do i need special pickups with a delta tone harness?

[kristen]

can a delta tone harness be used on a "regular" mexican stratocaster or do I have to get special "delta" pickups?

thanks
super kristen

 

[Dirty Steve]

There's a who in the what, now?

 

[kristen]

i have a prewired "delta-tone" harness (pots and switch). i would like to put it in a mexican stratocaster which has the regular pickups which came with it. i think this harness needsto connect to special pickups but i am not sure.

k

 

[valriver 1940]

hi kristen! you can connect any make of single coil pickup in your mim strat, just connect the the new pickup wires on the same solder terminals.

 

[jefrs]

Methinks the 'delta tone' is the no-load tone pot ? = ordinary pickupses.

Just copy the wiring over from the old one (take a photo for reference).

 

[mellecaster]

The Delta Tone Rig did feature a Hotter Bridge Pickup...but there's no reason you can't just wire it up to what you have, measure twice...cut once...

 

[kristen]

thanks guys. yes, i believe there was a reference to a "no load" in the description about the harness when i bought it. is that supossed to be for a better sound.. or just a different sound?

kristen

 

[Deaf Eddie]

I confirm: The complete "Delta-Tone" system was comprised of three things:

#1 - one no-load tone pot in the lower control location;
#2 - 5-way wired so that the no-load tone pot affected the mid AND bridge pickups;
#3 - a slightly hotter bridge pickup.

These axes also all have the RW/RP middle pickup, but that's not a Delta-Tone exclusive idea.

The idea with the no-load running the mid and bridge pups was threefold:

#1 - the #2 throw, neck+mid, would now only have ONE tone pot constantly attentuating the highs, for a slightly brighter quack;
#2 - with the no-load, the mid pup would be slightly brighter/punchier, without the constant roll-off of a tone pot;
#3 - the bridge pup retained its "no-tone-pot" brightness, but could now be "tamed" with the no-load tone pot wired to control it (and the mid pup) at the 5-way.

The hotter bridge pup was an attempt to get a better balance between the three pickups, compensating for less kinetic energy (ergo, output) produced near the bridge.

You can use any of the "Delta-Tone" ideas on any Strat (or other 3-pup guitar with a 5-way).

 

[Radspin]

I use a Seymour Duncan Little '59 bridge humbucker with my Delta Tone Strat and it works fine--in fact, the tone pot is extremely useful in getting different tonal "flavors" out of the Little '59.