Pros, Cons?
I've had Strats wired either way. I'm thinking about switching the tone control to the bridge .......
I think the bridge pickup becomes more useful this way.
opinions?
Pros, Cons?
I've had Strats wired either way. I'm thinking about switching the tone control to the bridge .......
I think the bridge pickup becomes more useful this way.
opinions?
For me the best way to wire a Strat is one master volume, one master tone, and one blend pot that allows to mix the bridge and neck pickups.
Yes, the bridge pup is more versatile with a tone control, but the blender pot is the ultimate tone control.
I agree with Gravity Jim. The blender wiring is the way to go.
I gotta try that.
Right now i've got my neck tone wired to my bridge pickup.
I took the blender out of my Strat and wired it old style.
I swear that the sparkle that was missing is back!
I like the tone control on the middle pickup.
If the bridge pickup is too thin, use a fatter amp!
My 5E3 clone (fat, fat, fat!!!) has made the old wiring schemes my favorites!
I also found that the more versatile I made my guitars the less I liked them. They became versatile at the cost of the core tone.
My Tele clone is wired like a nocaster (with slight mods) and my Strat like a '50s Strat (except for the 5-way switch and .05uF cap).
I've never been happier with them!
I'm looking at making a couple of slight changes to mine:
I like the ability to combine the neck and bridge with the blender pot (awesome tone), but using the pot is a little unwieldy for me, so I'm going to replace it with a switch that adds the bridge pickup in to the circuit no matter where the 5-way switch is set. I used to do it that way, and it worked well.
Re-routing the tone controls -- one for the neck pickup, and one for the bridge. I never use the tone control on the middle pickup (in fact, I rarely ever use the middle pickup alone, anyway...).
Also, making the tone controls no-load, so when I turn them all the way up, the tone control is out of the circuit. I did that on my tele, and the difference between slightly rolled-off and no-load is very nice.
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
-Dave Barry
I don't mess much with the guitar's tone controls. I tend to leave them at 10 and just use the pickup combinations that sound best to me.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Originally Posted by elicross
I don't mess much with the guitar's tone controls. I tend to leave them at 10 and just use the pickup combinations that sound best to me.
Then you must not jam with a band ..The tone controls on a strat can bring you out front for solos or let you sit in the pocket when doing rhythm that's what makes a strat such a virsitile guitar.Learning to use them IMHO make for a better guitar player.
I too use the blendor pot on one of my strats a very useful mod.. The other one is stock wiring..
For those that prefer the stock wiring, but want the tone control on the bridge -
I like to use the stock wiring that makes the tone control work for both the bridge and the middle pickup. BUT instead of using a short jumper wire between the switch terminals, use a .0047uF capacitor instead as illustrated here:
http://www.guitarnuts.com/wiring/simplebtone.php
This allows the bridge pickup some degree of tone control without losing the sparkle AND allows all the other positions to work virtually unchanged from stock (i.e. postion two (neck/bridge) doesn't get too muddy and lose its "quack").
And by the way, my opinions are always objective
"Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so" -- Douglas Adams
"If something has a 1 in a million chance of occurring, 9 times out of 10 it will happen" -- Terry Pratchett
Don, did you use a pot that takes the blended pickup completely out (the cut tracer thing), or did you use a pot that always left a tiny bit of the other pickup in?
Just curious.
I used a pot with a cut trace. A CTS blender pot from ACME, I believe.
The neck pickup was completely removed from the circuit. At one point I had replaced the pot with a switch to compare. The results were similar.
It's not even just the bridge pickup alone having more sparkle (it would as there's no tone control on it right now).
The guitar sounds more alive now. It could be that there's less loading on the circuit due to the tone controls, especially in positions 4 and 5 (middle/bridge p/us and bridge p/u). That's a guess on my part, though.
I was first drawn to this guitar because of it's lively, bright, sparkly, early Clapton Strat sound (Derek and the Dominoes, Delaney and Bonnie and early solo career).
That was lost for a while. I even tried the original pickups back in it (low powered alnico pickups). That didn't help. I unwound the Fralins that it has in it. That helped a bit.
On a whim, I switched the wiring back and, WOW! I like it. A lot.
To tell you the truth, I wasn't using the blender much. I think a Tele and a Les Paul have a much nicer bridge/neck combined p/u sound than a Strat.
As I stated above, my 5E3 clone has me re-evaluating things. It's a darker and fatter amp than my Princeton Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb. A guitar that sounds thin on them is fat with the 5E3. At the same time, the 5E3 clone doesn't sound as nice as the blackface amps when I use my H&K Rotosphere.
since this particular strat is used for straight ahead sparkle and quack strat tone, I think I'll leave it the way it is (with the middle pickup connected to the second tone control and bridge with no tone control). Opinions seem to point this way.
Man IMO you are missing out on a great big wonderful world of sonic bliss by doing that.I don't mess much with the guitar's tone controls. I tend to leave them at 10 and just use the pickup combinations that sound best to me.
To poster if you have a 5 way switch you can bridge a wire from the lug on the switch that the mid tone is hooked to , to the unused lug which is on the same side , that way you have that tone control working both the mid and bridge pups.
ones too many and a hundred is not enough!
I don't do a lot of jamming, but when I have I've found the volume knob to be all I need for laying back in the mix or cutting through the mix. I don't like the idea of altering my tone just to cut through the other guys when I don't have to.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
It's not like that.
With your tone knob, you can get jazzy or fatter. Whatever you like.
Being a lazy s.o.b., as well as a guy who can't get to his knobs quick enough, and also considering that I can't always time my feet to hit a footswitch at the right time, I find my self adjusting the guitar's volume with picking pressure and adjusting the guitar's tone by playing closer to the bridge or closer to the neck.
Those are my lazy man's volume and tone controls!
I can't tell if you disagree, or if you're simply having a stroke. No need to explain, though; I'm not interested in an argument.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Me either, Just trying to help you become a better guitar player; No need for personal jabs I'm too old for that shit.It's like Don explaned above..
bridge
do I look like I know what I'm doing?
why bridge or middle?
Mine is bridge and middle. Neck does without.
Well, gee thanks. Since you've heard me play and know you're better than me, I appreciate your attempt to educate me.Me either, Just trying to help you become a better guitar player
And hey, nothing could be more useful to a guy you're trying to "help" than a "lesson" that consists solely of "
Peddle that silliness to somebody who'll buy it, melody.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Look man if i offened you I'm truly sorry. But this bullshit will not get you anyware I'm not here for kiddy games form some thick headed wannabe. I offered my advice in post #8 take it or leave it.Well, gee thanks. Since you've heard me play and know you're better than me, I appreciate your attempt to educate me.
And hey, nothing could be more useful to a guy you're trying to "help" than a "lesson" that consists solely of "
Peddle that silliness to somebody who'll buy it, melody.
It's like this, melody:
I've read a whole lot of your posts, and while I don't think you're a particularly dumb guy, I also think you're in no position to be derisive or condescending toward anyone on this board. That's all.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
And you are??... Hmmm....I find your post to be long boring one sided drivel. Once your called on it you back peddle and try too weasel out.. Your a wannabe guitar player at best..At least I have an open mine may not be the best at explaining myself on paper on Internet boards but at least I'm open to suggestions and criticism..
Last edited by melody; 01-13-2008 at 05:50 AM.
Neck without?
I never thought of that. Where's the diagram ?
Easy there Melody. There's no call for that kind of talk.Your a wannabe guitar player at best..
I haven't read his post and don't intend to, but I do find it hilarious that he's so pissed off at me for disagreeing with his position on tone controls that he's calling a guy he's never heard play a "wannabe guitar player at best."
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
ya, what would probably be best for "me" would be neck wide open, and tones on middle/bridge. that would make a normal strat more usable, as I LOVE the strat's natural neck pickup sound!
But right now I have the off brand with a master tone so oh well, next strat I'll have fun.
My thoughts almost exactly, except I like the treble bleed cap through the 2nd tone pot, instead of using it for a blender.
I have been itching to try the blender mod just out of curiosity, but the thing is I don't really use the middle pickup or combination of neck and bridge together. I like the sound, I just don't generally use it.
He doesnt know me on a personal level either yet has the balls to call me dumb... And attack me personally???There's no call for that shit . Yup your right I shouldn't lower myself to that level...
I understand that tone controls offer more tonal variety. Maybe that's good, maybe it's not.
Some guys use 'em some don't. "a better guitar player"? maybe, maybe not.
Guys,
I'm going to wire up new pickups in my strat and want to use the blender wiring. Searched previous discussions about making the no load pot to use as a blender pot. Unfortunately the projectguitar link doesn't seem to work. Can someone help?
Also, do I need to use shielded wire to go to the output jack, or can I just use two 22 ga stranded copper leads?
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