Strat Lovers and `Quieting the Beast'

[lite1]

Hi
I wired my strat in accordance with the `Quieting the Beast' mod. Now I'd like to try the `Strat Lovers' mod but the wiring diagram from J Hewitt based on JA's schematic does not seem to take this into accoun?. Am I misssing something? is there a schematic or wiring diagram out there that takes this into account once` the Beast' mod has been done?

[JohnH]

Hi lite1, welcome to GN2

I did the SLS wiring diagram because I could not find any other version on the net, so I suspect it may be the only one.

However, although it may look different, it is intended to be compatible with the design principles of the QTB, which are:

Full cavity shielding is @ssumed
No ground loops
One central star ground point. Every signal ground has only one route to this point, and it is the only place where cavity shielding connects to the signal grounds.

It does not have the 0.33 isolation cap as in the QTB. Thats a choice, based on if you think you will be plugging into a dodgy vintage amp. The protection it provides is not full, but its up to you. If you want this, then the dotted wire on my diagram that goes to the bridge ground could have a capacitor along its length. This is how JohnA does it in his S-tastic mod, and he suggests a 0.1uF 400V in this position - you could use the 0.33 if you have this.

The single star ground point is shown on my diagram as being the back of a pot. This is the most common place, but you can also use a ring terminal. I usually solder a wire to a washer, put that under one pot shaft and solder the other end to the ground terminal on that pot. Then I solder all the other ground to that short wire link, which is easier than soldering to a pot.

Apart from the basic cavity shielding, the SLS wiring needs to be almost a complete do-over however, theres not much you can keep of the basic wire runs.

A few other points about the diagram I did:

I show a treble bleed cap of 0.001 (=1nF on the volume pot). Since doing that, I think that a 1nF in parallel with a 220k resistor is better. See my recent similar circuit with two volume controls:

guitarnuts2.proboards45.com/index.cgi?board=wiring&action=display&thread=1163817284&page=2

The tone capacitors are a personal choice. I like quite low values, but most folk would find the 10nF (0.01uF) value that I showed to be too small. Usually, tone caps are between 0.022 and 0.047.

The push pull switches are drawn with the switch part on the side of the pot, for clarity (and ease of my drawing). in fact they are mounted on the circular back of the pot. I hope that is not too unclear.

Good luck!

John

[UnklMickey]

johnh said:

...The tone capacitors are a personal choice. I like quite low values, but most folk would find the 10nF (0.01uF) value that I showed to be too small. Usually, tone caps are between 0.022 and 0.047....

John, i have a 22nF cap in my strat, and i very much like what happens when the tone control is at minimum. i'm seriously thinking about changing to a 10nF cap to shift the peak upward. or maybe installing a rotary switch to select from a variety of caps.



cheers,

unk

[echobase2002]

unklmickey said:

10nF cap to shift the peak upward. or maybe installing a rotary switch to select from a variety of caps.

unk, I've been thinking about a smiliar device. It's similar to the varitone found here:

www.blueshawk.info/varitone.htm

however, mine was to be an external master tone pot. Instead of using a fixed resistor as a choke, I was going to use the variable cap in conjunction with a tone pot. Keeping it external would allow moving it from one guitar to the next without installing one on each. Never built it, as the idea came at the same time I started trying to learn to build amps. In reference to that, I've got a lot of learning to do!

[UnklMickey]

hi Echobase2002,

the varitone uses an inductor, rather than a fixed resistor. it makes a sharp notch at the resonance of the selected cap and inductor.

what you are describing is a basically normal tone control, with a selectable roll-off point. it will be interesting in it's own way, when the pot is set to minimum resistance, and the pickup and cap are directly in parallel.


unk

[NanooMan]

Also, you could check out the Strat Lover's Other Strat. Just search for it.