On “anti-mud” caps in series with pickups: a side note...

[freefrog]

OK, thx. Before your answer, I had already modelized the circuit with a 8k / 4H humbucker (P.A.F. specs) + a 6k / 2.5H Strat PU (L Series specs) and I'll show below what it gives.

Before the pic, an explanation: by putting the humbucker in series with a cap then a phase switch between pickups, you've created a way to put them "half OOP".

Below is a 5spice sim of what happens when the volume pot of the bridge unit is progressively lowered...
-while the two pickups are enabled in parallel and out of phase (left screen),
-while the bridge pickup with its series cap is enabled alone (right screen).

Red curves = volume pots full up.

Black lines = bridge volume pot lowered from 9/10 to 1/10.

Vertical lines = approximative locations of the lowest and highest fundamental notes produced by a normal 6 strings electric guitar.

The "half OOP" relationship makes the volume control of the bridge PU almost inefficient and promotes the mids as soon as this volume control is lowered a bit.

The horizontal green line shows that in this case, mids are at the same level than with the bridge pickup enabled alone... and even that your "half OOP" mid position will be louder in the mids than the bridge transducer alone as soon as its volume control is no more @ 10/10.

FWIW (an hastily done 5spice sim; but physical reality should be close to it).

 

[Mookakian]

This guitar im building to be something out of the ordinary, i have a nice prs for normality, and i think i struck gold, but the tube amp will be the real test... this is through the boss Katana Head on 5W through and the tiny onboard 6inch speaker

 

[Mookakian]

Yep thats Basically a visual of exactly what im hearing

 

[Mookakian]

Pretty cool, cant wait to test her out properly tomorrow (its night here)

 

[Mookakian]

Thanks for the sim freefrog, always good chatting to you

 

[ReWind James]

A decade box (or "substitution box") is a VERY handy tool for these experiments. You come up with your perfect value really quick and easy with one such device.

September2016_Capacitor-Resistor-Substitution-Boxes

 

[Mookakian]

I used a little box with 2x 6 way rotary switches with connectors soldered in when i ran the workshop... but there was a little guess work due to the low voltage in a guitar circuit and mechanical connection on each cap/resistor i threw in the rotary, it does get you in the right ballpark though.

Today is test day, hoping i dont need to dig up the rotary switch tester and i nailed it on a whim, im so lazy when it comes to my own guitars these days, i remember starting to tinker, id spend days, weeks, trying things out with excitement, now i get cranky when i have to redo one join

 

[Mookakian]

I also had... have... one i used for fuzz transistors when i got a bit fuzz crazy, gernanium fuzzies hated the extra resistance, soon as i soldered them in they produced different gain levels

 

[Mookakian]

Through the Mesa... Amazing tone, im definitely Keeping her like this. Im getting some incredible glassy bell tones which is right up my alley, switch to the neck and i get my chime and the bridge for some mean crunch. Very impressed

 

[Mookakian]

Here is a quick diagram i doodled on my mobile while waiting at the gp, only thing missing is the ground lug and wire from the Bridge volume pot casing which i recommend running straight to the switch ground for star grounding, less ground loops (250k neck vol, 500k bridge vol) and the cap value is 0.033uf. This will split to the slug coil when the p/pull is up

(Seymour Duncan color coding bucker, fender color coding single)