Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

STRATDELUXER97

STRATDELUXER97

Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Installed the Fralin Steel Pole Hot in my strat's bridge position thanks again to Lew's Guitar...I'm normally into stock wiring but I'd like to hear everything you can tell me about how the Blender pot works? Thanks for your input....Or output? Anyway... :burnout:

John
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

Curly said:
well, I'm guessing that you checked the blender pot page , right?

I know - you want to know how folks like it :sad:
Click to expand...

Yep...Printed the drawing from there,but I'm looking for real life pros and cons on this mod before I do it for myself...Thanks Curly.

John
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

when you do it, let me know how you like it :)
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

I tried it. I use it in my sunburst strat w/ the split hotrails in the bridge and vintage fenders in the neck and middle. This was the first real "mod" I ever did to a guitar. You can blend in the bridge pup to the neck, and get a nice beefed up SRV tone w/ a little bit more clarity. And I can roll in the neck, for a kinda hollow sound, but fatten it up at the same time. w/ it full goin, I get a nice, almost tele like sound (would kinda figure wouldnt it?) You'll need to switch the two wires though, since Fralin has it to where the pot is at "0" the bridge is on all the way. Its kinda confusing.
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

beandip said:
I tried it. I use it in my sunburst strat w/ the split hotrails in the bridge and vintage fenders in the neck and middle. This was the first real "mod" I ever did to a guitar. You can blend in the bridge pup to the neck, and get a nice beefed up SRV tone w/ a little bit more clarity. And I can roll in the neck, for a kinda hollow sound, but fatten it up at the same time. w/ it full goin, I get a nice, almost tele like sound (would kinda figure wouldnt it?) You'll need to switch the two wires though, since Fralin has it to where the pot is at "0" the bridge is on all the way. Its kinda confusing.
Click to expand...

Thanks Beandip...I'm kind of ole fashioned and I think I'm gonna leave the guitar alone now,especially since everything is all back together and actually working fine! Imagine that? :smack: Does sound like a cool mod,but not for me right now..

John
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

hey, dont mess w/ it if it aint broke, ya know? But this mod comes in handy alot when playing live. I'm in a classic rock cover band kinda thing, and I'm the youngest one. The second youngest is 34. Anyway, when live, it really helps, because you can add just a hint of push from the bridge, and a little more bite. You also throw in some quak, but not as dramatic as the notch positions. I personally think its great, but to each his own.
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

beandip said:
hey, dont mess w/ it if it aint broke, ya know? But this mod comes in handy alot when playing live. I'm in a classic rock cover band kinda thing, and I'm the youngest one. The second youngest is 34. Anyway, when live, it really helps, because you can add just a hint of push from the bridge, and a little more bite. You also throw in some quak, but not as dramatic as the notch positions. I personally think its great, but to each his own.
Click to expand...

That's my favorite line. I used it on 59Paul the other night..."If it ain't broke,don't fix it" How true this statement is...

John
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

I did the mod to my Amer. Strat, John. I like it a lot! It's like Beandip stated in regards to getting more versatility out of your pickups in a pretty simple way.
I just made my middle pot the master tone-pot and installed the Fralin blender-pot in the bottom hole. Two wires soldered to their respective points, and you're in business!
It really helps dialing in the neck pup's tone to meet the desired sound, and likewise for the bridge becoming beefier with the neck blended in.
It's not for everyone, but I'll keep it in mine.

-Bob
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

John,

just to share what a local guitar tech told me... that as with "quack", the blender mod is also tonally best appreciated when you're using a balanced set of pickups. The additional blended tones are not as apparent or cannot be appreciated if you're mix-matching. I can confirm this as my son mixed a JB Jr (neck) with a DiMarzio VV Blues (mid) and a DiMarzio Cruiser (bridge) in his own guitar. Quack and blended tone are not satisfying, and mostly non-existent.

But I have personally found the additional blended tones usable (more so for rhythm playing) with sets of SD Antiquities, Texas Specials, and Schaller S6 Hots.

Hope that helps...

Jaime G.
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

Works beautifully. Whereas a Schaller Mega Switch will let you get the neck and bridge pickups on together, they're both full on, like a Tele would be in the middle switch position...you can't have the bridge pickup full on and the neck pickup maybe 3/4 on...or vice versa. With the Blender Pot you can. So you'll be able to add the bridge to the neck or the neck to the bridge. You can also get all three pickups on at the same time. The Blender Pot comes prewired with two wires and you connect both to the 5 position selector switch: one to the neck pickup and one to the bridge pickup. When the Blender Pot is lowered from 10 down to zero, the pickup gets added. When it's set to 10, it's totally out of the circuit...the carbon track inside the pot is scraped off where the pot would be on 10. And it cannot be reversed...the pot only works one way: reduce the level and you start adding the pickup that's being blended in. It HAS to work that way. A nice advantage is that you get a master volume and master tone...so you can wire the tone pot for the 50's mod if you like that. I do. I know you've said you don't so that might not be a plus for you John. But I think you should try the Blender Pot anyway: it works! Thanks! Lew
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

Now, now, John LOL !!!! I told ya I was bored, and who in the HE** thought up all those wires in a Strat, anyway??? Oughta hang the Basta**. LOL Don't worry, from now on, I'm stickin to Paulys...LOL Hey, if ya want, I'll do the Blender pot mod for ya LOL !!!! ......:)
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

John, One more thing: in a traditional Strat with two tone controls when the neck and middle pickups are combined you also combine the two tone controls making, in effect, one 112.5K pot out of the two 250K pots. With a master volume and master tone there's only one tone control...so the tone when two pickups is combined is slightly brighter...

Lew
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

In short, other than giving up a tone knob (and as Lew made a good point that can be a great thing ...esp. '50's wiring of the new master tone), I don't see a down side to it personally as long as the pot is a no-load pot. It definitely captures the best of strat and tele aspects. They came as a stock option on a couple Rodriguez customs that were Fralin equipped. One interesting variation is that you can put a capacitor in line with one of the *blend lines* (doesn't matter which one) and blend in just the upper mid/high end content from the other pup; not quite traditional, and more subtle, but nice none the less. I don't recall the original (when I first ran into them) pots being no-load pots, maybe he changed that over the years, or maybe they were, but weren't track cut.
Again I don't see a down side to it, and it really doesn't take anything away from the guitar. It's simple, easily reverseable, and you can use a Fender No-load pot as well, not sure what taper is one Lindy's Pot though.
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

I have the Torres blender pot in my strat ( I think it's the same fralin sell?)
I found the PuPs seem to load each other down when the knob is pinned
hard lelf or right. I have to back off a little to find the sweet spot. I also
find it's better to mix a A5 w/t a A2 in the neck. Rigth now I have 2
APS-II blended together and it sounds kinda dull & Muddy ?
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

The Blender Pots I have are all no load pots. Turn the pot up to "10" and the pot is disconnected. It must be a no load pot...otherwise the pickup that would be blended in when the pot is reduced to "1" would remain slightly "on" all the time when the pot is on "10". Lew
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

Lewguitar said:
The Blender Pots I have are all no load pots. Turn the pot up to "10" and the pot is disconnected. It must be a no load pot...otherwise the pickup that would be blended in when the pot is reduced to "1" would remain slightly "on" all the time when the pot is on "10". Lew
Click to expand...

Very important point. You can also make a "no load" pot. There are a couple of different ways to do it but I usually just put a spot of paint or nail polish right on the end of the track. This acts insulation and opens the circuit when the wiper hits that spot. Just make sure the paint dries all the way and make sure the wiper is not resting on the paint while drying (i have actually dome this - doh!).

Peace.
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

frankencat said:
Very important point. You can also make a "no load" pot. There are a couple of different ways to do it but I usually just put a spot of paint or nail polish right on the end of the track. This acts insulation and opens the circuit when the wiper hits that spot. Just make sure the paint dries all the way and make sure the wiper is not resting on the paint while drying (i have actually dome this - doh!).

Peace.
Click to expand...

I prefer either the track cut method, or taking a dremael and grinding downthe wiper stop so that the control rotates to *11*, really cool; however the track cut variety does enable the outer lug to be used as a switchable tap, something the dielectric/insulative caoting process doesn't. The wiper stop alteration keeps the tap ability, but at the expense of having to line it up by sight. Also the original blend pot was done with a standard pot, so that does work, and a is always another option if someone likes having the pups bleed into each other a bit (I'd go with a 1Meg though). FWIW
 
Re: Tell Me Lots About The Fralin Blender Pot!

Kent S. said:
I prefer either the track cut method, or taking a dremael and grinding downthe wiper stop so that the control rotates to *11*, really cool; however the track cut variety does enable the outer lug to be used as a switchable tap, something the dielectric/insulative caoting process doesn't. The wiper stop alteration keeps the tap ability, but at the expense of having to line it up by sight. Also the original blend pot was done with a standard pot, so that does work, and a is always another option if someone likes having the pups bleed into each other a bit (I'd go with a 1Meg though). FWIW
Click to expand...

Good info. Thanks! Lew
 
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