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Newbie Question: Guitar parts


JuryDuty

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My new Yamaha 112J has a few parts on it that I don't know what they do. There's nothing in the manual either.

 

One is the 4-way switch by the volume and tone knobs. It changes the sound when I move the lever, but I'm not sure for what purpose.

 

The other is the bar I think is called the wah-wah bar? I screwed it in, but it doesn't seem to change the sound at all when I play and move it.

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I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume this is for real.

The switch is your pickup switch for selecting which pickup or combination of pickups you're playing through.

The tremlo bar (if working) should raise pitch when you lift up and lower pitch when you push down. Some trems can be blocked (disabled) to improve tuning stability if you're not using the trem. This may be the case with yours if it isn't functioning. If so, any tech should be able to unblock and adjust it for you.

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Originally posted by HamsterSandwich

...The tremlo bar (if working) should raise pitch when you lift up and lower pitch when you push down. Some trems can be blocked (disabled) to improve tuning stability if you're not using the trem. This may be the case with yours if it isn't functioning. If so, any tech should be able to unblock and adjust it for you.

Instead of lift up or push down, that should actually read when pushed away from or towards the guitar's body.

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Originally posted by HamsterSandwich


I'm feeling generous.
:D

If he's a sincere newbie, I've done my good deed for the day.


If he's trolling, he's only wasted about a minute of my time... not a huge loss.



LOL I am sincere. Sorry I'm such a newbie. :p Thx for your minute though. :)

OK, so the pickup switch has four positions. I have 2 single coil pickups and a humbucker pickup. So what do the four positions generally correspond with?

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Originally posted by JuryDuty

OK, so the pickup switch has four positions. I have 2 single coil pickups and a humbucker pickup. So what do the four positions generally correspond with?


I'm not familiar with that particular model, and 4-way is not a typical switch. The most common are 2-pickup guitars with with a 3-way switch (bridge - both - neck), and 3-pickup guitars with 5-way switching (bridge - bridge+middle - middle - middle+neck - neck). Are you sure you don't have a 5-way?

Try an experiment: turn your volume high and tap on each pickup with a pick. Does the tapping come through your amp? If so, you, should be able to try this in each switch position and figure out which pickup(s) are on and which are off in each position.

I hope you're for real because this just took me another three minutes. :D

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Originally posted by JuryDuty

LOL Ok, it is a 5-way switch. Makes total sense now. Thank you!!!!


I'm going to go hide in a hole now.
:p



YES YES HIDE IN A HOLE OF YOUR INEXORABLE SHAME! TO THE DEPTHS WITH YOU, AND ALL THE LIKES OF YOU THAT YOU SHALL NEVER SEE THE LIGHT OF DAAAAY! :mad:



;)

Nah, bro, good questions, seriously. Welcome to guitar-ing. :)

//S

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  • 8 years later...
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JuryDuty wrote:

LOL Ok, it is a 5-way switch. Makes total sense now. Thank you!!!!


I'm going to go hide in a hole now.
:p

EDIT: Gah, I just realized I'm replying to a nearly 10 year old necro'd thread.  Thanks folks....

Don't- a 112J was my first guitar five years ago. I was a total ignoramus- I didn't understand the tremelo either, since I could only push it forward and not back and I assumed all trems could do both

It took me some reading to realize that as set up from the factory it can't go backwards.  You'd have to remove some of the springs from the cavity in the back of the guitar to get the trem to float, or put on heavier weight strings.  I did this by accident when I changed to 10s from the factory 9s and I needed to buy a couple of extra springs to hold the trem down.  Letting it float is possible but you're going to have a nightmare of a time with tuning stability. My advice?  Pull out the bar and put it away for a long time.  You don't need it now, and if you really want to play stuff that needs it buy something with a locking trem like a Floyd Rose when you know enough to bother

As mentioned before, it's a 5 way switch.  Neck single coil only, Neck + middle single, middle only, middle single + bridge humbucker, bridge only.  My experience is that the humbucker is by far the best pickup on the guitar, but play with your amp and see how it goes.

Enjoy the journey- the 112 is an awesome guitar for the money.  

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