TOYROBOT

The Model J Filter Build: A Passive Q Circuit for Coil-Parallel Bass

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Three curves from one pickup. Same coils, same pot, different cap. The dotted gray is a stock Fender CS ’60s through a passive circuit with a cable. The orange curve matches its shape. Hum-free, buffered, with the Q profile of a loaded single-coil.

Jazz Bass Master Blend Wiring: Series/Parallel + Greasebucket + Buffer

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

A standard Jazz Bass has Volume / Volume / Tone. Two volume knobs is a 1960s compromise. You constantly adjust two controls to balance pickups, losing overall volume when you back one off.

Blend / Volume / Tone. One knob to mix pickups, one for overall volume, one for tone. Push-pull switch puts pickups in series for a fatter, mid-forward sound. Three knobs, nine tones.

The tone circuit is a Greasebucket, Fender’s design that prevents bass buildup when you roll off treble. 500K tone pot with a 22nF cap. Same value as the volume pot. Higher than stock 250K to preserve the brightness the buffer unlocks. Turn the tone down and it doesn’t get muddy.

Optimized for the Fralin Split Jazz, DiMarzio Model J, and Aguilar 4J-HC. Works with any passive J-Bass pickup.

Every solder joint numbered.

Five Pickups, One Sound: Which Jazz Bass Pickup Gets You There?

Mon, 16 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Every curve in that chart is the same 15 pickups. Left panel is through 500K pots and a cable. Right panel is the same pickups with the cable gone. The top performers swap places.

I Simulated 30 Jazz Bass Pickups So I Wouldn't Have to Buy Them All

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Pickups cost €80-150 each. You need two. You can’t return them soldered. So I built a simulator: Python, measured pickup data, the actual circuit the signal passes through. Thirty pickups on the same axes. No vibes, no forum opinions. Just math.

Fretboard Clarity

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Triads unlock the fretboard. Root, third, fifth. Three notes that tell you where you are over any chord. The idea is simple. Seeing it on the neck is not.

Building a MIDI Footswitch for Mobius Looper

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 00:00:00 +0000

Circular Labs Mobius is a free AU/VST looper plugin. Eight parallel loops. Quantized switching. Half speed, reverse, multiply. Everything the Echoplex promised but in software. Ethan Tufts at Strymon performs as State Shirt with Mobius running inside Ableton. Full arrangements, built live.

The problem is controlling it. Hands on the guitar. You need your feet. Nobody sells a MIDI foot controller for Mobius.

So here’s one.