Blending between amp channels

[black mariah]

Hey all! Haven't posted in a while. Busy with other crap like building this computer I'm on now. Yay for not having a POS compy. :lol:

Just sitting here and had a stupid question pop into my mind. Since a footswitch typically just shorts to ground in order to change channels, could you wire up a pot or something to blend between the channels instead? Like get a smooth clean to dirt transition?

I'm pretty sure it doesn't work like that, but that's what you guys are here for. Educate me! :lol:

[petemoore]

Short to ground selector switches [like channel A/B or Reverb I/O] switches...the line you plug into your amp that goes to the 'switch' is just a short to ground affair [if it is that]...this does not carry source or line or any signals.
 There's an electronic switch that your footpedal switch activates, the signal path is switched with the electronic switch [Jfet or CMOS usually] inside the amp when it 'sees' ground at a certain point in the circuit.
 When the ground loop that the footswitch breaks is broken, the internal switch goes the 'other way'....or turns reverb on when ground loop is complete and off when ground loop is broken...[or the other way around...lol].

[SaBer]

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/VCA%20Applications.pdf

If you made your own anp you could use this.
Not quite suitable for a ready made amp though...

[Headshot]

check out www.obrienamps.com    This guy has been doing it for a few years.

Head

[SaBer]

I checked out O'Briens patent. It's just a passive dual pot "panning" configuration straight after the guitar  :shock: .  No active electronics before it!!! I could think of a couple of better ways to do that...

BTW, the patent document has a schematic for the whole amp if you are interested!

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO1&Sect2=HITOFF&d=PALL&p=1&u=/netahtml/srchnum.htm&r=1&f=G&l=50&s1=5,977,474.WKU.&OS=PN/5,977,474&RS=PN/5,977,474