Treble Bleed Question

[tce44]

Wanna do this mod to my Strat with muddy bassy sounding 59 neck humbucker.
Do you just solder the .047 capacitor to end of pickup hot wire then to lug on vol pot?
I don't see any diagrams on it, just ones soldering from lug to lug.
Thanx if anyone can help out.

 

[gimmieinfo]

You can do it like that solder one leg to the humbucker's hot wire and the other to the volume's center lug. But theres one issue with that.....the cap will then be always connected to the HB hot thru the cap to the volume wiper and the other side of the HB is to ground. So it will be like having a permanent cap in series with a 8k (assuming your HB is 8k) resistor to ground even when the HB is off. So even when using other pickups there will be a slight high end loss wherever the treble bleed cap's range is. The other way you could do it that wouldn't affect the bridge or middle or bridge and middle (but WOULD affect neck+middle) is to make a master tone control so you can use the other side of the switch to cut out the cap completely when in all positions but neck and neck+middle.

 

[Mincer]

...or wire it so there is no tone control on the neck pickup.

 

[tce44]

I was thinking for when I turn volume down on neck pickup,it doesn't get bassy or muddy sounding.
its mentioned by SD on his recommendations.

 

[beaubrummels]

Treble bleeds won't work on a Strat or any guitar with a master volume for just the neck pickup, because, being a master control, the bleed will affect all pickups on the guitar. There is a brightening type of cap in series arrangement, something like what is used on the Invader. I'd have to look for a diagram of that. I think ArtieToo might have posted an improved neck clean-up wiring. Try searching past conversations.

 

[gimmieinfo]

Treble bleeds won't work on a Strat or any guitar with a master volume for just the neck pickup, because, being a master control, the bleed will affect all pickups on the guitar. There is a brightening type of cap in series arrangement, something like what is used on the Invader. I'd have to look for a diagram of that. I think ArtieToo might have posted an improved neck clean-up wiring. Try searching past conversations.

What you are likely taking about is the series cap that you put in series with the pickup's hot lead. It doesnt actually brighten but it does do what OP is looking for which is it cuts lows at a frequency decided by the cap value. I've used it myself but i don't like what they do to the overalll tone for several reasons. Plus it;s not going to brighten it up when he rolls the volume down like a treble bleed will. In fact, with the lows rolled off due t the cap and highs lost when the volume is rolled off, it;s gonna sound like all mids.

Another way is to do like OP mentioned but put the cap on a switch so if it affects the other pickups too much he can use the switch to cut the cap out in other positions. Not ideal to have to do that obviously.

 

[tce44]

Ok I didn't know all this, I have one of these capacitors and got this from Sweetwater.
Tired of your guitar tone getting dull when you roll back your volume control? You need a treble bleed circuit, like this Mojo Tone Volume Mod for Guitars. It's a 220K resistor in parallel with a 471pf capacitor, the same found on Mojo Tone's convenient prewired electronics assemblies. It'll preserve your high end when you roll back your volume knob, so you can enjoy detailed, articulate clean tones. The Mojo Tone Volume Mod for Guitars is intended to be soldered to the two open lugs on your guitar's volume pot.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Like was mentioned, on a master volume guitar that will affect all of your pickups, not just the neck.

 

[marcello252]

it does work , I have it on all my guitars, with slightly different values based on the guitar it's on, but this couple works good enough everywhere

 

[Hank-]

Try it, if there is a 59n in the neck position, then theres likely another HB in the bridge spot that may benefit from it.

Put the cap+resistor on the lugs of the volume pot, the left & middle lug, right lug is grounded as usual.

 

[tce44]

Yeh worth a shot,I'll try it.
Bridge pickup is custom order wound Jazz,do not like at all. I play only on neck PU.

 

[Mincer]

But keeping more treble when the volume is turned down isn't the same thing as trying to eliminate the 'too much bass' of the 59.

 

[Artie]

Is your 59 4-wire?

 

[tce44]

no its 2 with braid.

 

[Artie]

Ok, this works best between the red/white wire of a 4-wire, but this also works. Several people around here like this mod on a 59n.

 

[Artie]

(Can't edit above.)

That's not a treble bleed. It's called a de-mud mod.

 

[tce44]

Others were saying don't do this or is it the .01uf capacitor instead of .047 being the difference?
Thanks

 

[Bill Dennis]

You can do it like that solder one leg to the humbucker's hot wire and the other to the volume's center lug. But theres one issue with that.....the cap will then be always connected to the HB hot thru the cap to the volume wiper and the other side of the HB is to ground. So it will be like having a permanent cap in series with a 8k (assuming your HB is 8k) resistor to ground even when the HB is off. So even when using other pickups there will be a slight high end loss wherever the treble bleed cap's range is. The other way you could do it that wouldn't affect the bridge or middle or bridge and middle (but WOULD affect neck+middle) is to make a master tone control so you can use the other side of the switch to cut out the cap completely when in all positions but neck and neck+middle.

I don't think he is talking about a treble bleed as most use that term. . What he is describing with a cap in series should actually roll off low end is a fairly common mod to clean up a muddy neck pickup. I would double check the value as its a pretty small value compared to what a typical tone cap would be

 

[Bill Dennis]

I think what you need is this mod. Then maybe the demud mod in addition

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sojCy1OFA0E

 

[GuitarDoc]

The vintage wiring as suggested in post #19 is a great suggestion to keep your tone clean and not get muddy as you roll down the vol. You may find that you don't even need a de-mud mod at all.