How do I disconnect the tone control from my guitar?

Tannhauser

Tannhauser

Inspired
I'm still not happy with the tone control on my guitar, I can get around it with an EQ on the beginning of my patches, but I want the guitar to not need it. I think the Tone control is too aggressive - making the sound too low mid focussed so I want to remove the tone control from the circuit to see if that's actually the culprit and if it is, get a replacement.

I've read a few things that make this sound really simple - but for those who have done it, is it just a case of desoldering everything connected to that control? Or just some things? Do I have to connect the wires after?

I've read people saying contradicting things about all of that.

My guitar has:

2 black wires connected to the top of the pot.
one white wire going to one of the 3 terminals on the edge of the pot with it's bare sleeve soldered to the top.
There's also a cap bridging the top and another of the terminals.

So, what do I need to disconnect?

I know I could just go and do it, and put it back if it doesn't work, but I thought I'd ask anyway!
 
the black wires on the top of the pot are grounding, dont disconnect that.
white wire with bare sleeve sounds like a hot wire and the ground wire is the sleeve.

a photo would be helpful but typically theres a cap or wire going from the first lug of the volume pot to the tone pot. Thats what youd disconnect.
 
Vhalen50 said:
the black wires on the top of the pot are grounding, dont disconnect that.
white wire with bare sleeve sounds like a hot wire and the ground wire is the sleeve.

a photo would be helpful but typically theres a cap or wire going from the first lug of the volume pot to the tone pot. Thats what youd disconnect.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, I'll get a photo later on, appreciate the reply!
 
It’s odd that there would be a shielded wire going to the tone pot.

If the tone cap is is connected from pot lug to its case there should only be one connection from a lug on the tone pot to a lug on the volume pot, that’s what you will disconnect. (the wires soldered to the case are grounds and you don’t need to touch those).

In the picture below it’s the green wire that you would disconnect. Sometimes the tone cap takes the place of the green wire, in that case you would disconnect the tone cap.

There are a few different ways to wire in a tone pot so yes, please post pictures.

Dom

IMG_2515.png
 
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A tone pot shunts high frequencies to ground, but it doesn't really have much effect at all on the lower frequencies. If your pickup is too prominent in lower midrange for you, clipping the tone pot out of the circuit isn't going to help that much. It will make the guitar a bight brighter sounding though, which may or may not help compensate.
 
Frodebro said:
A tone pot shunts high frequencies to ground, but it doesn't really have much effect at all on the lower frequencies. If your pickup is too prominent in lower midrange for you, clipping the tone pot out of the circuit isn't going to help that much. It will make the guitar a bight brighter sounding though, which may or may not help compensate.
Click to expand...
+1

A tone control always affects the circuit, even when turned all the way up. Removing that pot will change the load on the pickups as well. It’s more than just a high cut.

Dom
 
Cut the green wire in the diagram above. You can get a zero load pot with a detent from Fender (CTS) it is the delta tone. In the off position it is out completely.
 
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