Resistor in series with tone cap?

['59]

Any of yall put a resistor in series with the cap on your tone control? It's supposed to simulate not being able to go 100% to zero on your tone control which is very useful if you don't like the nasally sound your tone control gets at 0.

 

[beaubrummels]

I haven't, because I hardly ever take my tone control to zero, and when I do, I want that dark sound.

 

[Top-L]

How would you wire this? I like the idea to limit the sweep. I agree that zero on tone control is too much.

I am actually more interested in a tone control with several discrete values. Like a three or four way rotary. That way you can reproduce the sounds you want.

 

[freefrog]

How would you wire this? I like the idea to limit the sweep. I agree that zero on tone control is too much.

I am actually more interested in a tone control with several discrete values. Like a three or four way rotary. That way you can reproduce the sounds you want.

Wiring: cap in series with resistor or conversely. The whole from hot to ground. Be aware that as long as the resistor value is not very low, tone caps have a subtle action (affecting only the harmonics in the best cases and with possibly no perceived influence if the sound chain used is not transparent).

If you find the 0/10 position too muddy, check the Fender "Grease Bucket" circuit: it uses a 4.7k ballast resistor preventing the pot to ever go to 0.

Multi-position tone switches: check the Gretsch "mud switch" with an ON/OFF/ON control allowing a no load wiring in center position. Not very useful with the cap values initially used but can give interesting "mid promoting" circuits with lower value capacitors, like 1/2,2/3,3/4,7/10 nF instead of the usual 22/33/47/100 nF tone caps.

More info on request. I tinker with such things (or more complex tone circuits) for decades.

 

[AlexR]

I just don;t go to zero.

 

[marcello252]

I'd prefer a smaller value cap for this purpose (10n, 4n7, 2n2 ...)

 

[Chistopher]

Yeah, I can attest smaller cap values sound better to me from 10 to 1, but sound pretty bad at zero

 

[Clint 55]

Sounds like a good idea if you never use your tone on 0.

 

[Artie]

Note that since all the components of a tone control are in series, all of these configurations will produce the same result. Just use the one that fits your wiring scheme best. I'd probably do somewhere from 10k - 50k for the resistor. Experimentation will be your friend.

 

[Artie]

I can't edit above due to the pic, but the cap and resistor could be on top, with the bottom lug of the pot grounded. That's how I do an LP. Ground the pot, and let the cap be the connector between the tone pot and vol pot.

 

[marcello252]

I can't edit above due to the pic, but the cap and resistor could be on top, with the bottom lug of the pot grounded. That's how I do an LP. Ground the pot, and let the cap be the connector between the tone pot and vol pot.

there is no differences being in series

 

[Top-L]

Wiring: cap in series with resistor or conversely. The whole from hot to ground. Be aware that as long as the resistor value is not very low, tone caps have a subtle action (affecting only the harmonics in the best cases and with possibly no perceived influence if the sound chain used is not transparent).

If you find the 0/10 position too muddy, check the Fender "Grease Bucket" circuit: it uses a 4.7k ballast resistor preventing the pot to ever go to 0.

Multi-position tone switches: check the Gretsch "mud switch" with an ON/OFF/ON control allowing a no load wiring in center position. Not very useful with the cap values initially used but can give interesting "mid promoting" circuits with lower value capacitors, like 1/2,2/3,3/4,7/10 nF instead of the usual 22/33/47/100 nF tone caps.

More info on request. I tinker with such things (or more complex tone circuits) for decades.

Thanks! I've been playing many years and am just starting to get my mind around the things that matter.

 

[Securb]

.

 

[jeremy]

all the time on bridge pups!

 

[Artie]

there is no differences being in series

If that's a question . . . the answer is yes.

(There's no difference.)

 

['59]

I just don;t go to zero.

Is this possible to do on a Fender Stratocaster? It's a 2007 MIM Standard Strat. I bought it new and I haven't replaced any of the parts on it so it's stock. Except for the strings I guess, but I don't think that would change anything.

 

[marcello252]

If that's a question . . . the answer is yes.

(There's no difference.)

it's not, it was a statement

 

[marcello252]

Is this possible to do on a Fender Stratocaster? It's a 2007 MIM Standard Strat. I bought it new and I haven't replaced any of the parts on it so it's stock. Except for the strings I guess, but I don't think that would change anything.

yes, if you turn the pot full on one side the resistance it's 0, or at least negligible

 

[Chistopher]

This thread inspired me to test out a 4.7k in series with my 0.01 uF tone control. It actually makes a world of a difference, but only at 0. Before with such a small cap 0 sounded like a cocked wah, now it just sounds like a standard 0.022 uF tone control rolled back to about 3 or 4.

I like it, I will be doing it to a few of my other guitars.

 

[magillver]

Hi '59, one thing that I've done on a couple of strats is to make both of the tone controls master controls, then wire one as a 'normal' high-cut filter, then wire the other as a low-cut filter, gives you a lot of unusual tone options...