My new HWY 1 tele is all good - but a bit dark and not so clear. Would a cap change do me some good? If so what caps would you recommend to clear up the sound?
P e a c e
KYC
My new HWY 1 tele is all good - but a bit dark and not so clear. Would a cap change do me some good? If so what caps would you recommend to clear up the sound?
P e a c e
KYC
Maybe you can exchange the pots for 500k pots. That should help
If I'm not mistaken, the cap changes the point at which the tone changes from bassier to brighter. But once the tone pot is turned up all the way I believe the cap is out of the circuit. If I'm explaning this properly, the cap sets the contour of the tone pot but doesn't change the sound when the tone is up all the way.
If you want the guitar to sound brighter, you might try raising the pickups.
Oooooh, I'm not sure I'm onboard with that. Generally, we lower pickups to pick up brightness, and raise them to get bassier.
"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
Lowering pickups seems to balance them out and compress them and, depending on the amount of over-drive, softens the attack.
Raised pickups sound more saturated to me with sharper attack which can sometimes be considered, "brightness."
The original poster said, "My new HWY 1 tele is all good - but a bit dark and not so clear."
The word "clear" is what struck me. I figured raising and lowering the pickups doesn't cost anything and doesn't require that you open up the guitar. It's quick, free way of eliminating one possibility.
Kinda splitting hairs here, but when the tone pot is turned all the way up, the cap is almost all the way out of the circuit. You can fully take the cap out of the circuit using a no-load tone pot, which you can either purchase, or modify one yourself.
Changing the cap in this guitar's tone control, though, is not very likely to get the result the OP wants.
Like OSA, I usually get the opposite effect. Lowering pickups can often produce a brighter, more chimey tone.
Before doing anything, though, check your signal chain. Are you getting the same "dark" tone through different amps? Plugging straight in vs. using effects? Using different cables? The problem might not be in your guitar.
If, after determining that it is the guitar, and not something in the chain that's causing the issue, I'd:
1) play the guitar unplugged for a while, and see how it sounds. Optimally, you'd be able to compare it to other similar unplugged guitars that don't sound dark to you. If it sounds dark unplugged, it can still be brightened up, but it takes a bit more fiddling.
2) Try lowering the pickups. Lower them a bit, then play and listen. If you're getting where you want to go, lower them a bit more. Use the manufacturer's suggested pickup height figures only as a ball park reference. Pickup height adjustment takes a lot of trial and error to find what works.
3) Consider upping the pots to 500K or even 1M. That can really open the sound up. Sometimes, crappy pots can even be the culprit, and just swapping them out for high quality pots of the same value can make a difference. When I see odd, no-name pots in my guitars, I like to swap them out for good ones, because I like knowing what's under the hood. Just my preference...
I like a no-load tone pot, and use them on all my guitars. It's entirely a matter of choice, though, and the difference, while noticeable, is not "huge."
4) Consider a pickup swap. There are lots of bright tele pickups on the market.
I hope that helps...
There is a very fine line between "hobby" and "mental illness".
-Dave Barry
I have one and I think the problem is the pickups. They are very hot pickups.. I dont think a cap will do to much. This is what I did to my Highway One. Seymour Duncan Mini Humbucker and a Don Mare custom shop in the bridge with a Glendale bridge and saddles..
Nice looking Tele! I scrapped the hot pickups too (mine is a Texas highway one) and put a Duncan Broadcaster in the bridge and a Nashville Studio in the neck. I also put a bakelite black guard on the guitar and now the guitar is perfect. Did you have to rout out the neck pickup area to get that Duncan in?
These guitars are perfect for projects. I got mine for $600 on evil bay and put another hundred bucks in, and now I'm very happy.
I have some of those hot highway one pickups for a good price if someone wants them. By the way is there a Highway One in Texas? Is it on the coast like California?
I think I would scrap the "greasebucket" tone control, and go with a standard 250k pot and a .022uf Sprauge Orange Drop capacitor. imo
Then Play On
Thanks for all the input - I will go from least expensive mod and go from there like a true tightwad.
What 500K pot to y'all recommend?
For now I have been taking advantage of the warmer sound and adding to it by trimming back the tone on the 5E3 with the tele for a nice warm sound, adding ping pong delay=very enjoyable, unexpected, mellow tele sound.
P e a c e
KYChucky
I would get rid of them hot pickups and keep the pots and cap...
'Nuther thing, a muddy, dark sounding Tele is a pretty common experiecne if the amp isn't turned up enough, or just a not-so-great amp. Strat's can sound great when the amp is a little throttled back, but a Tele is a much more amp sensitive guitar.
Before you start changing everything, make sure your rig is singing, or none of the changes will really help.
"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
Offshore:
Good point. The amp is a Mission 5E3 with nothing in between- -it's super. But, you are right, of course it sounds better cranked.
KYC
if you're plugged into the bright channel, and it's still dark, well i'd disconnect the tone cap and then see where you stand. as long as you have a soldering iron this is free. if you don't, i'm sure a friend of yours has one. try that, then proceed from there.
fyi: pickup height can also change the relative brightness of a pickup.
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
I changed out the murky sounding texas pick ups in my hyw1 to vintage 52 fenders took out the greez bucket circuit and wired like a nocast with a new big surplus store cap and resistor sounds FABULOUS(my opinion of course)and guitar plays like a mofo.
Last edited by gooman; 03-29-2009 at 09:51 AM.
I lowered the pickups and it helped a bunch. It made it sound good enough to leave it alone....for now. Not so mid-range in your face. There is more definition now, more detail...or at least I think so..At least I feel better about it.
Thanks,
KYC