Question...Tone Pot for Les Paul

[jeffbelch]

I have an R7 that's probably my favorite guitar of all time. I played a PRS Singlecut and a Hamer Monaco Elite for a number of years, and the LP is definitely darker than the other guitars. This makes the bridge pickup sound thick and rich, but my neck pickup is too dark. I've removed the tone pot from the signal altogether, which definitely brought out the high end, but there's still more low end than I would prefer. I've even tried a couple different pickups. I think the nature of the guitar itself is that it's dark. So here's my question. Is there a tone pot in existence that, instead of rolling out the treble, rolls off the low end? Thanks for your help.
-Jeff

[drbob1]

Hey, that's a great question! I don't think you can use a bass rolloff in quite the same "easy wiring" way that you can a treble rolloff. With the current tone pot setup, you bleed the treble to ground and the pot acts as a barrier to that (so, it's actually sending no signal when the treble is full up). To cut bass, you actually send the treble signal thru. At it's simplest it would be pickup to cap to hot, second wire from pickup side of cap to pot to ground. Changing the value of the pot and the cap would determine the roll-off frequency. Perhaps do a google search on tone network for a value calculator?

[bandofthieves™]

The best pot I have found for this is the one on my amp labeled (bass).I just turn it down a few numbers.Also setting the neck pickup flush with the bezel or lower helps as well.. Good luck. No sarcasm here,I deal with this all the time.

[bandofthieves™]

You might find something here.
http://music-electronics-forum.com/t20054/

[Steven]

Check this out (long post with lotsa good stuff on how to make a bass contour knob like some reverens or GL guitars). I´m going to put a master bass contour knob in my LP.

http://www.metalguitarist.org/forum/...-bass-cut.html

[Blues Lyne]

Originally Posted by Steven

Check this out (long post with lotsa good stuff on how to make a bass contour knob like some reverens or GL guitars). I´m going to put a master bass contour knob in my LP.

http://www.metalguitarist.org/forum/...-bass-cut.html

You can do it pretty easily, just like is outlined in the link. I wired my Les Paul Special with a bass roll off instead of a treble roll off for the neck pickup. I first learned of this from a 80s Schecter HH Strat that had both treble and bass roll off pots. My Yamaha Weddington is wired with treble, mid and bass roll off pots and a master volume. The catch is that with the pot on 10, the tone is not the same as it is without the pot. However, it doesn't sound like that would be a problem for you. If it is, you could use a push pull pot to switch the bass roll off in or out of the signal path.

Below is a diagram I drew from the Schecter. The pot labeled mid is actually the bass roll off pot. The Schecter uses a .001 cap, but G&L uses a .002 cap.



I could have sworn that I made a diagram when I wired my Les Paul Special, but I can't find it. But, this thread has a wiring diagram for a Les Paul.
http://www.thegearpage.net/board/sho...d.php?t=842028

Not only does it let you roll some bass off for less muddy tones, but it also has a big impact on dirt. You can roll it off for a tighter, cleaner rhythm tone and then roll it up for a fatter, more saturated solo.

[GuitarToma]

Go here. Call them. Email them. They will help you. Extremely knowledgeable. GREAT products.
http://www.rsguitarworks.net/cms2/index.php

[L_Totti]

Is there a way to do a passive midrange control? Or other way to get cocked wah sounds from a knob (built in Q Zone?) ?

[AXXA]

@L Totti- there is sort of, though its not quite as pronounced as a Q zone (I have a Q zone and a guitar with this feature). What I'm talking about isn't really a midrange control, and may not be what you're after. The Ampeg Dan Armstrong instruments have a switch for 2 tone pot values, one normal, and one with less treble roll off. With OD, the one with less treble givers a good midrange sound, for me at least.

Some people use a .01uf-.047uf cap for a tone control to get more of a wah sound.

[Blues Lyne]

There is a way to get a passive midrange cut, or midrange cut/boost using an inductor and some caps. I wouldn't say it does a cocked wah thing though. There are kits available at these links:

http://www.guitar-mod.com/rg_passive.html

http://www.griblinengineering.com/hot_rod_parts.htm

http://www.torresamps.com/guitar_modification_kits.htm

And some info on a diy version from Steve Ahola here:
http://www.firebottle.com/fireforum/...30023469t5KbJa