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Post by peppercorn on May 1, 2011 8:08:30 GMT -5
Hi All
I have just wired up my new guitar that I built and am unhappy with the sound.
I have a Master Volume Pot and then it goes straight to the Amp. I have no Tone Pot at all.
The sound is Muddy and pretty deep. If I select the bridge PU it does brighten up but not enough as I would like.
Does a Tone Pot actually filter the bass freq's or boost the treble freq's?
If I added a Tone Pot and had it at 10, would I have exactly the same sound as now or would it add treble Freqs??
Thanks for any help
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Post by newey on May 1, 2011 8:42:24 GMT -5
As a strictly passive device, a tone pot can't boost anything, it can only take away. And, what it takes away is treble, that is, the higher frequencies.
Even at "10", adding a pot into the circuit adds resistance (unless you use a "no-load" pot). So, adding a pot will darken, not brighten, your sound.
Let's look a little deeper into things here. What type of pickups are you using? How are they wired? What value is the volume pot you have in there?
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Post by peppercorn on May 1, 2011 8:52:17 GMT -5
I am using Burns signature single Coil P/U's. I have them wired the same as a Strat however I am unsure what type of Volume Pot I have.
Thanks for clearing up the initial question though. So, my problem COULD be the Volume Pot?
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Post by newey on May 1, 2011 9:27:34 GMT -5
Could be the volume pot. If it's not, and given that you have this wired in std parallel Strat fashion, then it would necessarily have to be the pickups.
If you have a multimeter, you can check the value of the Vol pot if it's not marked thereon. Just measure the resistance across the outside 2 lugs.
A 250KΩpot is what Fender uses with single coils to "de-brighten them a bit. If that's what you have, you could go to a 500K or even 1 Meg to brighten things up a bit.
You can also test to see if the Vol pot makes a difference by connecting the pickup directly to the output.
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Post by peppercorn on May 1, 2011 20:57:30 GMT -5
I think I figured out some of the problem. I had the pot wired incoreectly but..
The sound has improved a lot but still a bit dark (read deep) for me.
The biggest issue is that I can't fire off harmonics with my pick! I've never had that problem before. Even acoustically they are very difficult to fire off and if I can they are dulled. Any ideas??
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Post by newey on May 1, 2011 21:01:10 GMT -5
Well, I still want to know the value of your pot. Also, have you adjusted the height of the pickups?
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Post by peppercorn on May 1, 2011 21:28:13 GMT -5
The pickup height is OK trust me! The value of the Pot is 250k.
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Post by newey on May 1, 2011 21:39:43 GMT -5
Well, as I said then, you might want to try a 500K or even a 1M pot. But first, you should see if it is more to your liking without any pot, that will be as bright as those pickups will give you.
Changing to a higher value pot is not a freebie, you lose some of the range of adjustment on the pot; go too high, and the pot starts to act more like an on/off switch.
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Post by peppercorn on May 1, 2011 23:30:55 GMT -5
Thanks Newey I appreciate your help!
Tell me, what do you think the harmonic issue may be??? or the lack of harmonics actually.
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Post by peppercorn on May 2, 2011 3:37:38 GMT -5
I've learned that I CAN get harmonics from picking the string IF I pick further away from the bridge. That just means that I will have to change the way my right hand has been picking strings for the last 25 years!!. I am using a Schaller Haines Bridge guitar-bridge.com/hp188177/Ha...580ae54bXY2d64Does anyone have any experience with these bridges?? they look nice and are nice on your right hand and feel really good, but I am thinking that this design "may" be the reason that I have to move my hand an inch to two inches forward to get harmonics. Harmonics are a big part of my playing. To tell the truth they are about the only interesting thing about my playing. |
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Post by Yew on May 2, 2011 5:33:51 GMT -5
The chances are, you have just missed the sweet spot because of the new bridge feelign different, I assume you are talking about artificial/pinch harmonics? there are points that will work all along the string, so you could just be a little bit too far forward/back because of the unfamiliar bridge?
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Post by peppercorn on May 2, 2011 7:34:53 GMT -5
Yea you are spot on!!! I wish I knew that this could happen before I bought the new bridge. I can pinch em but it is a strange feel for my right hand!
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Post by Yew on May 2, 2011 10:54:27 GMT -5
Dont worry, you will relearn all the sweetspots pretty soon  |
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