my head with the pickups, etc.

[Bengal65]

I'll have to look.......I'm back. The bottom switch is your sustainer on/off switch (down by the tone knob). It should not cut your sound completely off, only on/off the sustainer. The top switch is for standard sustain/harmonic sustain. The middle knob acts as a volume/gain control for the sustainer.

By the way, I asked Jackson at the clinic in Houston for an instruction manual. They said they have been working on it. What about 10 years I thought

Huh, on the Super 3 is great through all of my tube amps.

[danastas]

I'll have to look.......I'm back. The bottom switch is your sustainer on/off switch (down by the tone knob). It should not cut your sound completely off, only on/off the sustainer. The top switch is for standard sustain/harmonic sustain. The middle knob acts as a volume/gain control for the sustainer.

By the way, I asked Jackson at the clinic in Houston for an instruction manual. They said they have been working on it. What about 10 years I thought

Huh, on the Super 3 is great through all of my tube amps.

Thanks for the info. I'm assuming on the switches that toggle up toward the bass side is ON and down is OFF.

[Bengal65]

Yes, you got it, down is off on the "on/off" switch. The sustainer mode switch above (towards the neck) is 2 way also standard sustain up/harmonic sustain down. Also, when checking your batteries and the cord is plugged in you should see a red LED "ON" through the hole in the control cover.

[danastas]

Red light means batteries are AOK? Correct?

Thanks for your help.

[Bengal65]

As Mr. Spock would say, Affirmative!

[danastas]

As Mr. Spock would say, Affirmative!

Man, I hate to bother you again but...when I plug in, the red light turns on for about a second...and then goes out. And I know these batteries are working elsewhere. Maybe i should just play acoustic guitar. :

[Bengal65]

It's possible that the batteries are not at full charge? Are the batteries new? I'd check it with new batteries. It sounds like they have just enough juice to energize the LED for a short time and the voltage drops off under load. I'd put some new ones in when you get a chance.

We have 24 hr Walmarts all over the place here. I can get anything anytime. HA HA!

[danastas]

Thanks. Phew, it's got be the batteries. I'll check tomorrow when I buy new ones and I'll make sure the red light stays on. Since the PUs are active, I assume having good batteries in there may also improve the sound from the Dimarzio bridge pickup. Thanks, and goodnight.

[toejam]

Since the PUs are active, I assume having good batteries in there may also improve the sound from the Dimarzio bridge pickup.

No, the pickups are standard passive. The battery is only for the sustainer system.

[rjohnstone]

Just to clear things up... the red light is only supposed to come on for a second with good batteries. It does not stay illuminated the whole time.
See pic below for switch and knob functions.
I play my PC1 almost daily and a set of batteries last me about 1 month.

[danastas]

Thanks for the info. I'll get this thing working yet!

[danastas]

So, today I messed around with the PC1 and this is what I've discovered. First, my sustainer toggle switch is reversed. It's down for ON and UP for OFF. So last night when I was playing, I had the sustainer on all along, which is what I initially suspected because I heard amazing sustain and the strings were vibrating. I thought my ears were wrong however because when I'd toggle the sustainer switch up, the sound would cut off. I thought that meant the sustainer wasn't kicking in, but I was wrong. I even took someone's advice on another PC1 thread and removed the batteries. I was getting no sound from the guitar (obviously since only the sustainer toggle was working, and the sustainer doesn't work without batteries).

So I opened up the electronics cavity and I found that the contact on the circuit board closest to the battery compartment was leaning a bit too far inward, and therefore losing contact. This is why I was getting no sound with the sustainer off. I simply nudged the contact a bit more upright and it stayed in that position.

In short, everything works now and sounds amazing. The only thing that worries me is that the cavity cover does press down a bit on the cables over the circuit board, and I'm sure that's why the troublesome contact was leaning forward in the first place. Luckily, for now, the cover is actually holding this particular contact in place and preventing it from bending forward because I managed to pin it back toward the side a little.

This will work, but, there has to be a better way to engineer these things, no?

[rjohnstone]

I feel your pain... all the connectors on mine were jammed in so tight that the wires started to break.
There's no real need to take the back cover off since the batteries are in their own box, so as long as you leave it alone, it should be fine.