modern vs 50's wiring. what do you prefer?

I have the 50's mod on all of my guitars as well as a treble bleed capacitor and discovered that the TB cap value is not a 'one size fits all'. I've tried several types, with and without the series or parallel resistor and prefer the cap only. I select the value for each guitar that retains the amount of treble as the volume is rolled off that sounds most natural to my ears. It takes some time but is time worth spending if you use the volume control much IMO.
 
JoKeR III said:
I have the 50's mod on all of my guitars as well as a treble bleed capacitor and discovered that the TB cap value is not a 'one size fits all'. I've tried several types, with and without the series or parallel resistor and prefer the cap only. I select the value for each guitar that retains the amount of treble as the volume is rolled off that sounds most natural to my ears. It takes some time but is time worth spending if you use the volume control much IMO.
Click to expand...

FWIW, here's the gist of what Collings support said when I asked about a treble bleed for my city Limits:
We do not use a treble bleed, although our standard 50’s wiring maintains some of the highs as you roll off the volume, at least better than the modern wiring option we offer, which smooths out the taper but loses more of the highs.

I recommend giving this one a shot:
https://www.stewmac.com/electronics...nd-resistors/golden-age-treble-bleed-circuit/

It’s ready to go and their diagram shows where to install it. The ceramic version is smaller and easier to fit into tight spaces, but our head electric and archtop luthier said he’s go with the Orange Drop version on our guitars, as it’s likely a higher quality and more consistent product, along with not being nasally, which the ceramic stuff tends to be. Fit shouldn’t be an issue with a CL but it’s also easy enough to swap them that you could try both if you were so inclined.
Click to expand...
 
While I use 50's for HB's and P90's, I've found these useful on Fender style SC's...

https://pmtmusic.com/variable-treble-bleed

Easy to dial in, just hook up with some longer wires so it sits outside the control cavity, play and dial in, then stuff inside the control cavity. Rather than attempting to find the perfect cap and resistor blend, you instead just dial in how much you need etc.
 
Dave Merrill said:
FWIW, here's the gist of what Collings support said when I asked about a treble bleed for my city Limits:
Click to expand...
I may give that golden age circuit a try though when I put in my cart (dont' have stewmac membership) i'm paying more for shipping than the actual part. uggh. pass
 
Here's a potentially dumb question and I fear i'm creeping towards the cork sniffery of guitar modding....so yeah I can make my own treble bleed circuit easily...just need to source the parts. So, are orange drops all equal? You can buy off amazon I see...any reasons i'd look elsewhere?
 
Chewie5150 said:
Here's a potentially dumb question and I fear i'm creeping towards the cork sniffery of guitar modding....so yeah I can make my own treble bleed circuit easily...just need to source the parts. So, are orange drops all equal? You can buy off amazon I see...any reasons i'd look elsewhere?
Click to expand...
For guitar porpoises, no diff but the size (which affects how effective an antenna for noise it is).
 
Dave Merrill said:
FWIW, here's the gist of what Collings support said when I asked about a treble bleed for my city Limits:
Click to expand...

You can try the PMT V-Treb, which is a variable treble bleed. You wire it in (which is very easy), and keep your control panel cover off while you tweak the trimpot mounted to its PCB to adjust the perfect amount of treble bleed for your guitar. It does work very well, and they're very inexpensive.
 
Last edited:
Chewie5150 said:
Here's a potentially dumb question and I fear i'm creeping towards the cork sniffery of guitar modding....so yeah I can make my own treble bleed circuit easily...just need to source the parts. So, are orange drops all equal? You can buy off amazon I see...any reasons i'd look elsewhere?
Click to expand...

They're all fine. I have yet to hear a valid test that showed any difference at all in caps (for audio applications) once you control for the actual (measured) value. Most of the comparisons you may have heard don't control for that and include manufacturing tolerances as a variable.

If you need a very specific value, it's almost worth going with cheaper ones just so you can buy 10 for every one you need and actually measure them.
 
marsonic said:
They're all fine. I have yet to hear a valid test that showed any difference at all in caps (for audio applications) once you control for the actual (measured) value. Most of the comparisons you may have heard don't control for that and include manufacturing tolerances as a variable.

If you need a very specific value, it's almost worth going with cheaper ones just so you can buy 10 for every one you need and actually measure them.
Click to expand...
Measure? MEASURE? :D
 
I’m gonna copy the golden age treble bleed circuit stewmac makes. Just sourced these off amazon. The resistor tolerance isn’t as tight as stewmac but not sure I’d notice anyhow. Will be fun little experiment. If it doesn’t pan out no big deal
 

Attachments

  • IMG_9815.jpeg
    IMG_9815.jpeg
    329 KB · Views: 9
Chewie5150 said:
I’m gonna copy the golden age treble bleed circuit stewmac makes. Just sourced these off amazon. The resistor tolerance isn’t as tight as stewmac but not sure I’d notice anyhow. Will be fun little experiment. If it doesn’t pan out no big deal
Click to expand...

Search eBay for ‘treble bleed’ and save a few bucks for that style of bleed. Or just buy 180pf caps alone. I use both styles on my guitars.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom