"Broadcaster Blend" circuit w/ HB neck

[IronSchef]

Hi Folks,

Just finished a "Keef-caster" tele, using an SD Vintage for Broadcaster Bridge pup, and an Epiphone Alnico Classic Neck HB pup (8.4 resistance, Alnico 5) - and it's wired with this circuit:

Positions 1 and 2 sound fantastic, but position 3 is entirely unusable (sounds like its under water)

I may just not use that position at all, since I can get full-on Neck, full-on Bridge, and ability to blend neck in ... but is there anything I could change in this circuit that would help the position 3??

• Would changing to a different Cap value help? currently have .047 in there
• If I switch to a 500K Volume pot, I expect that will help position 3... but will it make my Bridge pup TOO bright? I really do not want to alter the tone I have right now w/ the Bridge pup.

 

[allstarrme]

Re: "Broadcaster Blend" circuit w/ HB neck

Get a 500k pot for the volume. Put a 470k-ish resistor in line with the bridge output so it knocks the total for the bridge back to 250k if the 500k is too bright.

Maybe change the neck pickup to something a little more clear and defined, those epi pickups are ok, better than they used to be, but still not Gibson or Duncan good, even some gfs might be a step up.

A .047 seems high, could try some smaller values for the cap.

I don't know a lot about that blend circuit, I would make it a normal 3 way then use the tone for a spin a split or regular tone.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: "Broadcaster Blend" circuit w/ HB neck

The dark circuit of a Tele really should be the Esquire version that was an RC network of 2 caps and a resistor. It leaked treble and actually made the neck pickup sound like an archtop jazz guitar.

An epi humbucker would be a little dark/muddy compared to a Tele neck PU, so lower cap values would probably be better to get the same affect, or splitting the humbucker at the same time as engaging the dark circuit. But a cap alone will not get you there - I don't know why guys do that in the first place. It's the same as having a tone control turned all the way down.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: "Broadcaster Blend" circuit w/ HB neck

Caps in full effect don't stop making it sound like it's underwater until around 10nf and below.