Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum

Other Stuff => Guitars => Topic started by: jojokeo on February 12, 2012, 02:12:00 pm

Title: Tone control question
Post by: jojokeo on February 12, 2012, 02:12:00 pm
Okay, I have installed a few various standard tone controls in a few Strats. Since I've found what I like the best I'm wiring all my Strats the same way. One has Kinman pups I installed yesterday w/ a A250k pot & used a .002 cap. Works perfectly and I loved the .002 so much instead of usual .022 that I decided to do the same thing in another Strat.
This other one has Fralin Split Blades and I have the tone pot being a A500k because the Fralin's don't have the same presence as the Kinmans. Now here's the issue - when I get the control turned down, the signal is also going to ground and when the tone pot is full OFF, then the signal goes completely away like a vol pot in a way!

Why is this happening with one guitar and not the other???
Title: Re: Tone control question
Post by: G._Hoffman on February 12, 2012, 08:01:11 pm
Well, first of all, they have different impedance, but I'm guessing you know that. 

As for the other, you have it wired wrong.  You probably have the tone control wired as a voltage divider instead of a variable resistor.  If the tone pot is wired as a variable resistor, then you haven't got the cap in line with it.

Of course, the other issue is that the varying impedance between pickups and pot resistance means the cap values won't work the same. 


Gabriel
Title: Re: Tone control question
Post by: jojokeo on February 15, 2012, 08:43:00 pm
Thanks Gabriel, I found & fixed it and was going to erase this post but maybe someone else might learn from my rookie mistake. Pretty embarrassing considering this would've never happened if I was working on an amp but w/ a guitar I guess I let my guard down? First thing I did w/out touching anything to confirm was measure continuity from pot ground to lug and got total connection - zero resistance. Live and learn I guess - here's what I had when I laid the cap down to solder it before fixing it.