G&L ASAT electronics?

[Chicago Slim]

Can someone help me figure out the wireing, on my ASAT Classic? I like the sound of my G&L ASAT. I can cut the volume for twang, and increase volume for more crunch. I would like to apply the changes to my Strat. I've already wired it for a single master tone, and relocated the volume.

It looks like there is a resistor, between lugs 1 and 2 of the volume. It's marked 201K. Is this a treble bleed circuit? I expected to see a capacitor, from lug 1 to ground.

I have a capacitor, on the tone control marked 2A223J. Is this a .022 mFcap?

Thanks,
Tim

[Jim Collins]

The cap between the 1 and 2 lugs of the volume pot is the bypass cap. A marking of 201K indicates 200pF. The first two digits are the significant digits. The third digit is the number of zeros to add onto the first two digits, giving you 200. The value is expressed in picofarads. The K indicates tolerance. (Remember that .001uF = 1000pF, so this this is a small cap, indeed. PRS uses a 180pF cap for this function.)

The cap on the tone control is .022uF. (Forget the first two characters. The "223" is important. That indicates 22000pF, which is .022uF.

By the way, don't be surprised if your Strat does not behave the same way as your ASAT Classic behaves, after you do this to the Strat. A lot depends upon the pickups. You may find that the value of the bypass cap that works in the G&L might not work as well in the Strat. You ought to get several values between 100pF and 250pF, and see which one you prefer. They are cheap.

Just as I was editing this response, I noticed you said there was resistor between the two lugs on the volume pot. You said resistor, but I read capacitor. Did you mean cap? Normally, you don't see numbers on a resistor, only color bands.

[Chicago Slim]

Jim, thanks for the informatiom. You were right about it being a cap, on the volume. I wasn't sure, what I was looking at.

Playing live, the ASAT really works for me (being able to control my sound by rideing the volume). I'm trying to bring some of the characteristics, over to the Strat. I may also try a Fralin plate, under the bridge pickup.

I have learned the hard way that things don't always transfer, from one guitar to another. I always play the ASAT in the middle (bridge & neck) position. When I wired a Strat, like this, it sounded nothing like the ASAT.

Thanks again,
Tim

[Jim Collins]

What is it that you'd like your Strat to do? How is the Strat currently wired? Is it the two, in-between positions that you are having problems with?

If you were to replace your stock Strat switch with a superswitch -- a true 4P5T switch -- you might be able to work around the shortcomings. There is a lot you could do with that switch. You could, for instance, wire it so that the switch gives you the same pickup selections it now gives you, but gives you a single tone control in each position, while still using both tone controls. That would only use three of the four poles. The fourth pole could be used to add in a bypass cap (with optional resistor) for the two, inbetween positions, but not have one in the three, single pickup positions.

[Chicago Slim]

I have wired the Strat for a single tone control, and moved the volume to the hole, of the first (removed) tone control. This gives me room to anchor my right hand.

What I like about the ASAT is, as I raise the volume, I get more overdrive (crunch). At half volume, the sound cleans up, for clearer cords or twang. I play modern country. The volume control seems to have less effect on the level, than on other guitars. But it seems to have more effect on the amout of distortion. I know that the guitar/amp combination, comes into play, but I've gotten good at dialing the sound in. I can get this effect with the Strat, just not as pronounced.

Would the capacitors that I'm looking for be labeled .001uF and .0022uF?

[Jim Collins]

A cap with a value of .001uF, which is 1000pF, is sometimes used as a bypass cap, but it is too small to be used as a tone cap. Personally, I think it is too large to be used as a bypass cap, but there are no rules. The bypass cap on your ASAT is 200pf, which is .0002uF. 200pF is quite a bit smaller than 1000pF.

The tone cap you want is .022uF, not .0022uF. .0022uF is too small for a tone cap.

What are the values of the pots on your ASAT? (When I owned an ASAT Classic, they were 250K, but that was several years ago.)

Do you get this effect on the Strat in all positions, or just a couple of them?

[Chicago Slim]

I understand now and have found the cap's, in my part express catalog.

The pots on my ASAT Classic are 250K. While searching threads, I came across someone talking about a resistance ground, to give more useable range to a pot. When I check my ASAT, it didn't have it. The third lug went direct to ground.

I'm trying to get this compression, on my Strat. Like it is on my ASAT. All switch positions react the same.

[Jim Collins]

What do you mean by "resistance to ground"? The third lug of the volume pot -- the one on the right, as the lugs are facing you -- is supposed to be connected to ground. This is not the case with the tone pot.

[Chicago Slim]

Someone, in a past thread (may have been on another forum), was talking about G&L useing a resistor, to ground the third lug. I was never able to find a diagram like that.

Great info Jim. Now I can mail-order some parts, and give it a try.

Thanks,
Tim

[derek_32999]

Someone, in a past thread (may have been on another forum), was talking about G&L useing a resistor, to ground the third lug. I was never able to find a diagram like that.

Great info Jim. Now I can mail-order some parts, and give it a try.

Thanks,
Tim

That was me... I still havent been able to crack the G&L open again to check the values.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=190855