I know this is an old video but I’ve been looking for something like this. Thank you for this. I have a vintage G&L legacy my first guitar I bought back in 1992. It’s was my #1 guitar gigging out for years but over time I’ve bought several different fender starts and my G&L has been retired 😢. It has literally been hanging on the wall for several years. I’ve only taken it down to tinker around the house. Anyway last weekend I decided to give it some attention. Cleaned it up, set it up good new strings etc. plugged it in to jam it plays like a dream. But I soon realized the bottom tone control or the “bass cut” does not work at all. Absolutely no change. I pulled apart to take a look, the wiring is almost the same as this video but on the bottom pot it has a .0022 cap on lugs 1 and 2, 3 has nothing. I checked for continuity, cold solder joints etc. I even re soldered them to make sure. I still have nothing. I then replaced the pot. Still nothing. I then retired the whole guitar as you did in this video. Still nothing !,,Treble cut pot works fine. Im completely stumped. To be honest I don’t really use the bass cut to much anyway but I just want it to work. Any thoughts appreciated. But I see how old this vid is so maybe won’t get reply. But thanks for this video.
If it were my guitar, I would try a new capacitor next, since they do wear out eventually. You are correct that the value in the Legacy is .0022uf. I chose .0033uf because it was closer to the bass cut capacitor value in my Jaguar (.003).
Thanks I’ll try that as well. I did just realize when I swapped the pot I used a 250k because I had one. I forgot this used a 1 meg. So I’m going to order that from the G and L site
It was very nice that you use the diagram to show all the different wires go to the different places. You should do more videos like that about wiring I think you could find an audience with that.
From Leo: I like how you did it with only spending 50 cents on one more capacitor. I have copied the G&L circuit, but had to change all three pots and also buy 2 capacitors. I also bought a better selector switch because I had it open anyway, and I thought I would prevent trouble. It was worth it on a several hundred dollar guitar, but I probably would not have spent the money on an $80 guitar.
Hi there. I have found the best way to deal with muddy humbuckers is to wire the coils in parallel instead of series. The treble will be mostly restored, and they will sound like fat single coils, but noiseless. I have done this to all my humbucking guitars.
I have made humbuckers less muddy by lowering the whole pick up about 2 or 3 turns of the screw and then adjusting the six pole screws up 2 or three turns. If there are 12 screws, raise 6 up and leave the other 6 down.
I think they do too. The more resistance a pot has, the more highs that come through during attenuation so using a 1 meg pot on the bass cut accentuates the removal of bass by also allowing more highs to come through. I've been thinking about doing this mod on my strat but I have Lace Sensors and I just got an email from Lace a few moments ago saying to use 250k on ALL the pots for G&L wiring when using Lace single-coils. Which is nice because that's what is stock on the strat so saves me 20 bucks!
Hi. The standard Stratocaster wiring diagram was something I found on the internet. I was drawing on top of it with Microsoft Paint for the wiring mod.
Someone pointed out to me that the Legacy uses only two lugs on the bottom tone control, so, I suppose. I just know that the method shown in the video works.
I installed this control on my 2009 American Strat. It is quite useful for heavily fuzzed tones, and negates the need for a source impedance control on the fuzz pedal itself.
The wiring will be the same. Potentiometer values are a matter of personal taste, though I must admit I don't hear much difference between them. Since the pots have load on them, the effect will always be engaged, even on 10. The higher the values, the less effect you will hear on 10. But like I said, I personally can't hear the difference.
I did the bass cut mod with a .0015 cab across lug 2 and 3. Is there a difference in tone other than the cap value? Also would the cap value I used cut more bass and the value you used?
@@theeverythingsband Is there an advantage to having the cap connected to all 3 lugs like you did, rather than just 2 lugs like I did? With my guitar the bass cut seems to all happen between 10 an 8
@@justinpaquette224 I've seen other diagrams in which not all three lugs were used, but they never worked for me. Also, if most of the change happens only at the end of the sweep then your tone pot might have a logarithmic taper rather than a linear taper.
On the contrary, I'm pretty sure the values in the video are not the correct values for a G&L Legacy. It wasn't my intention to do a component-for-component conversion. The reason I chose .0033uf is that my Jaguar came with a .003uf capacitor for its bass cut, and .0033 was the closest commonly-sold capacitor that I could find.
I did look this up but I couldn't find any diagrams. Just as a matter of logical possibility I don't think there is anything crazy or impossible about the mod you described. Pickups with independent volume controls can have a master tone control (like the Fender Jazz Bass). Wiring in an additional master tone and having it be 50's wiring is a nebulous thing for me. It's definitely an interesting mod but possibly a bit out of my depth. If I owned a Les Paul with four knobs I'd certainly take a stab at it.
@@theeverythingsband Yeah, 50s wiring isn't necessary (modern + treble bleed could do). And I've done some research and haven't found any diagrams either; Only some forum posts where people claim that master bass cut isn't possible with separate volumes. On the other hand, I've found a guitar which has exactly that - Kyle Shutt's signature Reverend - 2 volumes, master treble, master bass. I'll look into that, maybe someone who owns one can share some detail.
Tried this and the pot for the bass control never made any difference on any of the switch positions. I changed pots and that didn't help. I changed the switch and that didn't help. The number one pot works great for treble control and the volume pot works great. Any idea why this didn't work?
If you did all that then I suppose the next thing I would check is the capacitor itself, making sure it's of low enough value to be useful for bass-cutting; or if it's a dud.
When I first attempted this, I did use a G&L Legacy diagram that someone else had drawn. I wired according to the diagram, and it did not work. I am not sure about the answer to your jumper question; it has been a while. Thank you for your interest.
Thanks for the tutorial, could you please tell me the output of the pickups in your guitar? I want to try the same mod but I have lipsticks (N=4.2k, M=4.4k, B=4.6k) and I think maybe this would make the bridge too weak?
The pickups in this guitar are actually very underwound. N=2.32k, M=2.45k, B=2.65k. I didn't realize how underwound they were until I tested them just today. I swapped them out a couple years ago.
@@theeverythingsband Yeah, never heard of pickups with such low output. My concern was the relative difference of output between the neck and bridge pickups, but it seems the difference is similar to mine. Thanks for replying!
The ohm reading is only one factor of the output and tone. You have to also consider the magnet strength and size, the thickness of the wire and the wire isolation. For example my tele bridge pickup is wound with 42 age wire and is 6.6k and my neck pickup is wound with 43 awg wire and is 7.2k, but the bridge pickup is still hotter than the neck
@@justinpaquette224 Yes, I've been learning more about this as I rewired an Epiphone EB-0 (with just 1.2K resistance but high output). Since there are many variables and no way for me to measure them, I've been doing things by ear with acceptable results. I ended up wiring my strat in a vintage style because the bass cut sounds less harsh this way. Thanks for the comment!
Hey, I think it's a great mod and will definitely do on my strat, however, I want to ask, what if I was to use two caps .033uF? Would that even make it more bassy? Or should I stick to one of each as you did? Thanks for your reply.
Hi. Did you mean .0033uF or .033uF? If you use two .0033uF caps in series for the bass cut, then they will essentially be halved (the same as using one .00165uF cap, which will cut more bass frequencies). Using two .0033uF caps in parallel will make them double (the same as using one .0066uF cap, which will still cut bass, but not as much). Basically, lower values cut more bass, higher values cut less bass. It is the opposite with treble. High values cut more treble, low values cut less treble. If you mean that you want to 'add' bass to your signal, I think the only way to do that is with an active circuit, such as an EQ pedal.
The Everythings riiight, yes, what I really want is to enhance bass not just cut treble and bass, I realize now that I misunderstood the concept. I do have an EQ pedal. Thanks for your reply.
I wouldn't do any soddering on camera if I were you . That has to be a crime in just about every state !! If you are talking about solder always pronounce the L .- dude !!
I see what you did there. I actually do think solder should be pronounced phonetically, the way it is outside North America. Then again, I also think chassis should be pronounced phonetically, so, so much for my opinion. ;)
yes mate, i just watched a vid of some guy soldering his strat, looked ok to me but this fuckin master fuckin soldering dude had a right fuckin rant about how shit it was. oh well
I know this is an old video but I’ve been looking for something like this. Thank you for this. I have a vintage G&L legacy my first guitar I bought back in 1992. It’s was my #1 guitar gigging out for years but over time I’ve bought several different fender starts and my G&L has been retired 😢. It has literally been hanging on the wall for several years. I’ve only taken it down to tinker around the house. Anyway last weekend I decided to give it some attention. Cleaned it up, set it up good new strings etc. plugged it in to jam it plays like a dream. But I soon realized the bottom tone control or the “bass cut” does not work at all. Absolutely no change. I pulled apart to take a look, the wiring is almost the same as this video but on the bottom pot it has a .0022 cap on lugs 1 and 2, 3 has nothing. I checked for continuity, cold solder joints etc. I even re soldered them to make sure. I still have nothing. I then replaced the pot. Still nothing. I then retired the whole guitar as you did in this video. Still nothing !,,Treble cut pot works fine. Im completely stumped. To be honest I don’t really use the bass cut to much anyway but I just want it to work. Any thoughts appreciated. But I see how old this vid is so maybe won’t get reply. But thanks for this video.
If it were my guitar, I would try a new capacitor next, since they do wear out eventually. You are correct that the value in the Legacy is .0022uf. I chose .0033uf because it was closer to the bass cut capacitor value in my Jaguar (.003).
Thanks I’ll try that as well. I did just realize when I swapped the pot I used a 250k because I had one. I forgot this used a 1 meg. So I’m going to order that from the G and L site
It was very nice that you use the diagram to show all the different wires go to the different places. You should do more videos like that about wiring I think you could find an audience with that.
Great mod! And very well shown the wiring procedure! Perfect!👍🏼👍🏼
A lot better. Must try this, thanks!
From Leo: I like how you did it with only spending 50 cents on one more capacitor. I have copied the G&L circuit, but had to change all three pots and also buy 2 capacitors. I also bought a better selector switch because I had it open anyway, and I thought I would prevent trouble. It was worth it on a several hundred dollar guitar, but I probably would not have spent the money on an $80 guitar.
Thanks for sharing. That's probably the solution to my hate to humbucker pickups. Greetings!
Hi there. I have found the best way to deal with muddy humbuckers is to wire the coils in parallel instead of series. The treble will be mostly restored, and they will sound like fat single coils, but noiseless. I have done this to all my humbucking guitars.
Thanks for the advice. I'm going to try it out...
I have made humbuckers less muddy by lowering the whole pick up about 2 or 3 turns of the screw and then adjusting the six pole screws up 2 or three turns. If there are 12 screws, raise 6 up and leave the other 6 down.
Spanish bombs, yo to quiero infinito! Nice explanation/demo thanks
Been looking for a video like this. Cheers dude
I think G&L uses a 1 Meg linear pot for the bass cut control.
I think they do too. The more resistance a pot has, the more highs that come through during attenuation so using a 1 meg pot on the bass cut accentuates the removal of bass by also allowing more highs to come through.
I've been thinking about doing this mod on my strat but I have Lace Sensors and I just got an email from Lace a few moments ago saying to use 250k on ALL the pots for G&L wiring when using Lace single-coils.
Which is nice because that's what is stock on the strat so saves me 20 bucks!
Great vid. Can I ask, what is the drawing program you used to illustrate the wiring mods? Thanks.
Hi. The standard Stratocaster wiring diagram was something I found on the internet. I was drawing on top of it with Microsoft Paint for the wiring mod.
Great video....Do you remember if you used a treble bleed setup on the volume control? Early schematics showed a 200 pf cap but later was dropped..
Back then I used a Kinman treble bleed (cap and resistor in series).
Why are lugs 2 and 3 connected on the bass cut pot? Couldn’t you just have a cap between lug 1 and 2, being the input and output or vice versa?
Someone pointed out to me that the Legacy uses only two lugs on the bottom tone control, so, I suppose. I just know that the method shown in the video works.
@@theeverythingsbandthanks!
IMO a Strat doesn't really need to cut bass. However, on a humbucker guitar this would be very useful.
I installed this control on my 2009 American Strat. It is quite useful for heavily fuzzed tones, and negates the need for a source impedance control on the fuzz pedal itself.
How different would be the wiring for HSS strat, If i use 500K for treble and 1M for bass cut?
The wiring will be the same. Potentiometer values are a matter of personal taste, though I must admit I don't hear much difference between them. Since the pots have load on them, the effect will always be engaged, even on 10. The higher the values, the less effect you will hear on 10.
But like I said, I personally can't hear the difference.
I did the bass cut mod with a .0015 cab across lug 2 and 3. Is there a difference in tone other than the cap value? Also would the cap value I used cut more bass and the value you used?
Hi, a smaller value cuts more bass
@@theeverythingsband Is there an advantage to having the cap connected to all 3 lugs like you did, rather than just 2 lugs like I did? With my guitar the bass cut seems to all happen between 10 an 8
@@justinpaquette224 I've seen other diagrams in which not all three lugs were used, but they never worked for me. Also, if most of the change happens only at the end of the sweep then your tone pot might have a logarithmic taper rather than a linear taper.
@@theeverythingsband Cool, I will open my guitar back up tonight and try wiring the pot using all 3 lugs instead of just the 2
Are you sure that all G&L cuts bass tone is 0.0033uf capacitors with a 250K pot not connected to ground? or they use a different cap values?
On the contrary, I'm pretty sure the values in the video are not the correct values for a G&L Legacy. It wasn't my intention to do a component-for-component conversion.
The reason I chose .0033uf is that my Jaguar came with a .003uf capacitor for its bass cut, and .0033 was the closest commonly-sold capacitor that I could find.
Can this be done with a 50s wired LP:
two volumes into master treble cut and master bass cut?
I did look this up but I couldn't find any diagrams. Just as a matter of logical possibility I don't think there is anything crazy or impossible about the mod you described. Pickups with independent volume controls can have a master tone control (like the Fender Jazz Bass). Wiring in an additional master tone and having it be 50's wiring is a nebulous thing for me. It's definitely an interesting mod but possibly a bit out of my depth. If I owned a Les Paul with four knobs I'd certainly take a stab at it.
@@theeverythingsband Yeah, 50s wiring isn't necessary (modern + treble bleed could do).
And I've done some research and haven't found any diagrams either;
Only some forum posts where people claim that master bass cut isn't possible with separate volumes.
On the other hand, I've found a guitar which has exactly that - Kyle Shutt's signature Reverend - 2 volumes, master treble, master bass.
I'll look into that, maybe someone who owns one can share some detail.
A great mod but how do I wire in my 7 way wiring
This diagram shows how to wire the seven way expander mini toggle
i.imgur.com/ESyFQ6N.jpg
Tried this and the pot for the bass control never made any difference on any of the switch positions. I changed pots and that didn't help. I changed the switch and that didn't help. The number one pot works great for treble control and the volume pot works great. Any idea why this didn't work?
If you did all that then I suppose the next thing I would check is the capacitor itself, making sure it's of low enough value to be useful for bass-cutting; or if it's a dud.
@@theeverythingsband Thanks for the info. I'll try it next week using a .22 cap. I was using a .47. I'll post if it works.
@@ron21544 Do you mean .0047 and .0022? The values you should use for bass cutting begin with a decimal point and two zeros.
@@theeverythingsband .0022 is what I'll use.
Im curious as to why the short jumper on the base pot, g+l doesnt do that can you explain i want to try this mod myself,thanks
When I first attempted this, I did use a G&L Legacy diagram that someone else had drawn. I wired according to the diagram, and it did not work. I am not sure about the answer to your jumper question; it has been a while. Thank you for your interest.
It is easier to move the arm and tie the strings with a capo
If you mean remove the neck before taking off the pickguard, yes. I do that most of the time now.
Thanks for the tutorial, could you please tell me the output of the pickups in your guitar? I want to try the same mod but I have lipsticks (N=4.2k, M=4.4k, B=4.6k) and I think maybe this would make the bridge too weak?
The pickups in this guitar are actually very underwound. N=2.32k, M=2.45k, B=2.65k. I didn't realize how underwound they were until I tested them just today. I swapped them out a couple years ago.
@@theeverythingsband Yeah, never heard of pickups with such low output. My concern was the relative difference of output between the neck and bridge pickups, but it seems the difference is similar to mine. Thanks for replying!
The ohm reading is only one factor of the output and tone. You have to also consider the magnet strength and size, the thickness of the wire and the wire isolation. For example my tele bridge pickup is wound with 42 age wire and is 6.6k and my neck pickup is wound with 43 awg wire and is 7.2k, but the bridge pickup is still hotter than the neck
@@justinpaquette224 Yes, I've been learning more about this as I rewired an Epiphone EB-0 (with just 1.2K resistance but high output). Since there are many variables and no way for me to measure them, I've been doing things by ear with acceptable results. I ended up wiring my strat in a vintage style because the bass cut sounds less harsh this way. Thanks for the comment!
Hey, I think it's a great mod and will definitely do on my strat, however, I want to ask, what if I was to use two caps .033uF? Would that even make it more bassy? Or should I stick to one of each as you did? Thanks for your reply.
Hi. Did you mean .0033uF or .033uF? If you use two .0033uF caps in series for the bass cut, then they will essentially be halved (the same as using one .00165uF cap, which will cut more bass frequencies). Using two .0033uF caps in parallel will make them double (the same as using one .0066uF cap, which will still cut bass, but not as much). Basically, lower values cut more bass, higher values cut less bass.
It is the opposite with treble. High values cut more treble, low values cut less treble.
If you mean that you want to 'add' bass to your signal, I think the only way to do that is with an active circuit, such as an EQ pedal.
The Everythings riiight, yes, what I really want is to enhance bass not just cut treble and bass, I realize now that I misunderstood the concept. I do have an EQ pedal. Thanks for your reply.
Do you think a treble bleed mod would be a good addition to this mod?
Mark Brown Yes. I am a proponent of treble bleeds, particularly the Duncan bleed. The Kinman bleed is ok. I am not too fond of the Simple bleed.
"Technically I could adjust all this on the amplifier, but I'm no going to"
i was gonna say that haha
how do you roll off the bass before it hits your pedals if you adjust it on the amp?
You don't want to be constantly running back and forth to your amp to make minor adjustments either.
nice
I wouldn't do any soddering on camera if I were you . That has to be a crime in just about every state !!
If you are talking about solder always pronounce the L .- dude !!
I see what you did there. I actually do think solder should be
pronounced phonetically, the way it is outside North America.
Then again, I also think chassis should be pronounced phonetically,
so, so much for my opinion. ;)
I think what you're talking about belongs on Youporn, not UA-cam.
yes mate, i just watched a vid of some guy soldering his strat, looked ok to me but this fuckin master fuckin soldering dude had a right fuckin rant about how shit it was. oh well
I'll bet you say OFF TEN for often.
noooo...the 'L' is silent....like children should be.