Electrics: Changing pot/cap values, adding diodes etc.

Nimbus

I found this on the FAQ: 'JS modification Vol.1 "saturation control"'. Has anyone done this mod or something similar to a Jag-Stang? I've got a Jag-Stang with Duncan JB on the bridge, and was thinking this could be a good mod to do, but could use some help to understand exactly what's gonna change in the sound.

Link to the mod article: http://www.jag-stang.com/FAQ/index.php? ... id=104&c=7

I understand that changing the pots to 1Meg makes the sound more clear, add to the highs or something. Or am I wrong?

What about the capacitor change? What does it do? It says it removes the "muddiness", but can someone explain what this muddiness means? I'm not native english speaker so I don't understand this.. Does it add more high frequencies too or what?

And last, what about this "diode clipping circuit" in the mod? It's said to add saturation which is similar to a distortion control on a distortion effect pedal. Does this mean you get a distorted sound straight out of the guitar? What's the point, how can you play music with clean sound then? Maybe this needs some more explaining too..

I'd really appreciate it if someone could explain the effect of these mods to the sound a bit deeper than in the article! I don't want to modify my guitar every week so I'd like to avoid bad choices and know what I'm going to do, if I am.

LIFE

I don't know anything about that particular mod, but the guy who wrote that is totally not credible.

Bob_the_godly_dude

sqxo said: And last, what about this "diode clipping circuit" in the mod? It's said to add saturation which is similar to a distortion control on a distortion effect pedal. Does this mean you get a distorted sound straight out of the guitar? What's the point, how can you play music with clean sound then? Maybe this needs some more explaining too...

Yes, it'll give you a very mild clipping, like on the clean channel of a valve amp, basically, when you strum hard it'll break up a bit, I did the same mod on my Strat, it's kinda cool if you're playing through a lifeless solidstate and want to break up your clean slightly, but ultimately, it's nothing compared to a good amp. It won't sound like a distortion pedal, just a slight breakup.

Nimbus

Bob_the_godly_dude said: Yes, it'll give you a very mild clipping, like on the clean channel of a valve amp, basically, when you strum hard it'll break up a bit, I did the same mod on my Strat, it's kinda cool if you're playing through a lifeless solidstate and want to break up your clean slightly, but ultimately, it's nothing compared to a good amp. It won't sound like a distortion pedal, just a slight breakup.

Thanks! This is exactly what I wanted to know! My amp is a Fender Super Twin Reverb from 1979, which isn't really a lifeless solid state IMO.. 😆 So I'll definitely skip this mod, don't want no clipping circuit, that's not what I was looking for.

Maybe I'll still change the pots to 500k or 1M. More info on that and on the cap change would still be nice! Do both of these mods give more brigtness to the sound or what?

Fran

That diode mod is similar to the 'Black Cube' or whatever it was called, a non-active onboard clipping device.

As for higher value pots, i believe this mellows out the harsh treble frequencies in the teble's case and more control/sweep in the volumes case. As for the cap it would 'bleed' more treble to ground. So...the higher the value the less brightness.

*Edit* I just read Yuns cap change, he is looking to get rid of the "muddiness", so it looks like he's lowered the cap value to make the sound brighter.

I'm getting confused now.......... 😆

Nimbus

Hmm... Dammit! These mods don't seem very familiar to anyone, not all at least.. 😕

Clipping circuit got cleared out and changing the pots too (maybe)... As I understood it, changing the volume pot to 1 Meg gives it more "range", more variations between zero and full, right?

But changing the tone pot to 1 Meg just reduces the high frequencies? So it kinda gives less variations for the tone, right? Lots of sound options is a good thing, what if I put there a 1 Meg volume pot and keep the 250k tone pot there?

Does anyone know a good webpage where would be told about changing pots, caps, and other guitar electric mods and what do they do to the sound?

Bob_the_godly_dude

sqxo said: But changing the tone pot to **1 Meg **just reduces the high frequencies? So it kinda gives **less variations **for the tone, right? Lots of sound options is a good thing, what if I put there a 1 Meg volume pot and keep the 250k tone pot there?

Um, no, it'll give you more freedom, basically it'll create more resistance between the capacitor and the live, so it'll give you more higs when the tone pot is turned to full higs, it won't be any different to any other tone pot when it's turned to cut as much as possible, so essentially, it will create more freedom, just as the 1meg volume would do. But if you want to have a 1meg volume and a 250k tone that will work fine. You can have any combination you want.

Nimbus

Fran the man said: As for higher value pots, i believe this mellows out the harsh treble frequencies in the teble's case and more control/sweep in the volumes case

Ok, I must have misunderstood this one, I thought that "mellow out" meant some kind of attenuation:

So, if two 1Meg pots give me more sound options, I'll definitely go for that. I can always turn the pot half way if I want.. Thanks again for clearing this out for me! 😆

Fran

Fran the man said: As for higher value pots, i believe this mellows out the harsh treble frequencies in the teble's case and more control/sweep in the volumes case

I did'nt disagree with Yun, he states the JS sounds "muddy" so the cap he is adding is obviously there to brighten the sound up a bit.

Nimbus

sqxo said: Fran didn't agree with Yun about that a lower value cap gives out more high frequencies. A friend of mine thought it'd probably add more highs.

Sorry Fran, I read your previous message again a bit more carefully and so it is.. 😡 The edit-part you had added to your message got me mixed up I think. I edited the PS off from my message since it's all clear now and I look like an idiot now. 😆

Thanks for everyone who had enough patience to explain this stuff to me. 😀 I think I'll be changing both the pots to 1 Meg and the capacitor to 0.001

Nimbus

Yet more to ask: Should both the potentiometers be logarithmic or should the tone be linear? Are the original 250k pots both logarithmic?

Nimbus

me said: Should both the potentiometers be logarithmic or should the tone be linear? Are the original 250k pots both logarithmic?

Does anyone have a clue on this one? I wouldn't want to rip off the strings and the pickguard from my JS to find out if the pots are lin or log ones.. ('Cause I might have the pots ordered to my nearby guitar shop, and that'll take a week or maybe longer.)

Bob_the_godly_dude

The volume pot will always be log because of the way the human ear works, we have the ability to pick up quiet and loud without it sounding too much different, therfore our hearing is logarithmic.

I'm not totally sure with the tone pots but I would assume it would be the same principal. At the end of the day, both will work so it's not too big a deal. I'd probably go for the Log ones because I don't really use mine past about 3 or 4 so It's nice to have more controll over the first part of the sweep.

I'm pretty sure most guitars come with logarithmic tone and volume pots.

Nimbus

Bob_the_godly_dude said: -- I'm pretty sure most guitars come with logarithmic tone and volume pots.

Thanks! 😀 I'll go for 2 logarithmic pots!

I still need to plan some wiring before doing any mods...

Things I'm considering now (if anyone here even cares! 😆 ):

1. 1M pots (of which other push-pull pot, switching the clipping diode circ. on/off)

2. new wirings to the 3-way switches: one pup select: neck/both/bridge, other "split humbucker"/"bypass pots"/'change phase on "both pups"'

3. "treble bleed" for the volume pot (no/less tone change when turning volume up/down)

4. "lifesaver" (few small components that work like a fuse if there's a shortcut/etc)

It's not gonna be easy if I want to do all these at once! Or is it even possible? I'll find out once I get to it, but will take your comments if there's any.

Nimbus

sqxo said: 2. new wirings to the 3-way switches: one pup select: neck/both/bridge, other "split humbucker"/"bypass pots"/'change phase on "both pups"'

Just figured out that this is next to impossible because the 3-way switches different positions aren't totally independent of each other (there's only 4, not 6 pairs of pins under the switch):

Has anyone got a link or few to a better schematic, to get more options from the 3-way switches?

Nimbus

New plans.. (just need to find time to solder it)

1. 1MOhm volume pot, 500kOhm tone pot (push-pull)

2. new wirings to the 3-way switches:

- front = pup select: neck/both/bridge

- rear = split humbucker/humbucker (series)/humbucker parallel mode

3. "treble bleed" for the volume pot (no/less tone change when turning volume up/down)

4. "lifesaver" (few small components that work like a fuse if there's a shortcut/etc)

5. Push-pull connects the bridge and neck pickups in series together

6. Both pots "filed" to no-load-pots ( http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/pots.htm )

7. Killswitch to quiet the thing ( http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/sc ... witch.html )

Fab

sqxo said: 2. new wirings to the 3-way switches:

front = pup select: neck/both/bridge

rear = split humbucker/humbucker (series)/humbucker parallel mode

I was wondering if you could expand on the switching options for the humbucker? What exactly does each position do, I don't fully understand?

I ask because I'm planning on putting a 3 way pup selector toggle in the control plate (in place of either the tone or volume control, not sure which yet), but I want to keep the 3 way switches because I just like having knobs and switches to play with, so I need to think what to do with them. I was thinking of having one for the humbucker do on-coil tap-?, and had no idea what to do for the other one, but maybe if I ditched the volume knob on the control plate I could use it for 3 set volumes, (full on-ebow appropriate-mute), though I'm more likely to ditch the tone as I don't play with it half as much. So yeah, any ideas on what I could do are quite welcome.

edit: And am I right in thinking I can't do a coil tap with the stock humbucker?

iCEByTes

sqxo said: 2. new wirings to the 3-way switches:

front = pup select: neck/both/bridge

rear = split humbucker/humbucker (series)/humbucker parallel mode

its an Crazy idea ive got after see an seymour duncan idea , works fine and give you 12/24 sounds style

-> http://www.4shared.com/file/12751055/6a ... matic.html

.rar file , 1600x pics , highest quality i could do

20mb

Switchs : neck-both-bridge // Split-series-Paralell

Push-Pull : Phase Off , Works When Both is On

safe server hosted i hope lol

Fab

iCEByTes said:
its an Crazy idea ive got after see an seymour duncan idea , works fine and give you 12/24 sounds style
-> http://www.4shared.com/file/12751055/6a ... matic.html
.rar file , 1600x pics , highest quality i could do
20mb
Switchs : neck-both-bridge // Split-series-Paralell
Push-Pull : Phase Off , Works When Both is On
safe server hosted i hope lol

oh cheers mate, but could you maybe draw out how i wire the switch up for the humbucker? i can't really make it out from the pictures.

i'm still planning on putting a toggle in the control plate rather than use the other mustang switch for neck-both-bridge because it's much easier to change mid-song, so any ideas on what to do with that other mustang switch would be appreciated.

iCEByTes

yes gonna try make an draw

post soon