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Post subject: Tele Tone Capacitor / Treble Bleed question
Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:47 am
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G'day.
I have read a bit about modifying the treble bleed circuit and also about changing the capacitor values (say changing a 0.047 to a 0.033uF) and was wondering if this was the little part in question?

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I have seen it recommended to remove the treble bleed circuit altogether. Does that just involve removing that little capacitor and is it a good idea to do so?

Or am I completely off on the wrong track here and should just leave my (standard) Tele well enough alone.

Cheers.

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Posted: Wed Apr 01, 2009 4:42 pm
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I apologize, I'm too lazy to open mine up but I think that's the main tone capacitor. Don't take my word for it, google "fender telecaster schematic", and there's pictures all around.

As far as modifying, your call. Unless you are *very* good with soldering (I am), I don't really recommend it. It's easy to really bargle up wiring, burn insulation and turn your sweetheart investment into a noisy, crackling, intermittent old hag.

I can't remember but I took my Baja, went to a lower value cap and had tone that would darn near etch glass. I backed it off a little closer to original and it sounds fine. That was with a Sprague orange drop replacement, also did a bypass with metal film and another orange drop.

I'm not too particular, so this was good enough for me. Your mileage may vary. I'm not one of those persons that has several guitars in parts laying around or constantly modifying/changing them.


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Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 8:09 pm
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mhainz:

That cap is the Tone Cap. It is used to send high frequencies to ground. The bigger the value (i.e. 0.1uf) the more frequencies from high to low (bass) gets 'shunted' to ground (and not to the amp); thus leaving mids and bass to go to the amp. The smaller the value (i.e. 0.022uf) the less frequencies from high to mid that get shunted to ground. Personally, I have a 0.039uf cap in my Tele.

The treble bleed circuit is soldered between the two lugs on the volume cap that has the white wires attached (I do not see one in your picture). This capacitor allows high frequencies to take a short cut between the pickup output directly to the positive terminal of the jack (by passing the volume pot). What this means is that the volume knob does not affect high frequencies. In other words, as you turn down the volume, only the lower frequencies (the mids and bass) get's turned down, and the high frequencies stay the same.

The value of this capacitor determines how much high frequencies go through this short cut. Some people use 0.0047uf to 0.001uf. Personally, I like 0.00047uf or 0.00024uf.

Why would you want to do this? On your guitar (since it does not have a treble bleed cap), try playing an open G chord with the guitar volume turn all the way up. Then turn the vol back 2 steps at a time playing the G chord. You should notice that as the volume goes down, the guitar gets muddy quickly. On way of thinking about why is that high frequencies are not as strong as low frequencies. As you turn up the resistance in the volume knob (by turning down the volume), the less powerful high frequencies are easily blocked than the low frequencies that still break through the resistance.

With the volume bleed circuit, as you roll the volume down, the guitar doesn't get muddy, because the high frequencies take the short cut around the volume pot directly to the amp.

BTW, soldering is pretty easy. It just takes a bit of practice. Buy yourself a cheap 40W Weller soldering pen from Home Depot, and cut up some wire to practice on. The key is to use a HOT iron. I have both the 25W and the 40W, but I like the 40W with the really sharp tip better.

Hope this helps, and is not too long winded.


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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 1:40 pm
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pcheng wrote:
mhainz:

Hope this helps, and is not too long winded.


Quite the contrary! I thoroughly appreciated the detailed information!

Have a great weekend!

Thank you!


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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 5:06 pm
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Pcheng thanks for the detailed info! Much appreciated.

As it turns out I already decided to change my tone capacitor. Put in a big fat green russian made thing. I think they're referred to as "vitamin Q"?
I'm pretty handy with a soldering iron so doing it myself isn't a problem. Maybe its just my imagination but I think the tone has actually improved. It just sounds a bit crunchier when overdriven and fuller than before.

Next up I might install a treble bleed cap and see how that goes.

Cheers.

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Posted: Sun May 10, 2009 10:45 pm
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mhainz

That's awesome. I'm a big believer in playing around w/ tone caps. It sounds like you found yourself a Russian made Paper In Oil cap. I love PIO caps, and have them in all my guitars.

PIO caps are to modern caps like Tubes vs Solid State in amps; Alnico vs Ceramic in speakers. It doesn't mean they're better, just different.

There are a lot of different choices to treble bleed (Fezz Parka mod, a cap only, a cap w/ a resistor (in parallel or in series)). I've tried almost all of them. I've settled to a 0.00047 cap only, but this is purely individual preference.


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