ive been going to the local music store, and realized that i may be able to install a tbx tone control and mid boost. but i want to keep the am std pickups.

will it be too noisy?

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Hello!

The mid boost on 10 is pretty loud but shouldn't be "noisy" BUT I have never installed it with Standard Strat pups.

Its a risk, and depends how much you want the mod, as once you install the mid boost your pickups are active from when you plug in which will colour your original sound slightly. You should find a slight but very noticeble incease in volume even with the mid boost volume on 0.

Its a quality piece of kit, and i personally think it rocks! Here is a link for more info and some good installation tips:

http://www.areyouexperienced.net/fender ... st_kit.htm.

The above is just my view, yours and others may differ

Hope this Helps

Enjoy

Andy

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Pending Greatness

It's very noisy without some form of hum cancelling pickups. I tried a standard singlecoil in the bridge position when I first installed the boost, hating the vintage noiseless bridge pickup. It was unusable I later settled on a dimarzioFS2. Forum user 'Blackie' did the mod and reckons it sent his lace pickups from 9.5k to around 68k.
Also putting it in the control cavity of a regular strat seems to turn the whole of the pickguard into a drum. I got that amplified thunk everytime I hit the pickguard whilst strumming. I ended up routing a section of the body to house the circuit board. You may have a different experience on that front. It no doubt depends entirely on how you isolate the circuitboard.

I suggest you fit the TBX into the middle pickups tone pot location. It's quite a tall pot and makes the cramped conditions worse keeping it in the neck tonepots position. Finaly the battery, put it inbetween 2 springs on the trem cavity.

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No no and no

i kinda figured it would be noisier without hum canceling pickups.
in that light i was considering getting area 58 neck and mid, and jb jr
at bridge. should be pretty interesting combo.

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

I've herd lots of good reviews regarding Dimarzio Area pickups and i'm very tempted to get a set. If you decide to go with the above i'd be interested to know how you get on.

For what its worth.....

I've only tried the mid boost with a couple of different pickup sets but out of the ones I have, I would recommend Lace Sensors. To my ears they seem to work very well with pre-amps / on board effects.

As before the above is just my view, yours and others may differ.

Hope this helps and let us know how you get on!

Enjoy

Andy

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Pending Greatness

A hell of a lot of people prefer the Gold Lace Sensors for this circuit, theres gotta be something in it. Unfortunately their one pickup I've never tried. I really ought to try it out. Clapton used em for years, that tells you all you need to know.
To my ear the vintage toneless pickups are very much an afterthought. Perhaps their midscoop is designed to work specificaly with this circuit.

I wouldnt choose a pickup based on how that pickup sounds stock. If you can find someway to judge the circuit and how it affects the guitar, do so. Maybe try a Vintage noiseless equipped clapton next to a vintage noiseless equipped guitar that doesnt have the boost.
The boost becomes the dominant factor in the circuit, it's never off.
It is as Andy says a classy bit of kit. I dont know what I'd do without it.

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No no and no

Just installed the kit in my MIM with Lace Golds with the kind assistance of Niki and absolutely love it. +1 for Lace.

hey hamms congrats. how do you like em?

nik, ive tried the deluxe players mim with noiseless, for what its worth,
i actually like em dirty, not for clean.

the eric clapton with mid boost equipped, sounded great clean, dirty .
at 5 with the tbx and 1 or 2 mid boost, sounded pretty nice.
tbx at 10, was really trebly but in a telecaster kinda way.
but at 7 tbx and 8 mid boost was my sweet spot.

i remember reading in one of your posts(nik) that with the midboost, you didnt need a od pedal.
i do agree.... i totally love the clapton strat, i just dont see it sound minded
to dish out another 1600 or 2100, for it, when i can buy let say prewired lace sensor pickguard 200, mid boost for under 80 bucks. and install in one of my strats.

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"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008

Hey Bluesstrat,

So far I like them a lot, certainly brings a new element to the MIM. Only oddity I'm experiencing is a static noise when I touch the 5 way switch.. kind of like when you touch the end of the power cable.. that noise.

My reason for doing it was also because I tried and liked a Clapton strat, but didn't want to pay for one!! Plus I got to make it look the way I wanted .. I was more partial to the lace sensors then the vintage noiseless.

Hamms

Have you tried wrapping the circuitboard in some kind of plastic bag. It could be contacting the switch causing the static sound.
I had lots of little noise niggles to chase out over months. Thats why I eventualy routed the body to keep the board away from the pots and switch.

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No no and no

That thought crossed my mind once it made the noise. I hadn't done the plastic bag at first because I didn't think about the fact this may happen. Gonna open her up tomm. and take care of it. Enjoying it other than that minor hiccup... Makes me feel like a dweeb to have trouble with something like this and then look over at Ceri's thread and see what he's done!!

Ah mate Ceri keeps a lot of us gaping in utter amazment. If he's your yardstick I want to buy one of your guitars.


That boost circuit needs to be well isolated from everything else. Theres all that extra output coming from it, it must be really hot.
Thats my thought on the boost and it's worked for me.

When you build your Cericaster give me a price and I'll happily take it off your hands

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No no and no

Ha!.. Better give me some time to apply to Ceri's school of apprenticeship before I take a shot at that