The original circuit-board in my 1983 Elite Stratocaster got fried a couple years ago and I've recently worked to restore the guitar to working condition. All pots were also worn out so I decided to get the midboost-kit for the EC-model as it comes with all the part necessary. There are AFIK no original parts available for the Elite any more.

The EC-kit has a circuit-board that looks identical to the original one in the Elite, except that it has no connection for the hum-cancelling coil. How should I connect the coil if it is at all possible?

The EC-kit has a 250k pot used to adjust the midboost level. When turned up this takes the output level from the guitar too high in my opinion. It's really just levels less than 3 or 4 that are usable. The original circuit used a 50k pot instead. Does anyone with knowledge of the EC-kit know if replacing the 250k with a 50k would improve things such that it widens the usable range?

I have two EC kits. Sounds like you got the wrong kit or it was packed incorrectly, the EC kit comes with a 50k pot, 250k pot and TBX pot. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/accessor ... -kit-25-db

Wire it the same way the Deluxe Series Powerhouse Strat is wired. The dummy coil between the switch and the pots, the boost to the pots.

http://support.fender.com/service_diagrams/stratocaster/013-9500_02A_SISD.pdf

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No no and no

Sure, but that 50k is for the volume according to the diagram. I accidentally swapped the 50 and 250k ones initially, and had a real screamer on my hands until I noticed the mistake.

The original parts in the Elite consist of the TBX-pot and two 50k pots for volume and boost.

Thanks for the diagram. I suspect I'd have to get a different coil to be able to use in in-line with the signal as this diagram indicates. The coil in the Elite was connected between ground and what appear as an unused solder-point on the EC-circuit-board. For that connection to work it has to be high-resistance to avoid leaking all of the signal through, while the deluxe's circuit requires a low-resistance coil for in-line use.

Edit: forget this. I've got the detailed diagram for the old boost-circuit and see that there is a resistor in-line with the coil on the circuit-board, so there's none inside the coil. I.e. I can try the old dummy-coil inline with the signal.

You can wire the dummy coil onto the ground side of the circuit, if you like. Just connect one wire of the coil to the pickups ground wires that would normally go to the back of the pot. The other wire of the dummy coil to the back of the volume pot.

Every dummy coil is in essence the same in that it is an incomplete circuit. I don't see how one could be configured to cope with more impedance than another. Hence the resistor on your boost circuit.

But hey, just to indulge me. Why not check the original resistor if you have it. It's entirely possible that the resistor blew rather than the board.

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No no and no

Of course remembering that the Elite was the jump off point for the final signature series Clapton. Lace Sensors, a TBX and a 25db midboost are a long way from the original Fender experiment with active electronics.

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"Another day in paradise!"

Until 2000.



Eric changed his mind a bit for the TBX and the Lace p/us !

His personal guitars doesn't carry them anymore, apart the few blackies he sometimes uses for slide.

Of course.

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If you knew this, why didn't you get an extra 50k pot when you got the kit?

All I knew was that the EC-kit is announced as a 25dB boost of midrange frequencies, which match the specifications from the Elite. I didn't know if the EC-midboost circuit would be exactly the same design as the old one, or whether parts would be interchangeable. I've got the electrical diagram for the original circuit in the Elite, but couldn't find one for the EC-circuit. Having experienced the result I feel pretty sure that an extra 50pot would do the trick. I just asked the question here in case someone with more experience with these circuits would know how they'd behave with alternative resistors before I go ahead and order one.

After some more testing I'm actually not quite sure what to do. With the volume on full the boost brings the output rather too high, but it also gives an interesting effect with the boost on full and the volume down to 5 or 6. I may actually keep it as is and just make sure to balance the output level with the volume and boost knobs.

After some more testing I'm actually not quite sure what to do. With the volume on full the boost brings the output rather too high, but it also gives an interesting effect with the boost on full and the volume down to 5 or 6. I may actually keep it as is and just make sure to balance the output level with the volume and boost knobs.

One thing I notice with my EC setup is that you can still get some really nice tones with the volume knob down to 4 or so as opposed to regular stats where the tone dies under 8. Also, it seems one never really gets rid of it's overdrive even with the second tone on 1.

Another option is to wire in two resistors as they did on the PowerHouse Deluxe to lower the boost down to 12. Check the service diagram for the exact details of it.

That diagram above comes with the kit, but says nothing about the design of the circuit-board. I was thinking of a design like this one for the Elite



Btw; the diagrams which come with the EC-kit are very hard to read. I've always wondered why Fender doesn't supply better schematic diagrams. Fortunately there are luthiers out there who share improved diagrams like this for the wiring of the EC-model