S-tastic mod questions

[eljib]

Hey guys,

I just completed the s-tastic mod from GN1 (using a single tone pot instead of the highly recomended two pot version) and everything seems to be working fine except that the tone control is acting like a master volume. What gives? That was the easiest pot to wire so i'm pretty sure I got it right.

The only thing that I did different was instead of using a .033 cap (which I did not have) I parallel wired a .01 and a .022 because I figure it would do the same thing.

Any ideas what's happening?

Also, I was wondering...
In positions 2, 3 and 4, if I have the mid pup at full volume, how are my pups wired? Are my guesses right?

2 Neck+Middle+Bridge in Parallel

3 Neck+Middle+Bridge in Series

4 Neck+Middle+Bridge in Series and Out of Phase (but which one is Out of Phase with which?)

Thanks

[UnklMickey]

eljib,

i was looking through some old threads and i came across yours.

does the treble soften up first, then as you continue to rotate the pot, the volume gets quieter until no sound at all? is it worse when the main volume is not at max?

if so, one of the caps being shorted would do that.

and yes paralleling those caps would give you .032 uF. way close enough to .033 that NOBODY would ever be able to hear the difference.

or did you already fix it?


U.M

[eljib]

No, I haven't fixed it yet. I didn't want to take it apart without somebody telling me that what to do once it was in peices. The guitar sounded so good with all the new options that I just decided to play it until the strings went dead and then dismantle.

[eljib]

unklmickey:

Well, I didn't fix it...but it's fixed. I just plugged it in to see if the problems matched your descriptions, and to my surprise I found that there was no longer a problem. Must have been that shorted cap. But I still want to make sure I fix it for good. If the problem comes back and matches your description, which cap do I need to insulate?

Also, the now functioning master tone does not affect my middle pup whatsoever. I can't remember if it is supposed to be like that, but I'm mentioning it just in case it helps solve the problem.

Oh, and thank you so much for responding. I really appreciate your help.

L. Jib

[UnklMickey]

eljib said:

...But I still want to make sure I fix it for good. If the problem comes back and matches your description, which cap do I need to insulate?...

look at the wires to the .01and .022 caps you paralleled. if they are really close to touching, that might be where your problem was.

actually, anything that would short that right-hand terminal of the tone pot to ground (referring to the drawing by John A.) would cause this problem.

look for bits of solder, foil from shielding, or any conductive materials that might be loose in your cavity. that kind of stuff can be the cause of intermittent problems.

you said you wanted to fix it for good so you might want to but a cap that is the right value. usually when a cap shorts internally it stays dead, but not always. besides, there will be less clutter with one cap of the right value, than the two in parallel.

good luck


U.M.

[eljib]

Thanks, I'll check it out...and ask another question:

I'm still unsure about how my pups are wired when all three are at full volume. I saw some options that mixed series and parallel in your table of combos on the "29 tones" thread and remembered that I am still not sure what's going on inside my guitar.

Nice work on that table, btw.

[UnklMickey]

oh, yeah.

with the middle pot at max, you have

• 2 Neck + Bridge + Middle
  
  
• 3 [Neck * Bridge] + Middle
  
  
• 4 [-neck * Bridge] + Middle
  

the table was a bit of work, but might be a good reference AFTER someone verifies the accuracy. 'til then use with caution.