"Strat's" Master tone or not

6L6C

Power User
Strat players, looking for some views.

I got a Strat about 6 years ago, as far as the controls your standard 1 volume 2 tones. The tone control for the bridge had (still has) a no-load pot. Personally not crazy about this, especially on the bridge position the brightest part of the guitar for pickups.

The solution was simple enough, replace the pot. But instead did something a little different, I made the no-load and turned it into a blender control (between the neck and bridge pickups:works great BTW!) and the other tone control became a master for the whole guitar.

But for some reason I get it in head from time to time to just go back to standard wiring and get rid of the no-load pot. Almost like I feel I'm missing something (what that something is I have no idea).
BTW, happy with the guitar and its sound, I think just in tinkering mode and looking for something to change or screw up :rolleyes: depending how you look at it.

Just curious have some of you guys changed the wiring, and in the long run change it back??

John
 
The only thing I typically go back and forth on is potentiometer values, coil splits and series/parallel wiring. I'll experiment with wiring mods but usually stick with the one I eventually choose or deem the 'best' for a given guitar. For my strat, I moved the tone control from the middle pickup to the bridge and did the 50's mod which moves the tone control from the pickup selector straight to the output lug of the volume control. It's been this way for at least the last 10 years and I really like how the mods affected the tone.
 
All I play are Strats and Teles. I like the blender and have it in all my strats. I find I get a "better" (for me) tone rolling in some of the bridge pups low end. Never did like dumbing down the bridge pup by rolling off the hi end.
Hope that makes sense.
 
For my Strat, I decided to go with the "Clapton Mod"...Volume, Tone (Detent), and Mid Boost (Active) with Fender Noiseless Pickups. I will NOT be going back! This makes a Strat an extremely versatile instrument that is capable of covering just about any style. I picked up a drop-in pickguard with the components already installed. PM me if you want to know more.
 
All I play are Strats and Teles. I like the blender and have it in all my strats. I find I get a "better" (for me) tone rolling in some of the bridge pups low end. Never did like dumbing down the bridge pup by rolling off the hi end.
Hope that makes sense.
What you call dumbing down I call smoothing out. To each their own.
 
@Sonofiam @Stratman68 @favance
It seems I have elements from all three of you guys:)
thanks for the responses BTW

For my strat, I moved the tone control from the middle pickup to the bridge and did the 50's mod which moves the tone control from the pickup selector straight to the output lug of the volume control.
Same here! I do this to all of my Gibson's and Fender's (50's wiring) and like this method as opposed to a treble bleed circuit.
All I play are Strats and Teles. I like the blender and have it in all my strats. I find I get a "better" (for me) tone rolling in some of the bridge pups low end. Never did like dumbing down the bridge pup by rolling off the hi end.
Hope that makes sense.
I'll use the tone control a bit at times but, I know what you mean.
Blending a little neck pickup into the bridge is a times a better solution, then when you go to the neck the opposite occurs. You know you talked me into it I'm leaving the guitar as is. :)
Of coarse it varies but when blending I seem to go anywhere from 25-50% (ball park)
There was concern when putting this together, 2 & 4 on the 5 way to be precise while blending but to my surprise everything sounded great
For my Strat, I decided to go with the "Clapton Mod"...Volume, Tone (Detent), and Mid Boost (Active) with Fender Noiseless Pickups.
I have Fender Noiseless also and feel they get a real bad rap. Have them in a Tele of mine also.

John
.
 
All of the above are per owner. Didn't mean to offend with the "dumbing down" comment, just how it always seemed to me. It's all good! Thats the way it should be.
BTW, I have fralin blues special hybrids in my avatar tele-USA deluxe 06. I really like his pups.

Always liked Claptons mod also. Sold one a while back. May get another..........
 
H/S/S for me with a Push/Pull on the Vol that is coil tap for the humbucker at the bridge. Master tone and then a blender pot. I love the blender pot especially the coil tap on the humbucker. Only thing I'll probably toy with the next time I open it up is the values on the tone pot.
 
HSS w/ one tone control for all the pups. 2nd tone location has a 3-way switch for coil tap. Vol has a push/push that blends neck and bridge, and it also gives me all 3 pups in 2 & 4.

My other Strat is a G&L S-500, SSS. Instead of regular tone controls, it has Bass and Treble circuits, which I kinda like on that guitar... Came stock with a push/pull on one of them that also blends neck/bridge.
 
For my Strat, I decided to go with the "Clapton Mod"...Volume, Tone (Detent), and Mid Boost (Active) with Fender Noiseless Pickups. I will NOT be going back! This makes a Strat an extremely versatile instrument that is capable of covering just about any style. I picked up a drop-in pickguard with the components already installed. PM me if you want to know more.

My #1 guitar is a first year EC model. It is extremely versatile and is easily one of the best Strats that Fender ever put out. I’m no longer a Clapton fan, BTW. I don’t much care for anything that he has done in the past 15-20 years (I’m not paying attention).
 
I use a Suhr Classic for my Strat fix. It is loaded with ML pickups. I have it wired so that one tone control is just for the bridge, and the the other tone control is for the middle and neck. I use the tone controls on my guitar a lot so having the ability to set the bridge where I like it and then work the other 2 pickups is a big + for me.
 
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