Reinventing the tone control

[eddie_bowers]

I literally reinvented it because what I came up with I later found is called the Grease Bucket circuit from Fender

But anyway, this is the most usable tone control I have had up to now.

One of the problems with a standard tone control is that as you bring down the treble the cutoff frequency also shifts to the bass side obliterating your mids. You can use a lower value cap, but that doesn't do much in the 0 to 5 range of the tone control and the cutoff is a little high until you go below 5.

The solution is to use the other side of the tone pot (the unused post) to slowly add in another cap in series (twice the value of the other one works best) as you turn down the tone control. This decreses the total capcitance as the tone is turned down keeping the cutoff frequency above the midrange (for the most part). I'm using a .01 and adding in a .022 as I turn down.
This sounds great!

In addition to that i'm using two different types of caps. I have some Jupiter caps that sound really smooth but loose any crispness/harmonics below 5 on the control. My vitamin Qs sound best to me in that 5 to 0 range. So i'm using them both. It really is the best of both worlds.

I encourage anyone who has some spare caps lying around to try this.
I will post a diagram when I get a chance, but here is how it's wired. Looking at the bottom of the pot with the lugs pointing down, the left lug being lug 1 and the right one being lug 3.
Lug 1 connects to the signal (pre or post volume)
Lug 2 connects to a .022 Vitamin Q cap to Lug1
Lug 3 connects to a .01 Jupiter to ground (or pot case)

Thats it.

-Eddie

 

[rick13]

tell us more...diagram?
Rick

 

[sapi]

LOL i tried the Fender Greasebucket Tone Control on my LP and Fender. I used Hovland caps. It worked fine. Then i tried stock wiring a Black Beauty .022uF in the LP and a .047uF in the Fender, and preferred these.
Best,
jo

 

[eddie_bowers]

Here is a diagram. Pretty simple really:

At 10 the .022µF cap is out of the circuit.
BTW, I really didn't like Hovlands at all for tone caps. I'm sure they are great coupling capacitors, but not for guitar tone caps.

 

[sapi]

Mmm, to each his own i guess, there are some who swear by Hovland Musicaps in guitars. I see that you used a linear tone pot, mine was log.
Thanks for the info. Maybe one day i'll try it again with PIO caps.
Best,
jo

EDIT: doesn't the Fender GTC use a 0.1uF as opposed to a 0.01uF cap?

 

[xsouldriverx]

i use hovlands and like them so far. but for my next guitar im going to try some .10/.15 vit Qs or jensens

 

[rick13]

How would this be adapted to the "classic" wiring scheme?
Thanks,
Rick

 

[eddie_bowers]

It really just depends on where you connect your normal tone control. Before the volume knob (Modern) or after the volume knob (1950's style).
I was playing around with values a bit. For some reason the neck sounds best with two .022µF and the bridge sounds best with the configuration above.
I'm still playing around with it, so tomorrow I might change my mind.

 

[rick13]

Did you see the diagram in the wiring library" A different take on the high pass filter"?
Rick

 

[eddie_bowers]

Thats interesting. It's a totally different circuit that does something different, but it's interesting. His basic premise appears wrong however. He says the volume knob cuts the lows as your turn down the volume which is incorrect. It actually cuts highs (without a treble bleed). If it's cutting the lows and you have a treble bleed, then your using the wrong values in your treble bleed circuit. In the end I think he is just fixing a problem he created by using the wrong bleed values in the first place.

 

[ozone]

Hey Eddie, could you post a pic of your wiring. I like the diagram but I think a picture would be good. Thanks

 

[tarddoggy]

Hey Eddie, could you post a pic of your wiring. I like the diagram but I think a picture would be good. Thanks

+1

 

[sapi]

Hi Eddie, you found better results with a linear pot vs log? Cheers ;-)

 

[eddie_bowers]

I didn't try log. I used what I had on hand
I just wanted to note what I used. The results should be the same, just a different taper.

-Eddie

 

[eddie_bowers]

OK here is an actualy photo. It's going to be more confusing than the schematic because there are also treble bleeds and my 3 pickup switch which keeps the bridge tone control out of the circuit in the middle position.

I can throw up the whole schematic if anyone is interested.

 

[rick13]

I am interested.
Rick

 

[eddie_bowers]

Here ya go (a pdf version):
http://www.vmresource.com/_temp/lp_new_wiring.pdf

 

[rick13]

What value resistor on the treble bleed?250K in parallel?
Thanks,
Rick

 

[eddie_bowers]

I'm using one meg volume pots, so the value is going to be non-standard. its stll a little high. I havent hit on the right value with my one meg pots yet.