Question For G&L PTB System Users

[STRATDELUXER97]

Regarding the stock .002 cap on the bass pot of this setup,if we go smaller on the value like a .0015,it thins the tone out more while rolling the pot towards 0.

My question is...When that bass pot is on 10,is that cap still in the equation?

In other words,if going from .002 on the bass pot and switching to a smaller .0015 cap,will it thin out the overall tone of the guitar?

I really like being able to dial out the woofiness,especially with the neck pickup and with some higher gain stuff..

Just a great system that works,though I'm still dialing it in on another strat project.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Question For G&L PTB System Users

It depends on how you wire it. You can wire it so that 10 is completly out of the circuit or that 0 puts it out of the circuit. But the point is that at one side the cap will be 100% in and the other side will be 100% out.

The small problem with this is that pots are designed to have one side have ∞k of resistance and the other will have 0k. But pots are not made to this perfect spec, one end will not have infinite resistance and the other will not have zero resitance. Most of the time this is inconsequential, but with a really crap pot, it can be possible to notice.

In short, the cap will only thin out your tone when the pot isn't on 10, unless your pot is really out of spec.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Question For G&L PTB System Users

It depends on how you wire it. You can wire it so that 10 is completly out of the circuit or that 0 puts it out of the circuit. But the point is that at one side the cap will be 100% in and the other side will be 100% out.

The small problem with this is that pots are designed to have one side have ∞k of resistance and the other will have 0k. But pots are not made to this perfect spec, one end will not have infinite resistance and the other will not have zero resitance. Most of the time this is inconsequential, but with a really crap pot, it can be possible to notice.

In short, the cap will only thin out your tone when the pot isn't on 10, unless your pot is really out of spec.

Thank you...I'm using the reverse taper 1 meg like G&L uses and had the .002 cap on that pot..After I lowered that cap to .0015,I swore the entire guitar got thinner.Probably just my imagination..LOL..I Like the.0015 more because it rolls more of the overall fullness out where needed..Treble pot has the stock .022 on it.

On 0 the cap does it's thing totally and at 10 the guitar retains it's fullness.

 

[Boogie Bill]

Re: Question For G&L PTB System Users

Don't know much about cap values, but maybe I can help by telling you how I use the PTB controls on my G&L guitars.

I set my G&Ls up with the controls "normaled", with VOLUME 7, TREBLE 10, BASS 5. Pickups are set with the bridge pickup fairly close to the strings, and the middle and neck are progressively lowered to create matched volume on all three pickups.

I frequently use Position 2 (bridge + middle) for both rhythm and lead tones. Target tones are in the range of Clapton and Cray's clean tones.

Note that I use a DOD FX10 Preamp, for an "always on" clean boost.

The Mesas are set up so that with the controls normalled as above, I get solid bass response. I set the amp's TREBLE so that I'm getting the maximum brightness and twang from the bridge pickup that I will use for my rockabilly and country stuff. I use enough treble to cut through when I'm on the LEAD CHANNEL, and I may roll back the amp's TREBLE slightly on this channel for a rounder lead tone. Keep in mind that for most of the material I'm doing, I'm using modest gain, 6-7 on the dial. I like to hear the tone sing and soar (ala Santana, but without the low-end flubiness he sometimes has).

So now when I solo, I can roll my volume up to 10. The PTB TREBLE can cut some of the high end for rounded tones if needed, or if I want clean jazz tones, I can flip to the neck pickup and roll the guitar's TREBLE down to 0-2. I rarely have to touch the PTB BASS, but rolling it up to 10 can add a lot of punch and balls to my solo.

Also be aware that the PTB works better with the hotter pickups in the S-500, Legacy Special and Comanche models than the vintage alnicos in the Legacy. I like getting some sustaining musical feedback on the Comanche and then using the PTB TREBLE to dial in the the various harmonics. A very cool effect!

Some guys try to work with the controls normalled on 5, but they seem less satisfied with the PTB doing it this way. And my method seems to be faster in going from twang to woman tone to singing lead.

I want a full sound, but I don't want so much bass in the signal that I'm walking over the bass and keyboards. And my clean tones are CLEAN.

I hope this helps you better use your PTB controls. I think it's a great invention...one of Leo Fender's better ideas.

Good luck.

Bill