Gonna do a harness for new WBs 6707's on my R9 adding a Tonestyler pot

[Harpozep]

We will be taking out the old pots, caps and pickups and storing them since they really are quite good from the factory.

If I like the factory setup then you are likely wondering, Why? "Because I can" says the fourth grader in me

Actually I won a wonderful set of the 6707's from Will in the now famous Christmas Eve contst here in this great forum. One can read about it here if you missed it. Another contest is coming I hear.
Lets have some fun tonight! (Contest!!)

Back to the R9...
I'm thinking of going with a non cap approach. Purists may get alarmed, but hey, I can always go back since nothing is permanent. This is only a reissue guitar, not an original. It is an amazing tone machine though, I love the wood and its ability to vibrate so well.
Instead of traditional caps, I may be going with this:
"
ToneStyler...
the revolutionary sixteen-position tone selector"

Stellartone® Homepage | ToneStyler® | Sixteen 16 Position Tone Selector | Guitar Tone Control

A demo here:
Checkout the total tone bypass. It REALLY lets the pickup tone shine through. It will be cool to have a complete tone bypass. I've never had that option on a guitar before.

YouTube - Stellartone Tonestyler Tone pot

There is only one mention of it I can find in our forums, and my guitar tech, Kenny sells a lot of them to people. He told me to check into it, so I am.

The pickups will be wired for complete push pull series parallel as well. Might as well go nuts on the new harness. I can always go back, but doubt that I will. This is a dream player's guitar and I aim to keep playing it.

[LoKi]

I've heard some cool things about the tonestyler. Dunno waht I think about those clicky pots. To much of a jump from tone to tone.

[Harpozep]

I think the Tonestyler would be the wrong thing to put in for anyone who likes to ride their tone control like a wah .

I'm like most players, either I ignore the tone knob or just pull the neck one back a bit and leave it. The Tonestyler will likely make me more active in that area. Plus, I'm sure the bypass will be a bit brighter and useful at times too.

A good description of its technical abilities is here:

Stellartone® Homepage | ToneStyler® | Sixteen 16 Position Tone Selector | Guitar Tone Control

It does not roll off the mids and the highs in the same manner as a traditional pot. It preserves the mids making them feel boosted a bit. Could be a fun sonic adventure

[Fixxxer]

Did you get your stuff yet?

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by Fixxxer

Did you get your stuff yet?

The Tonestylers are sitting at Kenny's.

The Guitar Mechanic

He's ordering me some All parts gold speed knobs too.
Gotta get the long push pull shafts from RS and am waiting on the WBs . Will sent them yesterday and I'm on the other coast, so I'll see them soon enough.

They are his prototypes and are black with some scratches, etc. My R9 is still pretty mint looking, so I may touch up the paint on the pickups a bit. No big deal though. I really like LPs with exposed humbuckers. I may keep the cream pickguard off too just to get the R9 looking a bit more different from the herd.

So I figure in a couple of weeks it will all come together. The cool thing is, it can all go back to stock as well. I like these types of mods

When finished, we'll have series, parallel, and sixteen tone options from each tone pot, so that's uh, a lOT of tonal bliss. I'm sure some sound will be more useful than others, but that's the way these things work.

[captainbraindamage]

Have you got your tonestyler in yet? I'm going to wire a epi black beauty w/ 3 pickups, for 3 volume and 1 master tone control. I was thinking of using a tonestyler and was just wondering how you liked it.

[Harpozep]

I tried one the other day in a 2002 CS Les Paul. Real nice!
I love the true bypass since it allows you to pretty much go volume pot directly to your amp.

Getting mine soon, just thinking about the pickups, as to put the news WBs in or keep the stock ones.

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

The pickups will be wired for complete push pull series parallel as well. Might as well go nuts on the new harness. I can always go back, but doubt that I will. This is a dream player's guitar and I aim to keep playing it.

Sounds really interesting Harpozep. Thanks for the links!

I assume you're going to use push/pull volume pots to flip between series and parallel??

BTW, throw in the WB's!!

Terry.

[shotgunlew]

WB's brother!

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by Tone Seeker

Sounds really interesting Harpozep. Thanks for the links!

I assume you're going to use push/pull volume pots to flip between series and parallel??

BTW, throw in the WB's!!

Terry.

Glad to be of some helpTerry.

I'm going to do two push pulls for series parallel, and two Tonestylers as well. Getting the WB 6707s and going for it!
I'll keep the stock harness and pickups , but I love making things a little different.
I need to get two long shaft push pull volume pots then it can happen. No one locally has then, so it is internet I guess.

Have you modded you LP? Just wondering what others are doing. Most folks change out their caps if they begin modding. I was going that route but decided the Tonestyler was a greater addition.

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

Glad to be of some helpTerry. Have you modded you LP? Just wondering what others are doing. Most folks change out their caps if they begin modding. I was going that route but decided the Tonestyler was a greater addition.

When I began working on my LP a few years ago I discovered some pots with crazy values. 660K on one volume pot and 160K on one tone pot. It's an '80, so I doubt anyone would run into this on a newer guitar. Of course changing these out made a big difference. I added some good caps (Hovland Guitar Caps) and tried two different sets of PUP's. All told, it was like taking a blanket off the tone and I also eliminated some "bite".

I messed around with tailpiece position, wrapping and so on. I gained some ground and lost some ground. I'm better with electronics than with the "mechanics". I took it into a top notch setup guy who leveled the frets and did a thorough setup. Whoa. . . it resonates acoustically like never before!

I picked up a new PRS SC245 last fall. I've changed pickups (WB's) and caps. I tried 50's wiring but like "modern" better on it (so I added treble bleed caps). I did a bit of setup (standard stuff - relief, action) and have it dialed in pretty good now (I'm learning!). Next steps are push/pull pots to go parallel and either a different set of caps or the ToneStyler. That should about cover everything I'd like to do. It's a very resonate guitar and it plays like a dream. With Will's PUP's in I get overtones, bloom and sustain like crazy now!

Terry.

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

I'm going to do two push pulls for series parallel, and two Tonestylers as well. Getting the WB 6707s and going for it!

The WB's are phenomenal! Glad to hear you're putting them in!!

Currently, I use my tone controls to dial out a bit of highs when needed. This really means I'm backing off highs and some mids. I like the versatility that the Tonestyler offers but I'm wondering if I can still get to a similar place relatively easily (take a bit of edge off) in a live performance. The curves are so different with the ToneStyler.

Any thoughts, based on trying that 2002 CS Les Paul?

Terry.

[Harpozep]

With the Tonestyler the tones became more "Vocal" if that is an apt phrase? The upper highs get squelched, but the upper mids stay around longer, though you can tune them down.
The pure bypass is a great boon to, just to hear what an unbridled pickup can sound like. I may be playing that way on the bridge and keep the tone halfway on the neck pickup.
I'll know more next week when I put the setup in. I just have to order some CTS long shaft push pulls today, then deliver the R9 to my tech. I'm gonna help too though, since I'm reasonably handy with the mechanics, just a klutz at times with the soldering.

Thanks for the thumbs up on the WBs. I do like the stock Gibsons, but I'm hearing so many guitars with after market pickups that sound even better, so here I am

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

With the Tonestyler the tones became more "Vocal" if that is an apt phrase? The upper highs get squelched, but the upper mids stay around longer, though you can tune them down.

In know what you mean. They take a quality similar to what happens when a wah pedal in engaged. The on-line samples are helpful.

Might be best to pickup one and experiement.

Thanks!

Terry.

[tarddoggy]

Originally Posted by Tone Seeker

In know what you mean. They take a quality similar to what happens when a wah pedal in engaged. The on-line samples are helpful.

Might be best to pickup one and experiement.

Thanks!

Terry.

I've thought about experimenting too,I think that Tonestyler would be worth its weight in gold for recording,ya know??

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by tarddoggy

I've thought about experimenting too,I think that Tonestyler would be worth its weight in gold for recording,ya know??

I think it'll be like having a couple of different sounding guitars available at the turn of a knob.

I'll find out soon. Just waiting on the RS order I just made for the push pull pots. I figure no sense just limiting the pickups since I'm going the route of changing them and the tone pots out, may as well do the single coil and series parallel thing too. The volume pots will be normal until I pull them out.

[LoKi]

I love those sound samples for the tonestyler. I'd love to sit down and try one.

For me, I twiddle the neck tone a lot, but lately find myself playing more with the bridge tone as well. I may have to try one of these little devices...

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by LoKi

I love those sound samples for the tonestyler. I'd love to sit down and try one.

For me, I twiddle the neck tone a lot, but lately find myself playing more with the bridge tone as well. I may have to try one of these little devices...

Stay tuned I'll report back. Maybe I'll shoot a video the same way , playing the same thing, before and after. That'll be a challenge, but manageable. Still, I'm shotgunning, doing a pickup change and cap/push-pull change all at once, so it may be hard to track down just where the change takes place.

Anyone know how to take a DV tape and turn it into a youtube ready file?
I have an uber computer setup for photoshop, with a great graphics card, six raid 5 drives, four gig'o'ram , etc. It's about time I did something with some video since I have a cool widescreen Mini DV camera. Not that anyone wants to see a Les Paul against my big ole belly

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

I'm going the route of changing them and the tone pots out, may as well do the single coil and series parallel thing too.

You'll have to choose between coil tapping and series/parallel. You can coil tap two pickups with one switch but you need one push/pull switch for each pickup you want to go series/parallel with.

I'll be really curious to hear how you like the new setup!

Terry.

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by Tone Seeker

You'll have to choose between coil tapping and series/parallel. You can coil tap two pickups with one switch but you need one push/pull switch for each pickup you want to go series/parallel with.

I'll be really curious to hear how you like the new setup!

Terry.

Thanks Terry, I'm wondering what to do in that area?
My last harness had four push pulls, so I could do most everything, but with the Tonestylers, I'll be limiting things a bit. Good trade off, very likely.

Coil taps tended to give me a sharper more single coil tone when I did that in my 335. The Series parallel thing got me to run inside or outside bobbins of the humbuckers, one from each pickup, at the same time.

I'll be doing whatever gets me a decent more single coiled tone to start. I can always rewire again later. I'm not going absolute nuts and putting in toggles, but if the guitar came with them, I'd do it
Gonna keep the R9 stock looking. I like the " silent balls™" approach. Like having a stock looking car, but under the hood and chassis, it's ready for the Indy Five Hundred.

[Tone Seeker]

Originally Posted by Harpozep

Thanks Terry, I'm wondering what to do in that area?
My last harness had four push pulls, so I could do most everything, but with the Tonestylers, I'll be limiting things a bit. Good trade off, very likely.

Coil taps tended to give me a sharper more single coil tone when I did that in my 335. The Series parallel thing got me to run inside or outside bobbins of the humbuckers, one from each pickup, at the same time.

FWIW. . . I found the coil tap with my PUP's to be a bit too sharp and quite noisy. I have an RFI problem in my home and the single coils were almost unusable. Recording at home would be an issue. The noise would probably be reasonable when I play out, but I've not tested that.

However. . . running each pickup coil in parallel was very nice, and was still humbucking (much better noise performance). It was like having a middle position sound, with the hollowed mids / more open sound, in each pickup. This is how I plan to go once I get some push/pull pots. I believe this is a different config than what you were describing, where you put a single coil from each pickup in parallel with one another.

Suggest you try putting each pickup in parallel and see if you like it, if you've not done so already.

If I go with ToneStylers it will be push/pulls on the two volumes, to run their respective PUP in parallel, and a ToneStyler in place of tone pots.

Terry.

[Harpozep]

Originally Posted by Tone Seeker

FWIW. . . I found the coil tap with my PUP's to be a bit too sharp and quite noisy. I have an RFI problem in my home and the single coils were almost unusable. Recording at home would be an issue. The noise would probably be reasonable when I play out, but I've not tested that.

However. . . running each pickup coil in parallel was very nice, and was still humbucking (much better noise performance). It was like having a middle position sound, with the hollowed mids / more open sound, in each pickup. This is how I plan to go once I get some push/pull pots. I believe this is a different config than what you were describing, where you put a single coil from each pickup in parallel with one another.

Suggest you try putting each pickup in parallel and see if you like it, if you've not done so already.

If I go with ToneStylers it will be push/pulls on the two volumes, to run their respective PUP in parallel, and a ToneStyler in place of tone pots.

Terry.

Thanks again Terry.
I'm going to my guitar tech Kenny today or tomorrow.


The Guitar Mechanic
I got the Push/pull pots today and the WB pickups are all four wire, so I'm ready to go. Ken has the Tonestylers in stock. I'll let you know what he thinks as to what to do parallel/series/coil tap.
I have not done a thing to the R9 as of yet.