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Thread: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

  1. #1
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    Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    3 strat pickups and a 5 way switch, 3 potentiometers (one vol, two tone)

    Is there a method to wire this to keep the tone constant as I lower the volume?

    A diagram would be ideal.

  2. #2
    Forum Member Fedora's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    The circuit you are looking for is called a treble bleed circuit or modification. If you do a search on it you should be able to find your answer pretty quickly

  3. #3
    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    There's another wiring scheme that doesn't retain as much highs as a treble bleed circuit but sounds much better.
    It's a combination of '50s Les Paul wiring and Strat wiring.

    It's been posted on this forum many times in the past few years. You might find it in a search.

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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    Check out the wiring diagram in post #8 in this thread, not the blender wiring, but the way that the volume pot is wired-
    http://www.thefenderforum.com/forum/...hlight=blender

  5. #5
    Forum Member Offshore Angler's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    Believe it or not, a lot of the guitar-volume related tone suckage is in the amp, not the guitar. One major source is using too big an amp for the job at hand and not having the amp's volume set high enough. When the amp is cooking the guitar volume knob is as much a "drive" knob as volume.

    Set your amp to give a good sound with the guitar's volume around 5 or 6, then you'll find better tone across the entire volume range on the guitar. In some situations, it take some maturity and restraint to keep it there, but what you'll find is that you will be able to play with much better dynamics because you can roll the volume up or down as required and still sound good.
    "No harmonic knowledge, no sense of time, a ghastly tone, unskilled vibrato, and so on. Chuck is one of the worst guitar players I know" -Gravity Jim

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    Forum Member Totally bored's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    This is what you want and it works great

    http://www.acmeguitarworks.com/Volume_Kit_P87C13.cfm

    Scroll down and read up on it "Treble Compensation"
    http://www.dimarzio.com//media/diagr...l_vintage2.pdf

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    Forum Member Don's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    Quoted just so it would be repeated-

    Quote Originally Posted by Offshore Angler View Post
    Believe it or not, a lot of the guitar-volume related tone suckage is in the amp, not the guitar. One major source is using too big an amp for the job at hand and not having the amp's volume set high enough. When the amp is cooking the guitar volume knob is as much a "drive" knob as volume.

    Set your amp to give a good sound with the guitar's volume around 5 or 6, then you'll find better tone across the entire volume range on the guitar. In some situations, it take some maturity and restraint to keep it there, but what you'll find is that you will be able to play with much better dynamics because you can roll the volume up or down as required and still sound good.

  8. #8
    Forum Member music-n-motorcycle's Avatar
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    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    I have my own wierd theory on this subject. I am at a place now where you set the amp once for tone and volume. Once you get your tone, if it is too loud with the guitar vol full on, then the amp is too big for the room.

    As for the guitar vol pot. I always like mine full on. sometimes I even wire around the pot entirely.

    In my pedal set up I have an EQ just for volume boost for soloing. When you punch it, the volume comes up but your tone is safe because you have already set it at the EQ level.

    So with the guitar pot full on, I get all the signal to the amp. The amp (and effects) give me my tone. The solo boost comes at a foot stomp. If you are having to make a lot of minute adjustments as you play, you should listen carefully to the band and figure out why. Any sound adjustments coming from the stage should be in the hands of a competent sound man, or at least a well rehearsed band.

    Having said all that, I have played with other people and know that this scenario is rare.
    4:20, my favorite time of day.

  9. #9

    Re: Wiring to keep tone constant when lowering volume?

    I've spent years wiring treble-bleed circuits into almost every guitar I've ever owned (dozens). The values of the cap and resistor were often different, depending on the guitar, the amp, the CABLE and any pedals between the guitar and amp. I don't understand impedence or 'tuned circuits' but what I think you're doing is compensating for the treble loss of the cable - and if the value's not right you might still lose treble, or gain treble when you back off the vol pot. Change to a different cable and you're wrong again. Now I've re-wired all my guitars to the "50's" wiring, and problem solved. On a Strat though you may have to lose independent tone controls by using a master tone and the 'blender' wiring - but this gives you the added option of neck and bridge in parallel (sounds clean and country to me - a little like a Gretsch) and all 3 pickups together. Worth a try and needs no extra components...

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