Tone Load Simulator

[Cenulab]

Hello nuts,

I've having a blast with the Mike Richardson mod on my Strat (thanks Mike!!! ;D), and I like having the tone controls dedicated to the neck and bridge pickup, but I do have one little problem to solve...

The pickups I'm using are Bill Lawrence 280N, 280M, 298L, which absolutely rule the universe of tone, IMO, but they are specifically designed to work with 250k pots and a tone control connected. Without having the middle pickup connected to a tone control, it's just a little bit harsh, paricularly when using semi-overdriven tube sounds (99% of my sound). I know hooking up a tone control solves the problem because I have my tone pots switchable from one-pup-only to off to master.

I don't want to connect the mid pup to either tone control, but would like to simulate the load of a 250k tone pot on "10" with a .022 or .01mf cap. I would imagine that I could do so using a cap and resistor across the leads of the mid pup, but have no idea what values or configuration would do the trick...

Help please!!!

[UnklMickey]

if you want to simulate a tone circuit at "10",

put a resistor (of same value as the pot) in series with the cap and put that network in parallel with the pup.

that's figuring that a pot at "10" is at full rated value.

in reality, some pots wipers won't go all the way to the end.

so 220k or 180k might be closer to an exact match.

if you really want to replicate the thing, measure the pot with a meter. and match with the closest common value.

IMHO we only need to be close anyway. i doubt you'll hear the difference between 220k and 250k.

more common values of fixed resistors are 220k and 270k, so i think it would make the most sense to just use 220k.

unk

[Cenulab]

Hi Unk,

To clarify, I want to simulate the miniscule amout of high frequencies shunted to ground when the tone pot is virtually "off" (if it were the volume control pot, it would be on "0", according to the plastic knob, but since it's the tone control,"10" is where it's least effective).

Sorry for the confusion!

What's perfectly clear to me is perfectly clear to...me!

[UnklMickey]

yes,

that's exactly what i described.

_____________________________________________

(this next part is more than you probably wanted to know)

BTW: if you wanted to simulate the tone on "0" (maximum treble-cut), you would omit* the series (through) resistor. you would connect the cap directly in parallel (across) with the pickup leads.

*this is the same as "zero" resistance = a short circuit = a wire.


unk

[Cenulab]

Thanks again, Unk.

I'm admittedly (and obviously, I'm afraid) working with an EXTREMELY low level of education here...

but you've helped me take it up a micro-notch. This begs more questions, but I'll save it for another thread...

-Cen

[UnklMickey]

cenulab said:

...I'm admittedly (and obviously, I'm afraid) working with an EXTREMELY low level of education here.....

we can fix that!