Wirering on tele - tone bost

LuieLuie
edited February 2013 in General
Jim says to cut the capacitator on the wolume/tone pot(cant relember wich), to get a more custom sound.

What would this " repair" do that would make it a better setup. Is this one of the reasons (not forgetting the player) Jim can get those brutal tone swels?

Thanks

Comments

  • elreclusaelreclusa
    With the volume pot turned all the way up, it won't make a lick of difference in your sound. The "tone boost" is also regularly referred to as a "treble bleed"- basically, the small cap across the volume pot filters out bass as you turn the volume down, to avoid "muddiness", which is perceived as a boost in treble. Often, the result is shrill, tinny sound- especially with higher-value (500K, 1Meg) pots.

    The combination of stock 1 Megohm pots and the treble bleed is, in my humble opinion, a lot of why many players don't like '70s Teles. My first Tele (and still my baby) is a '76 with this setup. Eventually I'll probably change it, but the taper/range of that particular tone pot is so good I haven't bothered yet, so I usually just avoid turning that guitar down with its volume knob- I use a volume pedal instead. The "treble bleed" cap shouldn't have much, if any, effect on tone swells, unless your volume control is turned down, at which point your swell will have a somewhat narrower, treblier range. I think Jim gets those awesome tone swells by being awesome, and lots of practice! I'm getting a little better at them as time goes on, but I don't get as much amplified practice time as I'd like lately. Anyway...

    Whether clipping the "treble bleed" cap would be an improvement for YOU is hard to say, but it's easy to do and easily reversible if you don't like it. A screwdriver, a soldering iron, and five minutes is all you need to take it out or put it back in. Aside from the one Tele I mentioned above, I've removed it from any of my guitars that had it, and omitted it from the guitar I assembled for my daughter. Like Jim, I prefer no treble bleed cap, but you should try it and decide for yourself!
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