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1967 Rally 6105 control knobs/switches question

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  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Sep 22, 2008 11:59 a.m. Iamthefly:

  I have an original '67 Rally model 6105 with the sonic boom feature with the same number of knobs (4) and switches (3) as the one pictured on this web site.

  If the guitar is correctly wired as it left the factory, can anyone advise on which knobs and which switches in what positions are supposed to exactly do?
  

  I've figured out the master volume and individual pickup volume knobs but what is the 4th knob for, is this supposed to be a tone control cause all I get is alot of hiss.

  And is the 3 postion switch with the black plastic cap just for activating the sonic boom?

  Lastly, I'm not getting what the 3 positions of each of the 2 pickup selector switches are supposed to do as well.

  Any assist in spelling out what each knob and switch/positions does in conjunction with the others is greatly appreciated. Thanks.
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  • Rated: 3 ↑

  Sep 22, 2008 6:19 p.m. dual_tone:

  i believe the extra knob on the lower bout is for the volume or tone of the treble boost switch, which is also located on the lower bout. you are correct about the other two volume knobs on the lower bout and the master volume knob on the cutaway. as for the switches on the upper bout, the one closest to the headstock is usually referred to as a "mud switch", since it doesn't really do anything but switch between one muffled tone to another. however, with the treble boost activated, these settings on that swtich may come in handy. the other swich on the upper bout, next to the mud switch, is your basic pup selector, bridge, middle, neck. lastly, and you may already know this, but you need a 9V battery for the treble boost to work properly. if you already have one installed (from the back), then the hiss you're getting is probably from a loose wire. good luck!
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Sep 22, 2008 9:10 p.m. gresco:

  As you can tell from my avatar I'm a Rally owner (past tense). I sold it to a friend, who sold it to his brother (also my friend) and I'm considering buying it back. I bought it new and we were kinda' joined at the hip for 35 years. It needed a neck reset, and now is playing well again.

  The extra knob on the lower bout is a volume pot for the Sonic Boom treble boost. The 3-way switch functions are: middle position-standby, upper position-Sonic Boom (treble boost), lower position-normal operation. When in the upper treble boost position, all other controls are inop except the Sonic Boom volume. I also don't recall that the mud switch had any effect when the Sonic Boom was activated. In my opinion the Sonic Boom was not a very useful feature. It was too trebley, not at all the rich tone a Gretsch is known for. It had that electronic overtone (like a bad microphone) that spoiled the effect. I never used mine and eventually it just failed...probably from lack of use. Battery operated devices don't fair well with me.

  Also the 3-way switch began to act up, and I had to perform surgery to keep the contacts functioning. It was always repairable, unlike the Sonic Boom. Once that crashed, it was gone forever.

  The Rally is a nicely built guitar for a low end product. The neck was excellent, and the Hilotrons had their own special sparkle, inspite of the low output. That coupled with a unique color and finish makes it a desireable instrument. (I should listen to my own evaluation.)

  Hopefully you'll get comfortable with the controls and enjoy the good features of it. If the Sonic Boom fails, good! That eliminates dealing with it, and the guitar is excellent without it .
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  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Sep 24, 2008 12:04 p.m. Iamthefly:

  Thanks for the responses. Looks like my Rally may have some wiring issues.
  

  When the 3-way toggle is switched to stand-by, the sonic boom is off completely as it should be (sonic boom volume produces no sound unless on high and then it is just static) but I still have output from the pickups with the individual pickup volume knobs on high (though the output is not quite as loud as when the toggle is switched to normal operation).

  In stand-by mode, should anything work? My understanding is there should be no output period with all the volumes up, in essence the whole guitar should be in non-operational mode.

  Also, I can't get the bridge pickup to go solo in that I get the same fatter rhythm sound when the pickup switch is in the lead and rhythm positions (but still get the typical out-of-phase sound when the switch is in the middle position). Are there any bonafide vintage guitar wiring diagrams anywhere for a '67 Rally?

  Any insight on the standby toggle position and my pickup wiring trubs is appreciated. Thanks.
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Sep 24, 2008 12:58 p.m. gresco:

  I once saw that wiring diagram but I can't remember if it was through here, or through a Gretsch tech website.

  It sounds to me that the 3-way switch would be a first place to check out. They're fairly easy to sort out, as the contacts are all exposed. Just study how the toggle moves the contact fingers and you can tell if something's amiss. At one time I had mine configured so that the up position was standby and the other two were standard operation. When I sold it I reconfigured it back to factory specs. My advice would be to CLEAN the contacts, and check to make sure that the contacts are actually touching when the toggle is moved into position. Also check to make sure that the other contacts are NOT touching when the toggle in a given position. There is very little distance between closed and open position. I'm surprised these switches hold up as well as they do, given the fragile nature of them.

  It also sounds like your pots and other switches could stand a good CLEANING. I remember, when after not touching mine for many, many years, it took a while and some excercise for everything to "wake up." When I first fired it up almost nothing worked.

  I would suspect, given the age of the guitar, that the condition of the components would be more of a contributing factor than the possibility that the components have been rewired.

  Good luck....hang in there
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  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Oct 3, 2008 6:39 p.m. Iamthefly:

  gresco, thanks for the info. Did the cleaning but no appreciatable difference. I do notice that when in regular guitar mode, if I turn down pickup one's volume knob and leave pickup two on high, only two of the tone switch positions work (pos 1/2). When volume is up on pickup two and down on pickup one, only switch positions 2/3 work.

  I still don't know if this is the way it is supposed to work or if the wiring has been modified. I will start a new thread to see if anyone has access to vintage era Gretsch wiring diagrams/schematics.
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Oct 3, 2008 9:54 p.m. gresco:

  Hmmm...That condition rings somewhat familiar to what some are experiencing with some Electromatics. They are finding that turning one volume knob off can turn off both p'ups. They use a tone pot set up so they wouln't see the effect on a mudswitch like yours. I'll keep looking to find that schematic that I once saw. In the meantime you might try posting a thread in Dan Duffy's corner in the Tech section of the forum page. He goes waaay back with Gretsch, and might be able to steer you in the right direction. Perseverence usually yields results.
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  • Rated: 20 ↑

  Oct 3, 2008 10:03 p.m. gresco:

  I just Googled Gretsch guitar wiring diagrams and got a dedicated websight. Their #3 schematic is very close but doen't include Sonic Boom. Whereas Sonic Boom is almost seperate within the setup, this would probably give you a good reference point. Click this link: Standy Sw. Diagram
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  • Rated: 0 ↑

  Oct 6, 2008 5:22 p.m. Iamthefly:

  gresco, thnx again for the info and diagram link. Upon further examination of my Rally, when the sonic boom is activated, only the neck pickup works. Does anyone else experience the same thing with their Rally? Seems there is no standard as far as the wiring goes regardless of pickup selection/tone swx/vol pots, etc. Will start new thread in the Tech section of this forum as gresco suggested. Hopefully will get this all figured out one day.

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