HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

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daCod
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HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by daCod »

putting together the old fart (below) and im having issues when it comes to the bridge pickup.

no matter which pup is installed it sounds super honky and midrange heavy. i've tried a brand new novak wide range humbucker and now an EGC Travis Bean humbucker.
both pickups were wired in the same. the TB is 4-conductor wiring but it's being treated like the standard 2 and was pre-tinned and ready to go upon arrival from Kevin.

pots are 500k volume and 1meg tone

same same cap as was on my original 77 tele deluxe

in neck position it sounds fine.
in middle position it sounds fine.
in bridge position it sounds super honky almost cocked-wah like.

sound was so evident that after listening to a quick and dirty soundclip i made Mr. Novak told me to send the WR back to him so he could check it out and fix or replace it.
he said it tested fine on the bench and also when he wired it up. everything was to spec. pickup is fine.

i dont recall how i have it wired at the moment but i'm almost positive i used the standard SD wiring diagram for single neck and hm bridge w/3-way toggle, v & t.

can anyone suggest anything? pot value change? use a different wiring diagram? Bueller? Bueller?

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i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
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Dr Tony Balls
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Re: HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by Dr Tony Balls »

daCod wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:13 pmcan anyone suggest anything?
Just send the guitar to me and never ask me about it ever again. :lol:

Yup, pot values can def affect tone. 1 Meg tone is an odd choice, i'd usually like to see 250K or 500K there. Have you tried that? Does rolling down the tone pot on the bridge pickup help the honk?
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daCod
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Re: HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by daCod »

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:31 pm
daCod wrote: Mon Apr 13, 2020 4:13 pmcan anyone suggest anything?
Just send the guitar to me and never ask me about it ever again. :lol:
might happen if it doesnt start behaving soon! :hihi:

Dr Tony Balls wrote: Yup, pot values can def affect tone. 1 Meg tone is an odd choice, i'd usually like to see 250K or 500K there. Have you tried that? Does rolling down the tone pot on the bridge pickup help the honk?
i wanted a bright sound, so went that route. Kevin said he usually goes 500k for both volume and tone. maybe i'll try that. or just wire the bridge pup straignt to the output jack.
that would be as pure pickup sound there could be, correct? nothing in the signal chain to affect the sound...???
if you're ever in the shit, grab my tit
i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
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Dr Tony Balls
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Re: HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by Dr Tony Balls »

Straight to the jack will be a raw sound but also very bright. Even with a 1Meg tone control you should be able to dial it back to an acceptable level. If you can do that then you know its the pot.
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daCod
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Re: HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by daCod »

:party:

Will report back with findings...
if you're ever in the shit, grab my tit
i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
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(='.'=)
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daCod
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Re: HALP! can wiring and pot values add midrange?

Post by daCod »

wired the TB pickup direct to the jack and plugged it in. BIG difference. has to be wiring/pots/switch/something. so did some reading...

looked at old les paul and travis bean wiring. had my head it a dozen or so cavities :hihi: same idea Gibson and TB. most of the artist beans i came across had a tone roll off treble bleed cap from lug 1-2 on the volume pots. i didnt have any correct capacitors to add that little detail so i settled on 50's LP wiring. did it up like a single hum 50's Les Paul. made a HUGE difference. used the old Japanese 500k pots that came with the guitar as i also didnt have any spare 500k's kicking around.

will be ordering a few different caps and two new pots. and until i can afford to replace the not-so-awesome sounding stock neck pickup with a novak mosrite style i think this will be a single pickup only for a while.

:cheers:
if you're ever in the shit, grab my tit
i like pedals when you know they're on
When I saw you with that lost look on your face saying you had just saw ET, I thought "uh oh, game over" - innerflight
(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")
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