Having trouble with one of my strats

My second strat (1994 Southern Cross Series, with Fat 50s pickups and an Emerson Custom Strat Blender prewired kit) sounds muddy and dull compared to my American Standard, which has exactly the same pickups.

I had a tech replace the paper in oil 0.047 cap with a Polyester 0.22 one (which I believe is the standard capacitor in American Standard strats). The result was worse. Now the guitar lost most of its treble. Muddier than ever and I am PISSED.

I know the woods are different and the distances too, but still I don't think that explains such a big difference between two strats with the same pups.
Suggestions?

Does the American Standard instrument also have the Emerson Blender circuit?

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Originally Posted by phantomman

Does the American Standard instrument also have the Emerson Blender circuit?

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No, it still got the standard factory wiring. The one with a no load pot.

I suspect that the blender circuit is either mis-wired or defective.

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Originally Posted by phantomman

I suspect that the blender circuit is either mis-wired or defective.

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I’ll have it checked. This is the 1994 strat:

https://i.postimg.cc/W1mpVCLC/E6490-...190-A29-EC.jpg


This is the American one:

https://i.postimg.cc/PqtX5ydx/45012-...BA1395-DA5.jpg

Who wired that '94 Strat......Stevie Wonder?

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Originally Posted by phantomman

Who wired that '94 Strat......Stevie Wonder?

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It’s been rewired several times before I bought it used many years ago.

Time to take it to a pro and have him straighten out that mess.

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Originally Posted by Sugarcane

0.22

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0.22 or 0.022? What's the number on the new cap? 223K? 224K? I can't make it out in your pic.

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Originally Posted by Don

0.22 or 0.022? What's the number on the new cap? 223K? 224K? I can't make it out in your pic.

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https://i.postimg.cc/qMXtpjKt/F24944...C8900-FBB7.jpg

I am not a expert in Strat wiring, but I noticed Emerson Custom has a "get in touch" option on their website. Perhaps they could give you a schematic to put it back to original condition, since you say it was worked on before you got the guitar. The .022uF Cap is for P-90's and humbucker pickups, while the .047uF is for single coils.

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Originally Posted by Michael Smith

The .022uF Cap is for P-90's and humbucker pickups, while the .047uF is for single coils.

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Nonsense. I routinely use .022's and .033's in many of my Strats. They sound great. I prefer the PIO types though.

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Originally Posted by phantomman

Nonsense. I routinely use .022's and .033's in many of my Strats. They sound great. I prefer the PIO types though.

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That info was per Emerson Custom's website. I guess it depends on how much high end you want to roll off. The higher the cap value, the more highs that will be rolled off. I'll have to check my strat to see what cap value it has. It's stock, no modifications.

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Originally Posted by Sugarcane

https://i.postimg.cc/qMXtpjKt/F24944...C8900-FBB7.jpg

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That'll work. Just wanted to make sure it was 0.022 and not 0.22.

You get it sorted out yet, Sergio?