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Post subject: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:43 am
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I have a late 80's Clapton strat and also a 40th Anniversary strat. The volume on the Clapton is twice as loud as the 40th. At my local guitar shop they told me it's because the boost on the Clapton is always on, even when the boost level is all the way down. I've never heard that before. Is that true?
Thanks.

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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:46 am
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AFAIK, yes.

The only way the boost circuit is switched off is when there's no cable inserted into the output jack.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 9:58 am
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Thank you. I guess I didn't ask that very well. I know that the circuit is activated when the cable is plugged in, but does it affect the volume with the boost turned all the way down? The Clapton strat with volume on 5 is louder than the 40th strat with volume on 10. All other factors are the same. I used the same amp, the same cable, and the same pickup selections for comparison. I ran directly into the amp with no pedals. I even tried two different amps and the results were the same. The Clapton strat is about twice as loud as the 40th Anniversary strat. I don't have any info on the pickups in the Anniversary strat. Neither of the two books I have on the stratocaster mention it.

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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 11:54 am
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Here's another topic on the same subject: https://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=110915

BTW, somewhere in the web there is a wiring diagram for a Clapton model with an on/off switch for the booster. (And another for one of the Sambora models, which is basically the same.)
But I've never seen anyone mod a production model for the switch.


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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 4:33 pm
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The circuit for the Clapton Strat can be considered as two separate stages. The first stage is an active pre-amp that takes the signal from the selected pickup(s), applies a moderate amount of gain and feeds its output into the volume control and the TBX tone pot. (This is why you get absolutely no output from the guitar if the battery goes flat.) From this point the signal is fed to the mid-boost part of the circuit where the mid-range frequencies are further amplified. The output of this second stage is then mixed with the signal from the first stage via the second 'tone' pot (the mid-boost control) to produce the overall output.

The gain of the overall circuit (including the mid-boost) is quoted as 25dB, but I've never seen a gain figure for the first stage alone.

I have to say when I got my Clapton Strat I removed the active electronics and the Vintage Noiseless pickups and replaced the whole lot with Custom Shop Fat 50s and traditional passive controls - a personal preference, which I'm sure a lot of people might say negates the whole reason for buying a Clapton Strat in the first place... Before making the change, I never did a back to back comparison with my other Strats to see if it was louder with the mid-boost turned down but I don't remember noticing it to be significantly different, to be honest.


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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Thu Sep 12, 2019 7:23 pm
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Thank you. That helps a lot. I know what I need to do now.

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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:15 am
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jmattis wrote:
Here's another topic on the same subject: https://forums.fender.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=110915

BTW, somewhere in the web there is a wiring diagram for a Clapton model with an on/off switch for the booster. (And another for one of the Sambora models, which is basically the same.)
But I've never seen anyone mod a production model for the switch.



On the Samboras the mode switch comes in the form of a push-push button.


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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:19 am
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stiggie_9 wrote:
The circuit for the Clapton Strat can be considered as two separate stages. The first stage is an active pre-amp that takes the signal from the selected pickup(s), applies a moderate amount of gain and feeds its output into the volume control and the TBX tone pot. (This is why you get absolutely no output from the guitar if the battery goes flat.) From this point the signal is fed to the mid-boost part of the circuit where the mid-range frequencies are further amplified. The output of this second stage is then mixed with the signal from the first stage via the second 'tone' pot (the mid-boost control) to produce the overall output.

The gain of the overall circuit (including the mid-boost) is quoted as 25dB, but I've never seen a gain figure for the first stage alone.


Keep in mind the master volume pot should be rated @ 50K otherwise you'll get a nasty squeal.


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Post subject: Re: Midrange boost always on?
Posted: Fri Sep 13, 2019 1:10 am
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chromeface wrote:
Keep in mind the master volume pot should be rated @ 50K otherwise you'll get a nasty squeal.

What's this have to do with the poster's original question?

:roll:
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