Replicating the Guitar's Tone Pot/Cap for Stellartone Tonestyler effect?

Optimus Stein

Optimus Stein

Member
I'm rewiring one on my guitars to go from the pickups to the switch and then directly to the output jack. Replicating the Volume is easy, I just use a Volume Block.

I'm not sure how to replicate the Tone Circuit. I assume I'd use a PEQ to sweep along the frequencies but how do I simulate the Tone Cap (.015, .022, .047, etc)? Any advice would be most appreciated. Cheers.

Goal: Most analog Pots have a single "sweet spot" where they sound best. I'd like to experiment w/ multiple sweet spots, similar to the Stellartone Tonestyler.
 
Its really tough to do because of the changing impedance the circuit puts on the pickups. You can EQ it, and you can also adjust the impedance in the Axe, which helps a bit, but its still after a buffer, so not exactly the same thing, but should get you in the ballpark.

Can't say I agree that there is a single sweetspot though. I do think sometimes something like a .047 can roll off too much on a tele, but a .033 or similar gives a really nice workable range. Likewise, install a treble bleed and you can get a nice range of tones.

But to each his own... I find the tone pot, and the volume pot, both really useful.
 
Just for starters, typical guitar circuitry boosts at the resonant frequency between inductance from pickups you've selected and capacitance, which will mostly come from the guitar cable. Signal level above that resonant frequency then tapers off.

With no guitar controls, you'll have a very strong peak and probably at a higher frequency - this might be good, but it might be too much. Trying to use signal processing to manage this peak after it's already there and fixed will be very tricky, and you'd need different settings when you select different pickups of change a guitar cable ! I think your best chance is to start with a PEQ block that negates the existing peak and hi end cut, then go from there.

Guitar volume and tone controls change the amount and frequency of that resonant peak. The tone control in a particular affects tone in 3 different ways: (1) Just connecting a tone pot set to maximum loads the resonant circuit at high frequencies, reducing the Q factor (amount) of the peak. (2) Lowering the tone control setting reduces both the Q and frequency of the peak. (3) At the lowest settings (from about 2 to zero) you get an increase in the peak but at a lower resonant frequency because the tone capacitor it directly placed in parallel with the pickup(s) selected.

I'd recommend that if you like the way guitar controls work, just to use them.
 
I probably should have added that the Tonestyler product is just a switch that changes capacitor values. You can make one yourself with a rotary switch and different capacitors (and use resistors to prevent popping). It lowers the resonant frequency like a tone control, but maintains the Q (the amount of resonant boost).

I've used these for a while, and while producing some interesting "half-cocked wah" tones, I ultimately found a regular tone control more useful musically.
 
Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it.

I've always been a little OCD about signal loss so I'm gonna go ahead w/ the experiment. I didn't mention it but my plan is to plug the pickup directly into an active cable (GWires) and then into the AXEFXIII. I wouldn't do this to one of my stage guitars but I have over 50 (guitars) so I can try a few oddball setups along the way while I get ready for some studio projects next year. I'll keep you posted. Cheers.
 
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