Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

dotsdad

Well-known member
I am curious if you guys have experimented with different values of caps and resistors on your treble bleeds. What values do you like most with 500k pots and humbuckers?
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

Which version of TB do you have??

The taper of the pot is also somewhat important too.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

On my Strat with the Treble bleed, you have to monkey with the controls to get the same tone I usually have always got just by regular adjustment..not the best explanation, it's all I got sorry.I don't see it as adding anything beneficial, but detracting from intuitive basic tone control.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

I find a cap only works well, it's the simplest and sounds the best. I used 150 or 220pf to maintain bass presence while turning down or 330pf to have it as bright while turning down.

Now I'm liking better just wiring the tone to the center lug on the volume pot instead of using a treble bleed. You maintain your tone as you turn the volume down but it's nice and warm.
 
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Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

Not all my guitars benefit from them, the middy & dark sounding guitars I have seem to work wthe most wity TB. The simple 180pF cap PRS uses is a subtle but effective one, other one I like is the kinman version. The one important factor in choosing the values for me is the cable used, change the cable and the values need fine tuning too.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

Just for info on my thoughts, I'm with MM.

It gives a totally artificial eq. It doesn't roll down the treble in the same ratio. So rather than the modern wiring rolloff where treble rolls off more than other ranges of the eq, the TB goes the polar opposite. So you have eq change issues either way.
For mine the gibson style 50's wiring works for those guitars, but not so much for a strat/tele.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

I plan on trying a wide range of values in a few of my guitars. I'll probably start with the Suhr 150k || 680pf and tweak from there. My Tele came with a cap only and it's too bright, but for the way I play now I want something there rather than nothing. I might experiment with the 50's style on the Strats, I like it on the Les Paul.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

I find a cap only works well, it's the simplest and sounds the best. I used 150 or 220pf to maintain bass presence while turning down or 330pf to have it as bright while turning down.

Now I'm liking better just wiring the tone to the center lug on the volume pot instead of using a treble bleed. You maintain your tone as you turn the volume down but it's nice and warm.

My PRS guitars all came stock with just a 180 pf. cap across the 500k volume pot.

It's so small a value that it barely makes a difference. But it does help.

Since the problem with losing clarity has to do with the neck pickup, and since I never use the tone control when using my neck pickup, I disconnectted the tone control from the neck pickup on two guitars and removed the 180 pf cap.

That helps too and eliminates the need for a treble bleed cap. I do that on guitars with just a master tone control...like my Teles.

It also allows me to leave the tone turned down to a "sweet spot" on my bridge pickup without it affecting the neck pickup sound when I switch back to it for chords.
 
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Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

I don't think my guitars benefit from them. I've tried a few different values, but it messes with the taper I am used to, so I wind up ripping them out in a week.
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

Thanks guys. It sounds like its not worth the trouble. now you've got me leaning more towards a no-load pot for the neck.
I
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

I have one on my RG2 with the JB\Jazz set
I mostly leave my volume wide open
But when I do turn down it sounds exactly the same just lower

Put one on my buddy's strat. He ripped it out
Said it wouldn't let him roll up for leads and such

But it didn't work and better without it
Now he wants it back

They used to have them pre-made at mojotone
For $2

I got ten bucks worth years ago

I voted for
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

Suhr's values. 150k and 680pf in parallel.

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Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

i used them but since i got my dimebucker treble bleed is of no use to me
 
Re: Let's talk about Treble Bleeds

On my Strat with the Treble bleed, you have to monkey with the controls to get the same tone I usually have always got just by regular adjustment..not the best explanation, it's all I got sorry.I don't see it as adding anything beneficial, but detracting from intuitive basic tone control.

It's not a tone control. The idea is that when you turn your volume control down, you lose high end due to resistive loading on the pickup.

So the treble bypass bleeds some highs back into the signal.

If you are someone that likes the darker tone when you turn the volume down, then it's not for you.

I've used them in the past, but don't currently have any in my guitars. I tend to keep the volume on 10 anyway. I don't use it to clean up my tone. I just switch to a different amp/pedal setting.


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