Re: treble bleed question (ATTN Joey G.)



josh wrote:
>
> I recently swapped out my stock Gibson 490/498 for a set of SD Alnico
> II Pros and rewired the volume and tone pots for independent control,
> what I notice now is that the volume control has an inordinate amount
> of treble loss. Could this be from the rewiring?

Are you sure it wasn't happening before you re-wired? It's common to all
passive guitar circuits, unless a treble bleed circuit is added, as far
as I know.

> if I got one of those
> George L fancy low capacitance cables would that help? could the stock
> Gibson pot be shitty and loading the pickup too much (I've some CTS
> pots laying around if that might help)?
> Joey, I read in an old thread that you were having similar problems
> and weren't happy with the standard treble bleed circuits, did you ever
> try the cap and resistor in series? or the mod that involved the tone
> control? did you settle on any values that were completely transparent?

I don't think there are any values that are completely transparent.
If you use just a cap then you lose all your bottom end when the vol is
turned down but the taper of the vol control stays the same.
If you add a resistor (it's a parallel circuit, not serial) then the
bottom end stays a bit more natural but the taper of the vol pot gets
all screwed up.
I usually use the standard values of a .001mf cap and a 150kohm
resistor. I use this on both 500k pots and 250k, pots depending on the guitar.
Kris Kinman suggests slightly different values. Sometimes I use his
values, but there isn't much difference. Check his web site:
<http://www.kinman.com/html/toneWorkshop/perfectGuitar.htm#volumePots>

One thing that I do that is different than most folks though is that I
have the treble bleed components wired to a switch. So I have a reg vol
pot and then switch in the treble bleed circuit when I want it. The only
time I really need it is when I'm playing with an overdriven sound and I
want to control the saturation with the vol pot. I.e. Most of the time I
don't use it. But then again I have a volume pedal in-line all the time anyways.

> Anyone else know of a way to keep the sound of the pickup and the
> function of the tone control the same as I turn down?

Use EMGs.
Or use a vloume pedal.
Most passive vol pedals (even one with a high-z input, like the Boss
FV-300H) will still lose a bit of top end when they are backed off.
Active pedals, with a built-in buffer, will sound the same through the
pedal's taper but unless it's a really good circuit (and I don't know of
any) it will change your tone slightly.
You might try a passive, low-z, vol pedal with a good buffer, like the
Axess BS-2, in front of it. But then we're into lugging extra gear and
wall-warts, etc. around.

I used to have a buffer that plugged right into the guitar's output jack
essentially turning the guitar into an active signal and making the vol
pot work without treble loss. But it sounded really sterile. Made by PAX
I believe.

> I'm playing through a Blackface Deluxe Reverb so after about 4 on the
> volume control (of the amp) I'm ready to go into distortion, normally I
> control this with the volume controls on the guitar but this way I have
> to turn the treble up for the lower guitar setting which of course
> makes for some nasty distortion when I turn up.

Use a volume pedal.

--
Joey Goldstein
http://www.joeygoldstein.com
joegold AT sympatico DOT ca
.