Need some Gretsch wiring advice

[guitrr]

I've got a Gretsch Brian Setzer Hot Rod, love the guitar, and gig quite a bit with it. However, it experiences a severe treble drop-off when I back off the volume. Consequently, I have dealt with that issue by setting my amp at a volume setting that allows me to keep the guitar's volume maxed, and just adjusting on the fly by altering my touch and string attack.

Has anyone dealt with this problem on a Gretsch, and especially the model I own? I've considered putting a tone control in, and using a cap to regulate this issue. (A master volume control and pickup selector are the only controls on the guitar)

What do you think? And/or who would I see or talk to about this? And I am going to post this question on the Gretsch forum too.

Thanks,
Kane

 

[fieldhdj]

Add a treble bleed circuit : solder a Sprague "Orange Drop" .001 uF capacitor in parallel between the in and out lugs of your master volume pot.

 

[Paul D]

You can buy the cap complete from TV Jones. I have done that with all my Gretsch's. Works perfect!!!!

 

[guitrr]

Excellent, thanks guys!


Kane

 

[JimmyR]

Yeah I believe it's a .001uF cap in series with a 150K resistor that TV sells. I've had excellent results with this. You can use the full range of the vol pot.

 

[guitrr]

Ordered the cap this morning, so all is well!

 

[Crazyquilt]

Another perspective:

I own the same guitar as you (see right up there next to me name?) I also have a "plain" 6120. I put a treble bleed circuit in the 6120, but I did NOT in the Hod Rod.

With the 6120, I use the pickup volumes to occasionally cut a little treble off the top of a pickup, or adjust the blend in the center position. Then I can adjust overall volume, without change in tone, by using the master.

I thought long & hard about whether or not I'd do the same in the Hot Rod. I decided not to alter the Hot Rod because I can control volume perfectly well with my hands, but the tonal shifts that occur when you roll back a volume pot are not something I can do with my hands. Thus I opted to have what was, for me, the best -- and simplest -- arrangement. I do set my amp on the bright side, but the Hot Rod is a pretty bright guitar. Also, you might try raising the pickups a bit; the increased output can make the volume knob more useful.

I got the guitar because I wanted the simplest instrument that gave me the maximum connection between me and the instrument, with as little distraction as possible.

Besides, I loathe working on f-hole guitars.

 

[JimmyR]

Crazyquilt raises a couple of good points - firstly yes the Filter'trons sound a lot better (to me) if they are very close to the strings. I use little cardboard shims to raise them up. The other thing is that F-Hole guitars can be a pain to work in. I usually pull the neck pickup out and feed the master vol pot through the neck pickup hole to put the cap/resistor on. On my SSLVO I also disconnected the bridge pickup volume by pulling the pot through the lower F-hole and soldering the two hot wires together, bypassing the pot. It takes out any resistance the pot might have and saves me from losing vol accidentally.

Working on the pots is a lot easier if once you take the knob off you put some string or similar onto the pot shaft so that you can pull it back into place again afterwards. I have some heatshrink that fits over the shaft and just add a little masking tape to make sure it doesn't slip off. It makes re-installing the pots a breeze.