Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

[Thundermtn]

I need just a little brighter tone out of my 7, what's the best reversible first step? Pots or saddles? I've taken it as far as I can with pickup height and strings and it's really close to where I want it to be so I'm going a piece at a time. I've always farmed my tech work out but I'm at the point now where I have (too many guitars) and need too start doing it myself. Thanks

 

[Jacew]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Tone cap?

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

1Meg pots. It will brighten it up significantly, so you may want to go back to darker sounding strings or lower the pickup screws a bit when you're done.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

tried stainless steel strings?

 

[Jacew]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

1Meg pots. It will brighten it up significantly, so you may want to go back to darker sounding strings or lower the pickup screws a bit when you're done.

Why is everyone suggesting to change to higher value pots first? When changing the capacitor is easier to do, cheaper and much easier to balance tone-wise?

Not that it's bad advise. It would work. But wouldn't be sensible to start from less drastic modifications first?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

tried stainless steel strings?

My thoughts too.

 

[VinceT]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

1meg vol pot & no load tone pot.


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[chadd]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Why is everyone suggesting to change to higher value pots first? When changing the capacitor is easier to do, cheaper and much easier to balance tone-wise?

Not that it's bad advise. It would work. But wouldn't be sensible to start from less drastic modifications first?

The cap may or may not be enough to get where you want. Higher value pot will add enough top end and any adjustments to go darker can be done without the hassle of going back into the control cavity.

 

[macki]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Strings? Have you tried the EB cobalts? I find they have a slight bit more high end and a higher output.


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[Diego]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

1) Stainless steel strings
2) Disconnect the tone pot
3) Lower the pickups and don't just raise the polepieces, crank them.

 

[Jacew]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

The cap may or may not be enough to get where you want. Higher value pot will add enough top end and any adjustments to go darker can be done without the hassle of going back into the control cavity.

It's hardly a hassle going to the control cavity, in strat just leave enough wire to flip the pickguard around. For routing in back it's much easier.

Good, and very easy way to test different component values is to screw the guitar cable plug open and wind the compenents you want to try between hot and ground of the cable. Works just like they were in guitar.

Just throwing it bright, and fixing it outside the guitar seems pretty ugly work...

 

[EAProwlerB]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Earthquacker Tone Job

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

I was going to ask about strings as well.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Thanks everyone, forgot to say my pots are old and scratchy non-CTS so the need to be replaced anyway. I'll try caps too, forgot about those, super cheap way to test and from the videos I've seen the jump from .022 to .015 may get it close enough.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

tried stainless steel strings?

Haven't tried any yet, ran D'Addario XL's for a loooong time and recently moved this one to NYXL's so it has decently bright strings on it now. Who makes a dynamic sounding SS string?

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

And you can also try things like a different preamp tube in your amp's V1 socket; a low capacitance guitar cable; and even switching to a pick made from a different material can brighten your tone.

Make sure that your bridge-to-body contact is tight. Sometimes they're not coupled tightly. An aluminum stop tail on a Paul sounds different than the factory pot metal.

A buffer on your pedalboard can add back some tone, or use a grapic or parametric EQ to boost or cut desired frequencies.

Lots of ways to get the job done.

Bill

 

[HotHead]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

1-meg pots will make your signal sound brighter. Brass saddles make the strings' vibrations brighter. Combine them for maximum brightness. It all depends on what you think needs to be improved. Some guitars come with sh*t saddles that just suck the life out of the strings. If that's the case, just replace them. It'll make everything sound better.

If that's not enough, try stainless steel frets.

 

[dave74]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

If that's not enough, try stainless steel frets.

So much for quick and easy solutions lol.

 

[HotHead]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

So much for quick and easy solutions lol.

As a last ditch effort, it will brighten every fretted note if he still needs an extra push.

 

[Thundermtn]

Re: Need to slightly brighten a guitar.

Cables are gtg, already switched up the pick from my usual tortex to an ultex. Tubes gotta stay put, tone out of my others guitars is just right. EQ pedal, I like the sound of that, run an A/B just for the 7 string. Plus I don't have one yet haha.