Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Other Stuff => Guitars => Topic started by: LooseChange on March 27, 2009, 08:34:29 am
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I have a guitar with humbuckers and a 500k volume pot. The treble drops off really bad.
I've read lots of stuff about add a a cap, add a cap and resistor in parallel.
What do you like to do and what values do you like?
Thanks!
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Just scroll down on this Guitar board, and you should find some extensive posting on this topic in a few recent threads. It gives everyone hell - you are not alone. I'm on my way out the door to a jam. If you don't find anything just repost.
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I don't like the way treble bypass caps brighten up the guitar, so I usually skip them. Besides, the volume control tone change is part of the sound of the guitar - I like it!
When I get asked to do it, I usually just run a 500pF cap, which is smaller than most people use.
Gabriel
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This guitar drove me crazy when I played with the band. It darkens up way too much.
Gabriel, I have been in your camp about adding the cap. But perhaps it's because I've been doing the same 500p. Bare Knuckle suggested 2500p with a 220k in parallel. I've seen suggestions for 1000p - 2000p as being the norm.
I guess I've gotta open the guitar up and start clipping values in.
Thanks!
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RE treble bleed mods: I've come to dislike the Duncan mod which is cap and resistor in parallel. I now like the Kinman mod which is cap & resistor in series. There's lots of info on the Kinman website.
To complicate matters, pot value AND taper are also important factors. A 1M vol pot will brighten humbucker tone. For "hi-output" PU's over 12K ohms, a 2M vol pot is worth trying. A linear taper pot will smoothe out vol changes, and not bunch-up the sweep between 8 - 10 on the dial. Treble & vol will not drop-off so swiftly when you back-down the vol control. Apparently vintage audio pots had a less pronounced taper than do today's pots. So a linear pot is worth a try.
Finally, if you have Gibson LP 2X vol style controls, wiring may be a factor - modern wiring with decoupled vol controls vs. vintage wiring where the vol controls load ea other.
Hope that clears-up everything ::)
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A linear taper pot will smoothe out vol changes, and not bunch-up the sweep between 8 - 10 on the dial. Treble & vol will not drop-off so swiftly when you back-down the vol control. Apparently vintage audio pots had a less pronounced taper than do today's pots. So a linear pot is worth a try.
No, it just moves the bunch-up to between 3-4. Linear pots stink for volume, though some folks like them for tone controls.
HOWEVER, there are pots which have custom tapers. If you don't like normal Audio Taper pots, try a Dimarzio pot - they use a custom taper which some people like (I'm too used to CTS pots, myself, and use nothing else - I guess I just like thing very traditional, because I also like vintage output pickups and standard pot values).
Gabriel