Crowder
Dang Twangler
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- 19,089
I am intrigued by the idea of having a Strat with some sort of on-board mid boost. To that end, I recently ordered a loaded body that included a full set of Lace Sensor Blues with the Clapton electronics that I am experimenting with.
After fitting a new battery, I have found a couple of things to be true about this guitar:
-- The basic tone of the Lace Sensor Blues is pretty good. Hot but not overly so when the mid boost is out of the circuit.
-- The mid-boost control seems to come on slowly at first, then really strong in the last 9/10's of engagement. It goes very suddenly from a pleasant boost to a screaming, squawking mess in that last bit of engagement. This could be a sign that the Lace Blues are not a good match for the circuitry in full-on mode (I think Clapton guitars use Golds which are less hot).
-- The second pot is supposed to be a Fender "No Load" tone control with a paper-in-oil cap, but it just dials in a bunch of mud. I'm going to try a different cap ASAP.
So far I have mixed feelings about the Clapton mid boost. I wish it would give me more shades of boost as it comes on rather than being so touchy at the end of the pot's travel. I suspect that it is a different animal with pickups that are better matched to it. I'd love to hear from folks who use this circuit.
I was also reading today about different experiences with the EMG David Gilmour and Vince Gill setups. I think the Gilmour rig would make for a very versatile Strat. If anyone has compared the EMG SPC control with the Clapton circuit I'd love to hear about it.
Finally, I have a set of Ron Ellis 50/60 strat pickups on order. I have considered putting them in this guitar and fitting a Suhr backplate to cut down on any noise. If anyone has paired traditional pickups with the Clapton circuit I'm all ears. I know it can be done, but wonder how successfully.
After fitting a new battery, I have found a couple of things to be true about this guitar:
-- The basic tone of the Lace Sensor Blues is pretty good. Hot but not overly so when the mid boost is out of the circuit.
-- The mid-boost control seems to come on slowly at first, then really strong in the last 9/10's of engagement. It goes very suddenly from a pleasant boost to a screaming, squawking mess in that last bit of engagement. This could be a sign that the Lace Blues are not a good match for the circuitry in full-on mode (I think Clapton guitars use Golds which are less hot).
-- The second pot is supposed to be a Fender "No Load" tone control with a paper-in-oil cap, but it just dials in a bunch of mud. I'm going to try a different cap ASAP.
So far I have mixed feelings about the Clapton mid boost. I wish it would give me more shades of boost as it comes on rather than being so touchy at the end of the pot's travel. I suspect that it is a different animal with pickups that are better matched to it. I'd love to hear from folks who use this circuit.
I was also reading today about different experiences with the EMG David Gilmour and Vince Gill setups. I think the Gilmour rig would make for a very versatile Strat. If anyone has compared the EMG SPC control with the Clapton circuit I'd love to hear about it.
Finally, I have a set of Ron Ellis 50/60 strat pickups on order. I have considered putting them in this guitar and fitting a Suhr backplate to cut down on any noise. If anyone has paired traditional pickups with the Clapton circuit I'm all ears. I know it can be done, but wonder how successfully.
. I think I'll go crack them open and check if anyone is curious.
