50's (gibson) strat wiring mod...WOW!

Hey all,

I'm a notorious tinkerer, can't keep my fingers out of the wires for some reason. But I thought I'd share this with ya.

I've been trying to get some better tone from my CS 69's, I have felt that they were just a bit to sterile for my liking. I received my "free" premeir guitar subscription via email last week and didn't look at until Friday. PG has been doing a strat mod section, which up until this point has seemed a bit lame for someone that has been around strats for awhile, and I generally disregard the article since I've been there done that. But this 50's mod is the bomb!

http://digital.premierguitar.com/premierguitar/200907_1/?pg=59

Give it a try!

By the way I'm not affiliated with PG in any way. Just a cool mod.

I'd suggest this mod to anyone thinking their tone is too sterile, and it also made the ceramic pups on one of my guitars sound really!

Just did it to my strat and first impressions are very good. Thanks for the heads up.

I suppose it would work for teles too. Might give it a go.

A few guys her have been using "the 50's mod" for a while including yours truly! I think it's great on a Tele and a great alternative to a treble bleed circuit IMHO

For some reason I thought this was different from the 50's mod where you just move the wire from the tone pot since the tone pot is connected to the switch and both wires from the volume pot go to the switch as well.

So is this mod achievable even with a 4 way switch mod?

I was looking at my tele which I have the tone pot connected to the output lug on the volume pot, I think I saw it refferred to as the "fezz" mod somewhere else, but I'd love to get this tone out of my tele.

Yeah, I have my Tele vol/tone wired like this with a 4 way

The "50's" mod is great on any guitar. Now if you really want to wire your Strat up right, add a master tone and neck blend pot!

Master tone and neck blend pot is the way to go.:grin:

The "50's" mod is great on any guitar. Now if you really want to wire your Strat up right, add a master tone and neck blend pot!

Would that supersede or be in conjunction with the '50s Mod??? I'm a total newb at wiring, so apologies in advance if that's an obvious answer.

Scott

That's funny...I switched from the master tone and neck blend to this 50's mod because I am getting way more tone (especially with the CS 69's).

I must be missing something here. I'm going to have to take another look at what I got going on.

So who's got the schematic for all this tonal bliss combined into one package?

Here it is:
http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p38899.jpg

And this is the tele:

http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p39557.jpg

Will I need a special pot, or can the stock one be utilized???

Thanks,
Scott

[QUOTE=fezz parka;1950153]Here it is:
http://www.lilypix.com/photos/data/71ad16ad2c4d81f348082ff6c4b20768/2344_p38899.jpg

What threw me for a loop was that this blender pot mod was utilizing just one side of the switch, and the PG 50's mod used both sides of the switch, so I think I figured it out now, still using both sides of the switch, you would just run the blender pot wires too the other side of the switch to hook up to the bridge and neck positives. Then just bridge all three lugs on the other side for the tone pot.

Does this sound correct?

Will I need a special pot, or can the stock one be utilized???

Thanks,
Scott

You can convert your stock pot into a blender pot pretty easy. I forget the actual name for the pot, but it's like "bypass" or something like that.

1) You will have to unsolder the lower tone pot (normally the middle tone pot) and remove it from the p/guard.

2) Then carefully pry the little tabs holding the back cover on. Remove cover.

3) Now notice where the brush (brass wire kinda thing) rubs against the carbon (the black ring) on the pcb looking part of the pot.

4) Find the spot where the brush stops at when the tone pot is dialed to "10".

5) This is where you will want to put a piece of electrical tape (some people use paint or super glue). Just a small sliver (2-3 mm), just enough so the brush does not to make contact with the carbon.

So essentially what you want to happen is when you roll the pot all the way to "10" it bypasses the pot, but as soon as you roll the pot back to "9" the brush contacts the carbon and your blend (tone) pot goes to work like normal.

The reason for this is if you don't block the signal path, there will be bleed through of the neck pup...in other words you'll never be able to completely shut the neck pup off.

This is also a fun thing to do too the tone pot because you can eliminate the cap in the signal chain to get a slightly clearer tone. All my guitars have had their pots modded this way because I like the variation.

Try it it's fun.

Now what's the correct term for that blender pot....hmmmm?

Now what's the correct term for that blender pot....hmmmm?

Well, if you can't think of it, I'm all for "Stratomixer."

Scott :cool:

It's called a no load pot.

Call me dumb (I frequently do LOL) but what do they mean by "swapping two wires marked red and green"? Swap what with what? I presume you are supposed to include BOTH of them as shown in the diagram? ie by "swapping" they mean the read and green wires replace the bridging wire?

It's called a no load pot.

There it is! I knew it was something like that, Thanks.





Call me dumb (I frequently do LOL) but what do they mean by "swapping two wires marked red and green"? Swap what with what? I presume you are supposed to include BOTH of them as shown in the diagram? ie by "swapping" they mean the read and green wires replace the bridging wire?

No problem, pull your pickguard assembly from your strat and carefully analyze the routing of the wires from the neck tone pot and the volume pot and you'll see what PG is talking about.

Generally on a stock strat there is a single wire attaching the neck tone to the volume, as well as the single wire that connects the volume pot to the switch. PG also mentions a wire connecting one side of lugs on the switch to the otherside of lugs. This needs to be removed as well.

Print off the schematic and go to work, there definately is an improvement in tone across the board.

Well, if you can't think of it, I'm all for "Stratomixer."

Scott :cool:

Kinda sounds like something you would mix drinks in! Sounds good:lol:

Time to revive an old thread!

If i may, my post in the '52 HR Owners Club :)

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/guitar-owners-clubs/131823-52-hot-rod-owners-club-6.html#post4462171

You right sapi !!

Hello my Yooper friend.

I have done that to one of my Tele's, an HSS Strat, and my Gibson LP Studio and like it as well.

Like you say mij, give it a try, it's easily reversible.

my issue with the CD '69s weren't that they sounded too "sterile", it was that they sounded way to "rock", which I think they are supposed to. So maybe I'd say they sounded "generic".

I put a push pull pot in my tele to get switchable 50s/standard wiring and liked it so much its being done to my P90 guitar now.

After I get that back, the strat is getting the same mod, I think.

One of the things i like with the '50's wiring is when you have the tone say on 3 and the vol just a little backed down on 8 or 9 and the guitar cleans up very nicely, no mud, still nice and fat - even with OD!

One of the things i like with the '50's wiring is when you have the tone say on 3 and the vol just a little backed down on 8 or 9 and the guitar cleans up very nicely, no mud, still nice and fat - even with OD!

Yup, you can almost set the compression/clean blend when overdriving an amp-this is very handy at times.

I put a push pull pot in my tele to get switchable 50s/standard wiring and liked it so much its being done to my P90 guitar now.

After I get that back, the strat is getting the same mod, I think.

Do you have a wiring diagram for strat please?
Maybe i'd like to have this option along with the blender pot scheme.

Do you have a wiring diagram for strat please?
Maybe i'd like to have this option along with the blender pot scheme.

Sorry, I dont specifically for the strat-but I do know its similar to how it might be on a tele, as seen in this link.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/318294-switchable-standard-fezz-parka-wiring-via-push-pull-pot-help.html

BTW-I plan to do the blend pot/50's/series/parallel mod at some point to my strat as well.

Sorry, I dont specifically for the strat-but I do know its similar to how it might be on a tele, as seen in this link.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-technical/318294-switchable-standard-fezz-parka-wiring-via-push-pull-pot-help.html

BTW-I plan to do the blend pot/50's/series/parallel mod at some point to my strat as well.

Yes, thank you, i think i understand that... but i would prefer to have the '50's tonality with the vol pot depressed and the standard wiring with the pot pulled, so basically all i have to do is switch the D and F wiring... ;)
BDW that Di Marzio pot looks good! :grin:

Yes, thank you, i think i understand that... but i would prefer to have the '50's tonality with the vol pot depressed and the standard wiring with the pot pulled, so basically all i have to do is switch the D and F wiring... ;)
BDW that Di Marzio pot looks good! :grin:

Thanks man so far its help up well. Its a very useful mod, just know it does make it a bit brighter too.

This is also a fun thing to do too the tone pot because you can eliminate the cap in the signal chain to get a slightly clearer tone.

Does anybody know if Hendrix modded his Strats? His tone was always so clear, even when slamming the front end of his amps with distortion, fuzz, etc..