i am graciously subscribed ... you really did an excellent overview here, and beyond. i had resigned myself to setting up my treble bleed on a switch, because the high frequencies trip the dirt more ...and i am still there with that, so i can roll into a muddled clean, or further for a crisper clean, depending on the switch position .... my problem has been settling on the topology and values. ( the problem with the latter being i am running hot on a 1Meg pot ...so i can't expect exactly the same results )
i think i am going to go with a strait cap, or series now ... this has been enlightening. my IMeg doesn't get as muddled as quick ... that's why i need to switch it out the bleed sometimes. but having the bleed follow the tapper is EXACTLY what i have been wanting, buti didn't even know just a cap, or a series bleed, would deliver me.
If you want to get REAL fancy you grab a couple of say 10-pole switches and throw ten caps and ten resistors of different values on each and plug THAT into your circuits. That way you can audition different values hence frequency response on the fly for every guitar you work on. Fiddle around until you get the sound you want, then just grab the values off the switches. Substitution boxes are my best friends.
Really great vid! I spent a lot of time experimenting with treble bleeds and almost always use Audio pot & series with a 1000 or 1200pf cap and 150k resistor. Balanced roll off without messing with the pot taper. I’ll have to try the mystery option.
That was a pretty good explanation of whats happening in treble bleeds. Although it might have been more useful to draw it out as a schematic to show how things are connected and interacting with each other. There's so many differing versions of treble bleeds, it can be quite confusing for guitarists on which one to pick. Although I've never seen using a dual pot before, that was interesting. And different component values are used depending on whether you have single coils or humbuckers - generally because singles will use 250K pots vs 500K for humbuckers (and there's just as many variants of those). Building a switch box is a great way of trying things out for yourself to find what works best for the guitar. BTW Its interesting manufacturers generally use linear taper pots for volume and audio for tone. You'd think it would be the other way around, but that's just how things work.
I've been playing guitar for about 23 years and only learned about treble bleeds recently here on UA-cam.I just bought two different brands of variable treble bleeds on Amazon to try out. I'm going to install mine tomorrow but from what I have heard on all of the demos online it's literally like you take a blanket off of your pickups when you're rolling down your volume. Sounds amazing.
@@thomaslthomas1506 oh well then maybe it’s not such a compliment when you tell another grown man that he’s didn’t pick a winner when it comes to his chosen profession
I come from an electronic engineering background, I started my improvised journey on what combo to go with , but it was cut short when I found the Octave Doctor treble bleed. It surpassed everything for me. Octave Doctor came up with the series combination of 1 nF capacitor and 150 k-ohm resistor. It's recommended by many sources as a good choice for maintaining a consistent resonant peak as volume decreases and presents that pretty well on an Oscilloscope (a way of converting audio signals into visual representations so you can really see if your ears are telling you the truth) . Your "Mystery" one didn't actually surpass the one I've settled on for me, it's a tangent I didn't go down because it felt like an unnecessary expense after finding a solution and in your demo it appears to stay louder longer which isn't what I need from it. You've made me glad I didn't pursue it. Everything I've said goes along with your point; it's a personal and individual decision.
I agree that with this demonstration the 1 nF capacitor and 150 k-ohm resistor in series works best. BUT I was surprised to see that the pots of my Ibanez RS100 are actually the opposite of what is normally expected. The volume pot is linear and the tone pot is an audio taper. So given this situation, it is hard for me to evaluate which treble bleed to choose. Since you come from an electronic engineering background, any guidance would be highly appreciated
I always thought that audio taper pots were designed to sound more linear to the way humans hear. And this is the reason that most electric guitar manufacturers use audio taper pots for their volume controls. According to this test these different treble bleed circuits also alter tapers. So, was wondering if the test could be repeated using a linear taper pot. This way, i can more easily choose which treble circuit to install in my instrument.
Thank you for doing all of this work for us. What a brilliant way to do side by side of these variations. You've got me really interested in trying out a dual pot control to see how it does play with OD and fuzz pedals, as I do a whole lot of playing around with drive and fuzz levels using my volume pot. And yes, you did a fantastic job of explaining the electronics so that us non-electronics people could get it. I'm subscribed and looking forward to watching more of your videos!
Great videos! Also, I really appreciate that you tune your guitar fully, before demonstrating concepts. It is so annoying on other channels when the demonstration guitar is distractingly out of tune. ;^)
This is AWESOME... The Series is exactly what I'm looking for. I picked up the Boffin Treble Bleed Circuit and it boosts the volume so it makes the volume knob useless..
This is really cool. I'm definitely gonna pinch your idea and make one of those boxes for my shop. I've actually been wanting to put together something like this for a coupe of years, but it was never at the top pf my list of priorities. I personally thing every guitar tech should make one of those, to demo to their customers what treble bleeds can do for them. What I'm thinking of doing is to make a box with an additional switch that can switch between a 500k version and a 250k version. What do you think of that idea? Of course some guitars already have treble bleeds inside (in fact I really like that Fender stock mini PCB) so I guess tit's important to have a strategy on how to pitch the idea of a treble bleed upgrade. I'm thinking of simply having a treble bleed box permanently wired on my bench and start testing their guitars guitars without telling them what I'm doing. If I hear that the switching options produce results that I believe a customer would find favorable, then just pitch the upgrade service.
Thanks very much for your efforts. Finding this solution is very time-consuming for certain guitars which physically put up a big obstacle to checking parts. I know I’ve gone done a long road finding the solution for my Strat, but once found, it is very gratifying. Having the right bleed behavior gives a player an infinitely variable sound palette with the simplest possible control - the volume. I’m happiest with just enough bypass to keep rolloff behavior but reduce it by what I’d call ‘about half.’ The variations are infinite but a solution can be found.
What a brilliant video Mr McP.!! Ive dabbled with these circuits on my Strats, but hearing them all on your Vid, made me think that i prefer the Mystery circuit. More involved, but for me, a bit of a "Shadows" player, I'm gonna give it a go on my recently bought Squier Vintage......yep.....in RED. Im watching loads on your Channel. Keep up the good work. Yours....Mr Bob, UK
The newer ‘adjustable’ treble bleed circuits can help to shorten your search for the right tone. Equipped with a trim pot, and easy wiring, you can hook it up, let it hang out the pickguard, and after adjusting the trim pot to taste, peel the film off the sticky back and mount it to the bottom of your volume pot! Worked for me!
Any time you add a capacitor or resistor; volume pot, tone pot, you’re adding another filter to your circuit. It’s all tied into ground. This can either add favorable and/or unwanted changes in output and tone. But don’t be afraid to experiment, because that’s how new sounds are discovered. 🎸
Wow this is the first video I've watched of yours and what an excellent introduction! Well done on this! My go-to is the Parallel Treble Bleed cause I feel like I have more volume range and it works for me. Everything being subjective to taste of course. This was just a super awesome comparison and ultimately has me wondering if I should try out the Series treble bleed once just to see what its like in my playing. Thanks!!!!
Excellent video, man! I’m only familiar with parralel paired with audio taper pots as that’s what I’ve installed for the last 20 years. I’ve always been curious tho, if using the parralel circuit causes the high end to come thru an audio taper like a linear, would a linear produce a reverse audio? Like would it produce a reverse bell curve where it tapers off slowly with a quick drop on the bottom end? Can’t think of a reason why it would even be useful 🤣 but still interesting to think about.
Well, this has been very helpful to understand the concept of treble bleed(s) - you got me subscribed on the spot. I've actually - after some research - put the "series" type treble bleed (130K resistor and a 0.0012mF cap) in my Strat with Kinman Noiseless PUs a couple of years ago, but I'm still not sure if I’m really happy with it... I sort of feel like there now is some kind loss on the bottom end of the sound when I roll back the volume so the tone gets somewhat spiky and I wonder if this loss of bottom end is actually the case or if it is just an impression I get because the (retained/preserved) treble kind of overpowers the bottom end which only seems to be less present due to the "loudness" effect of hearing lower volumes.
I really love having a Treble Bleed in my guitars, I have installed the parallel version, and I also tried the series, but testing these different setups with a stratocaster is not easy at all. Now, thanks to this video, I could hear the difference, and is not that much. One thing that I do not like about the TB is that from 0 to 2 there is no change in volume and then at 3 it is high. From 0 to 3 the raising of the volume is not progressive, I'm not able to what Jeff Beck does... 😃
I'm now designing and testing different guitar circuits that I never found on any commercial instrument to overcome to the biggest extent those issues of passive designs. The only design where I extensively tested a treble bleed, a couple of parallel volume (audio) + tone pots where the tone pot isn't wired in a traditional way, ended up with just a cap of values between 71 to 80 pF, fine tuned by ear on dirty sounds. Higher values lead to those perceived increases in volume because there isn't just a treble bleed, but an actual full signal bleed.
Is that 6N8 cap on the mystery circuit a 6.8 nf? You sure cleared up a LOT of confusion in my world. Instead of me rewiring different setups, you have that cool bleed circuit box. Thank you very much. I have an import LP which is a really nice looking Grote. I'm going to upgrade the pups to Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz and change the pots to 500k ohms. I only had it one day and already rewired it for 50's style and independent volumes. I don't like the different changes that happen at a turn of any knob. Like I said, you cleared up a lot of confusion. Cheers, mate.
As shown, the single 330p cap bleed is the only one which really retains the audio taper of the pot. It only keeps treble, and you can easily fine-tune it to your desire (PRS uses 180p, Ibanez uses 330p, which is my favorite). You really can’t make volume swells in overdriven solos with the other types of treble bleed, because you’ll have an abrupt transition from 0 to 1 in volume, as those bleed circuits immediately let too much frequencies (highs but also mids) pass as soon as you move away from 0. Actually those bleeds transform the volume pot in a bass-cut pot, because as said not only high treble gets passed, also mids start to pass undisturbed through those bigger 1n caps. That’s most evident with the “mystery” bleed, with that gigantic 6.8n cap. PS: thanks for this very well made comparison, the best on UA-cam to date!
So then how do you get both an audio taper for fuzz/dist/od control and then have a linear taper for better control over clean volume? Is there a semi-audio taper? A dual mode pot or something?
@@Drunken_Hamster audio taper is the standard and is what you need to have a good control over volume. People have always used that with fuzz pedals as well. So you’ll never want a linear taper. The real problem is with fuzzes and a treble bleed circuit. Without a treble bleed, when you reduce your guitar volume you are increasing series resistance between the pickup and the fuzz, so your fuzz sees a higher input impedance and you get that nice cleaning up (less gain and more treble, a clearer tone), because the fuzz face circuit was born with a low input impedance. But if you have a treble bleed circuit installed, you lose that phenomenon for the treble frequencies, that are allowed to pass through your volume pot no matter the position of it… so you don’t get as nice as an effect. The solution for this is to have a switch or a push-pull volume pot to disengage the treble bleed when using a fuzz face. Although Satriani is not such a frequent fuzz user, his signature Ibanez guitar as always had this feature.
@@shredgd5 Right, but in the video Waylon said that a linear taper is better for clean tone volume control. So my question is, how do you get that good volume control for cleans while also having the good gain control for fuzzes and whatnot? Or is that statement he made about linear taper for clean tones somehow incorrect?
@@Drunken_Hamster try for yourself. You will realize the linear taper doesn’t have any progression from 0 to 1. A linear taper does from 0 to 1 what a log taper does from 0 to 5…
That's presuming you WANT the taper of the pot, just the same as presuming everyone wants to keep the same mids, highs with the right size cap. It's all up the the ear and beholder of it.
I have been using a variation on the series method for a couple years on my main guitar. I forget the values off hand, but its 2 caps (one large, one small) feeding the outer lugs of a trim pot and the wiper serves as the output of the network allowing the trim to both blend between them and setting the series resistance. You can kind of go from either just the very high sparkly treble frequencies in the bleed to introducing more upper mids along with it depending on which cap the trim is panned toward. And since the trim pot is always in series with the caps there is no effect on volume pot taper, which is important to me as well. I typically run a simple single channel amp up nice and hot so a good treble bleed is essential to get both the clean and dirty sounds I am after.
I have my guitars wired like Jazz basses with the Duncan style (parallel) treble bleeds. I like the pickup blends and also keeping one of my pickups set at a lower volume and then the other pickup I can swell in or out. With the volume of one pickup at full and the other pickup volume at my cleanup setting you can't hear the blend until the louder volume is dialed back so basically I'm using one volume knob for most of my sounds at times. I think when having the input lead on the center lug and the output lead on the outer lead changes the tone and possibly the taper a bit when rolling down the pot. But when using the Duncan style treble bleed helps to restore the sound to a more conventional guitar wiring. If I used a conventional wiring I'd likely just go with a 50's wiring and no treble bleed as I have in the past. The tone pot wired to the input of the volume pot really affects the treble roll off when rolling down the volume pot but just moving that lead to the output lug remedies it a lot.
This was SO educational. Thank you for sharing. TOTALLY looking forward to that fuzz device vid. That was very interesting! Quick question, that is a little off topic, you mentioned the Audio vs. Linear tapered pots... I have an old amp that goes from zero to 10 in the first few ticks of the volume knob. Would replacing that pot with a linear style version make the ramp up to max volume more even across the dial? Or is an amp more complicated at that pot? Really appreciate this channel!!
Thanks! I would try an Audio Pot in that position, it sounds like it already has a Linear pot installed. There can definitely be other factors at play but I would check that out first, cheers!
Great video, thanks mate. I noticed Satrianis signature has a treble bleed on a push/pull so it can be deactivated. Is that because on a clean channel with a treble bleed you can't change the volume as much or what's the benefit of not having a treble bleed in your opinion? I've always wanted to try a linear pot too, i figured it would it work better for volume swells
On one of my guitars I decided to put a treble bleed on a switch so I choose when I want it. On cleans it can sound really nice but it's nice being able to turn it off when I don't want it.
Nicely done! You've inspired me to try a few of these using aligator clips and also check them out using pedal interaction. Thanks for posting! I think my entry will compare the Fender Treble bleed (expensive about $70 USD) against the parallel resistor cap combo (much cheaper about $10 USD).
The value of all five are all the same so there's no change in treble roll-off as you switched from one to the other. To each his/her own but I refuse to pay for a PIO cap that does the exact same thing as a ceramic, Mylar, or polypropylene cap all do... great informative video!
Great comparison of the different treble bleed circuits. But it's also really helpful to experiment with different cap and resistor values; especially the value of the series resistor in the series and parish circuits. Every pickup position is different. Try out a bunch with alligator clips. Or an adjustable trim-pot. You can really dial in exactly how much treble you want to keep while rolling off volume.
I use the volume knob for swells a lot. A year and a half ago, I bought a Jerry Donohue Signature Hellecaster Strat that had the standard treble bleed as stock. It messed up the taper enough that I had to clip it out in pretty short order. Most of the time I don't miss it, but sometimes when I turn down a little more than usual, say 5 or 6, (I tend to live around 7 or 8 and turn up to 10 for leads) I disappear in the mix. It'd be nice *sometimes* to have that little extra "cut". I don't know though, sometimes when I'm totally solo I really like how the treble rolls off just right along with the volume. I may have to try that series version, but to be honest, in that guitar, with all its extra switching function and extra wire packed in there and small pots, it'd be a bit of a pain to accomplish. Thanks for the comparison though. It's certainly helpful.
Just gonna throw a possible solution for having the best of both worlds. If you replace your current volume pot with a push/pull pot you can add the treble bleed to one side of it and then activate/deactivate it based on the situation.
thanks for sharing, a very interesting topic. it gets even more interesting when you start playing around with different types of bleeds on the Neck and bridge pickups in an LP style wiring situation. that middle position becomes very interesting indeed!
thanks this was a very helpful test, I like the series too, it think it is important to retain the volume and consistency of the signal as much as possible, with the other trebble bleed circuits I thought they added more than they needed to, for live guitarists they can be ok, but for the recording guitarist I think it is important to keep consistency across the board. cheers
I always used the parallel one but I guess today I'll check out the series one on my Hamer. The taper seems to work better especially with drive with humbuckers. On my Strats I'll stick to my parallel ones because I'm used to it over the years. Thanks for the comparison. Great job!
Wow. Awesome test and methodology! Liked and subscribed! Which type of treble bleed would you recommend for a master volume on a guitar with 3 volumes, master volume and 1 individual volume for each humbucker (neck and bridge)? So when using the master volume it wouldn't cut treble. As a second related question, I guess if the guitar was 50s wiring the master volume would not need a treble bleed? Thanks.
Thanks for the detailed explanation, I watched this video months ago and loved it, I actually have it saved to my Playlist, to come back to it when it's time to do a rewiring on my guitar. But I have a very important question for you if you can please help. My guitar is an hss single volume and single tone with 5 way switch, I was planning on adding a treble bleed and to balance the pickups with a resistor so that the humbacker still sees 500k pots when the two single coils only a 250k. My question is will combining a treble bleed and the resistor trick cause any nasty surprises, and which wiring should I go for 50's or modern ?? Thanks.
This was very informative. Thanks! One very frustrating thing for me is of the 5 guitars I play regularly, 3 of them have volume pots, that feel and sound like at least, they're on/off switches. Rolling the pot back it needs to get to nearly closed before anything effect is audible. Very frustrating and even a local Tech --said-- he did something to help one guitar (Reverend Agent OG) by adding a treble bleed @_@ w/e he did did nothing. Same problem with a parts caster strat and even my LTD EC1000. Conversely, my Eastman SB59 and old 78 Strat, the volume tapers beautifully....
I've been using parallel bleeds but I quite like the series. What are the values you used in that series bleed? I use a telecaster mostly and would like to make that same one. Thank you!
After days with alligator clips hanging out of my guitar, the values I settled on are 1500pf cap in parallel with 150k resistor, 280k audio pot, Nashville Tele into deluxe reverb, 20ft low cap cable before first buffer. What I like about it is that I can go from (mostly clean) lead at 10 to totally clean funk rhythm at 7-8.5ish. This bleed gets pretty bright bellow 6, but that's fine because I really only use my guitar volume from 6-10. The other treble bleed all lost that funky neck + middle pickup magic as soon as I rolled the volume back a little
Absolutely brilliant man, thanks ! Its the series for me ! You are a fantastic resource, possibly the best ive actually found and i cant wait for your channel to start taking off. Its so cool to hear a familiar accent and decent playing too !
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Sir ... crips, i have been floundering with my treble bleed, and Finally have a direction in mind. ( and Kudos on inventing the "6th desighn" treble bleed )
Great to hear, yes definitely have to experiment with that 6th design. I also thought of a series version of the Mystery Variable Dual Gang design which could be very cool, cheers!
Thanks most kindly! If I added an inductor/Q-filter, would it 'make the pot' more global, flattening the difference between pickups on different guitars? One other circuit related idea. If I used a stereo cable, would it be possible to make a foot pedal that handled things like phase reversal, coil tapping and treble bleed etc if the pedal's just a continuation of the circuit that starts at the pickups?
Thanks for explaining that, I didn’t even know there were different types of treble bleeds. Once you engaged the fuzz I realised that I like the series treble bleed the most, that’s cool
G'day Waylon, Thanks for a great video. I could never hear the affect a treble bleed has on a guitar, until this video. Great effort! As for your 5th treble bleed circuit, am I right in thinking that I can rewire my Strat so that the top Tone pot is wired into all 3 pickups, & the bottom Tone pot could be the adjustable treble bleed? Keep up the good work Andrew, from NZ West Island... ;)
I hope I have a 1 nf cap sitting around so I can try the series. From your examples I think it might be the right balance for my purposes as well. I’m a vol knob worker and I’ve always actually liked how it rolls frequencies off and the series seems like it retains a bit of treble but not as much as some of the other options.
I put a bleed into one guitar project just to try it. Ive put them into most of my guitars now. I didn't do my Schecter because its got a Sustaniac and active electronics. And i didn't do one in my PRS SE custom 24 because it doesn't really need one. Also a D Angelico that i just dont modify.
Great video. My test for a treble bleed is to dial in a good heavy crunch tone on a tube amp and ear how the tone evolves when going from mean to clean by adjusting the guitar volume. If I can go from a balanced distortion sound to a nice balanced clean just like that , that's it !
Useful video. I use treble bleed only on neck p.u with guitars that have seperate volume pot for neck or bridge ofcourse. I find it very useful almost all the time. Only when i play with fuzzpedals and roll off volume,it beacomes too trebly. Solution ? Yes, i mounted a push/pull pot with treble bleed in my in-position and no treble bleed in my out-position. My own design, clever, right ?
Finally, a good video showing the differences between them. Turns out the one I was using is not the one I want but didn't want to keep taking the Strat apart to try them all. Going to change it out next time I change strings.
Very good video, and it was interesting to hear the different types of Treble Bleeds in comparison with each other. Long ago, I tried Series and Parallel Treble Bleeds. Though the worked as described, one thing that is sometimes overlooked is that they can affect your ability to do traditional "volume swells." I ended removing the Bleeds, as even though I'm not doing volume swells frequently, it is nice to get both the change in volume and tone when I do a swell. Thanks
I decided to try this on an HH Squier Thinline I had during Covid. Not having separate components I bought a bleed circuit off eBay. There’s are many available but all parallel. Definitely doesn’t cut the volume much until it’s nearly in off position…
Thanks, you are the master of the universe : ) That's what I've been looking for for weeks: ...how to manipulate "ultra sensitive" (ge)fuzz. That treble bleed is a brilliant way to affect fuzz when using the vol pot. I want to make rhythm and lead sounds without losing a good touch to the sound despite the volume control. Br. from Finland
Excellent video!! thank you!! i have a question, months ago i did the mod using 1200pf Cap and 130k resistance in series, but i noticed you are using slightly different values, does it make a big difference? thank you!! Subscribed!!!
Waylon you did a masterful job here! I actually have experimented with this, and have a Paul neck pickup set up with it. But l have no clue what I'm doing. You have taught me the how and why of it. Thank you so much!👍🙂
If you're not already hip to it yet, the best treble bleed mod IMO is simply the wiring of a volume & tone pot the way gibson used to do in the 1950's (as opposed to the modern way).. it only requires moving existing wires to different pot lugs; no extra components are needed. I tried all these treble bleed circuits without being impressed before hearing about the gibson '50s wiring. Now i just immediately re-wire every new guitar that way.
@bluedot6933 no more than a standard vol/tone setup. What I mean by interactive is the tone knob will be doing different filtering depending on where the volume is set. For instance: vol on 10, the tone rolls of treble like normal, albeit not as suddenly. But with vol on 5, the tone pulls down a little midrange going from 10-6, then begins to roll off treble as you go further down. The fun comes when the interactivity makes it necessary to use your ears instead of remembering what number you want. And of course you can use an overdriven 1-channel amp to full potential. And with a 2vol/2tone guitar your pickup switch can now be a channel switch. It's liberating to just bring an amp, guitar, and a cable....but you can jam no matter the genre.
Thank you, I tend to alway use my series arrangement for everything and it works great!, but it is probably worth making some custom combinations for both
at least for the first 4, you could have done it with a rotary switch, it'd also make it possible to fit in a guitar. haven't reached the 5th option yet, shallsee.
@@deltavistastudio124 a standard one... there's multistacks... though, if i bother to go back and see what i was talking about, probably meant it'd work with a standard one.
My favorite is also the series circuit but I prefer to have it on a linear volume. The mystery circuit is just like the one they use in the fender design for Eric Clapton mod to make his guitar sound like a Les Paul and he can vary his tone to add trouble or remove it to zero and then add more bass sound
The mystery mode is a new one on me! But is it a balance pot we're looking for? I mean is it 500k & both logarithmic? Are there one that's left hand and the other right hand, so to speak? Thanks in advance for any response!
Glad you liked it! You are looking for a Dual Gang Pot, which can be used as a balance pot. Definitely 500KA for both, it's rare to have different values/taper for each gang but they are available, cheers!
Wow, what a great comparison!!! Thank you for prefacing it with understanding what a treble bleed actually is. I've put a few in some telecasters but only because someone trusted told me I needed to without really understanding the core of the physics of it. One question, the mystery piggyback pot, Is that linear or audio? And is the smoothness of it because of the type it is? The mod? or both ? Thanks
Great. Thank you ! Just need a bit more comparison of different treble bleed mods with fuzz and volume knob behaviour. Can you tell please, How can i make kinman style series treble bleed a little less bright, closer to original wiring? Is it possible to make series mod less bright and make taper curve behaviour just a very little closer to linear curve in same time? (I just don’t understand what capacities will suit for this task) i really like volume swells on parallel mod, but fuzz compability is really important too and series mod is a little bright at first 1/4 turn on volume pot for it.
Very good video, although one thing that didn’t translate to UA-cam well is the change in tone. The series seems to keep the tone intact where the parallel and the lone cap tend to remove all low end. The fuzz seemed to help show this but the wonky taper of the parallel masked that fact
I like the series-parallel. To my ear there something special about it. Although I still have to try what Ibanez's treble bleed on those JS1000 series. They sound smooth for those Dimarzios pu when volume is rolled down.
Put a 1nf cap un a muddy sounding les paul special Treble pickup, now I can roll the vol down to 3/4 for an almost acoustic Guitar tone , it actually sounds better than a big humbucker with that 1nf cap now. Don't even need a fuzz/OD pedal cos you can turn the master vol of the amp up and use the Guitar vol pot as a "Master" control..I almost got rid of the LP special till I put this mod in and replaced the the bridge with a Faber aluminium wrap around. So for a few quid(solder- 1nf cap from an old TV and a bit of patience and a torch ) a mediocre sounding instrument becomes the Guitar every-one wants to borrow!!
I have a Strat that does not have a treble bleed circuit. The way I wire it, it acts as a treble bleed without anything added to the guitar to achieve the effect. It does not lose the highs as you turn the volume down and the pickups are opened up more and the output increases compared to stock type wiring.
🎸 Finally got this video together, it was so great to compare these designs!
i am graciously subscribed ... you really did an excellent overview here, and beyond.
i had resigned myself to setting up my treble bleed on a switch, because the high frequencies trip the dirt more ...and i am still there with that, so i can roll into a muddled clean, or further for a crisper clean, depending on the switch position .... my problem has been settling on the topology and values. ( the problem with the latter being i am running hot on a 1Meg pot ...so i can't expect exactly the same results )
i think i am going to go with a strait cap, or series now ... this has been enlightening.
my IMeg doesn't get as muddled as quick ... that's why i need to switch it out the bleed sometimes.
but having the bleed follow the tapper is EXACTLY what i have been wanting, buti didn't even know just a cap, or a series bleed, would deliver me.
such a great explanation, thanks man
If you want to get REAL fancy you grab a couple of say 10-pole switches and throw ten caps and ten resistors of different values on each and plug THAT into your circuits. That way you can audition different values hence frequency response on the fly for every guitar you work on. Fiddle around until you get the sound you want, then just grab the values off the switches. Substitution boxes are my best friends.
Great video,but I can't see how to wire series/parallel etc, where does the resistor go in regards to the cap ??
Really great vid! I spent a lot of time experimenting with treble bleeds and almost always use Audio pot & series with a 1000 or 1200pf cap and 150k resistor. Balanced roll off without messing with the pot taper. I’ll have to try the mystery option.
That was a pretty good explanation of whats happening in treble bleeds. Although it might have been more useful to draw it out as a schematic to show how things are connected and interacting with each other.
There's so many differing versions of treble bleeds, it can be quite confusing for guitarists on which one to pick. Although I've never seen using a dual pot before, that was interesting. And different component values are used depending on whether you have single coils or humbuckers - generally because singles will use 250K pots vs 500K for humbuckers (and there's just as many variants of those). Building a switch box is a great way of trying things out for yourself to find what works best for the guitar.
BTW Its interesting manufacturers generally use linear taper pots for volume and audio for tone. You'd think it would be the other way around, but that's just how things work.
I've been playing guitar for about 23 years and only learned about treble bleeds recently here on UA-cam.I just bought two different brands of variable treble bleeds on Amazon to try out. I'm going to install mine tomorrow but from what I have heard on all of the demos online it's literally like you take a blanket off of your pickups when you're rolling down your volume. Sounds amazing.
You are missing your calling as an online instructor in electronics. you are better than any instructor I had in college. Keep up the great work.
You’ve missed you calling to be a high school guidance counselor
@@michaelpacinus242 Me? I would be to High School guidance counseling what Charles Manson was to nursing.........
@@thomaslthomas1506 oh well then maybe it’s not such a compliment when you tell another grown man that he’s didn’t pick a winner when it comes to his chosen profession
@@michaelpacinus242 I think the time I recommend to the kid that the career in professional truck surfing is for him.....would be the clinker..
😇
Definitely a great UA-camr.
I come from an electronic engineering background, I started my improvised journey on what combo to go with , but it was cut short when I found the Octave Doctor treble bleed. It surpassed everything for me.
Octave Doctor came up with the series combination of 1 nF capacitor and 150 k-ohm resistor. It's recommended by many sources as a good choice for maintaining a consistent resonant peak as volume decreases and presents that pretty well on an Oscilloscope (a way of converting audio signals into visual representations so you can really see if your ears are telling you the truth) .
Your "Mystery" one didn't actually surpass the one I've settled on for me, it's a tangent I didn't go down because it felt like an unnecessary expense after finding a solution and in your demo it appears to stay louder longer which isn't what I need from it. You've made me glad I didn't pursue it.
Everything I've said goes along with your point; it's a personal and individual decision.
I agree that with this demonstration the 1 nF capacitor and 150 k-ohm resistor in series works best. BUT I was surprised to see that the pots of my Ibanez RS100 are actually the opposite of what is normally expected. The volume pot is linear and the tone pot is an audio taper. So given this situation, it is hard for me to evaluate which treble bleed to choose. Since you come from an electronic engineering background, any guidance would be highly appreciated
@@daviart1 Personally, I think a linear pot for volume controls makes total sense.
I always thought that audio taper pots were designed to sound more linear to the way humans hear. And this is the reason that most electric guitar manufacturers use audio taper pots for their volume controls. According to this test these different treble bleed circuits also alter tapers. So, was wondering if the test could be repeated using a linear taper pot. This way, i can more easily choose which treble circuit to install in my instrument.
Octave dr doesn’t exist anymore. Their website is gone.
@@RustyRaceHorse That's a shame, but this part of their legacy will not be forgotten.
Any chance you could make a video on how to build that box? Absolutely brilliant idea
Thank you for doing all of this work for us. What a brilliant way to do side by side of these variations. You've got me really interested in trying out a dual pot control to see how it does play with OD and fuzz pedals, as I do a whole lot of playing around with drive and fuzz levels using my volume pot. And yes, you did a fantastic job of explaining the electronics so that us non-electronics people could get it. I'm subscribed and looking forward to watching more of your videos!
Thanks for checking this out and the Sub :)
Nice playing and video!! Pot = 7 9:16 - Pot = 5 10:36 Audio Taper Pot 11:54 Combine Cap + Series 14:42 Fuzz 16:00
that has got to be one of the best sounding Fuzz pedals I've ever heard on a demo. I like how its notal not 'bias' with humbuckers.
Great videos! Also, I really appreciate that you tune your guitar fully, before demonstrating concepts. It is so annoying on other channels when the demonstration guitar is distractingly out of tune. ;^)
This is AWESOME... The Series is exactly what I'm looking for. I picked up the Boffin Treble Bleed Circuit and it boosts the volume so it makes the volume knob useless..
This is really cool. I'm definitely gonna pinch your idea and make one of those boxes for my shop. I've actually been wanting to put together something like this for a coupe of years, but it was never at the top pf my list of priorities. I personally thing every guitar tech should make one of those, to demo to their customers what treble bleeds can do for them.
What I'm thinking of doing is to make a box with an additional switch that can switch between a 500k version and a 250k version. What do you think of that idea?
Of course some guitars already have treble bleeds inside (in fact I really like that Fender stock mini PCB) so I guess tit's important to have a strategy on how to pitch the idea of a treble bleed upgrade.
I'm thinking of simply having a treble bleed box permanently wired on my bench and start testing their guitars guitars without telling them what I'm doing. If I hear that the switching options produce results that I believe a customer would find favorable, then just pitch the upgrade service.
Thanks very much for your efforts. Finding this solution is very time-consuming for certain guitars which physically put up a big obstacle to checking parts. I know I’ve gone done a long road finding the solution for my Strat, but once found, it is very gratifying. Having the right bleed behavior gives a player an infinitely variable sound palette with the simplest possible control - the volume. I’m happiest with just enough bypass to keep rolloff behavior but reduce it by what I’d call ‘about half.’ The variations are infinite but a solution can be found.
I think i have to ad a resistor for better results in dimmed Fuzz Situation...thanks a lot !!!
What a brilliant video Mr McP.!! Ive dabbled with these circuits on my Strats, but hearing them all on your Vid, made me think that i prefer the Mystery circuit. More involved, but for me, a bit of a "Shadows" player, I'm gonna give it a go on my recently bought Squier Vintage......yep.....in RED. Im watching loads on your Channel. Keep up the good work. Yours....Mr Bob, UK
Great to hear Bob, cheers!
The newer ‘adjustable’ treble bleed circuits can help to shorten your search for the right tone. Equipped with a trim pot, and easy wiring, you can hook it up, let it hang out the pickguard, and after adjusting the trim pot to taste, peel the film off the sticky back and mount it to the bottom of your volume pot! Worked for me!
Any time you add a capacitor or resistor; volume pot, tone pot, you’re adding another filter to your circuit. It’s all tied into ground. This can either add favorable and/or unwanted changes in output and tone. But don’t be afraid to experiment, because that’s how new sounds are discovered. 🎸
Making a pedal that just tapers volume interesting. that's impressive.
Wow this is the first video I've watched of yours and what an excellent introduction! Well done on this! My go-to is the Parallel Treble Bleed cause I feel like I have more volume range and it works for me. Everything being subjective to taste of course. This was just a super awesome comparison and ultimately has me wondering if I should try out the Series treble bleed once just to see what its like in my playing. Thanks!!!!
Excellent video, man!
I’m only familiar with parralel paired with audio taper pots as that’s what I’ve installed for the last 20 years. I’ve always been curious tho, if using the parralel circuit causes the high end to come thru an audio taper like a linear, would a linear produce a reverse audio? Like would it produce a reverse bell curve where it tapers off slowly with a quick drop on the bottom end? Can’t think of a reason why it would even be useful 🤣 but still interesting to think about.
Fantastic!!!!
Would be awesome to hear the corresponding comparison with single coils and a 250K pot.
Well, this has been very helpful to understand the concept of treble bleed(s) - you got me subscribed on the spot. I've actually - after some research - put the "series" type treble bleed (130K resistor and a 0.0012mF cap) in my Strat with Kinman Noiseless PUs a couple of years ago, but I'm still not sure if I’m really happy with it...
I sort of feel like there now is some kind loss on the bottom end of the sound when I roll back the volume so the tone gets somewhat spiky and I wonder if this loss of bottom end is actually the case or if it is just an impression I get because the (retained/preserved) treble kind of overpowers the bottom end which only seems to be less present due to the "loudness" effect of hearing lower volumes.
I really love having a Treble Bleed in my guitars, I have installed the parallel version, and I also tried the series, but testing these different setups with a stratocaster is not easy at all. Now, thanks to this video, I could hear the difference, and is not that much. One thing that I do not like about the TB is that from 0 to 2 there is no change in volume and then at 3 it is high. From 0 to 3 the raising of the volume is not progressive, I'm not able to what Jeff Beck does... 😃
Awesome video, no more confusion with this mod. Thank you for all you hard work.
Great video, thanks!
hope you had a really short good-quality cable between your guitar & the test box :-)
I'm now designing and testing different guitar circuits that I never found on any commercial instrument to overcome to the biggest extent those issues of passive designs.
The only design where I extensively tested a treble bleed, a couple of parallel volume (audio) + tone pots where the tone pot isn't wired in a traditional way, ended up with just a cap of values between 71 to 80 pF, fine tuned by ear on dirty sounds.
Higher values lead to those perceived increases in volume because there isn't just a treble bleed, but an actual full signal bleed.
Is that 6N8 cap on the mystery circuit a 6.8 nf? You sure cleared up a LOT of confusion in my world. Instead of me rewiring different setups, you have that cool bleed circuit box. Thank you very much. I have an import LP which is a really nice looking Grote. I'm going to upgrade the pups to Seymour Duncan JB and Jazz and change the pots to 500k ohms. I only had it one day and already rewired it for 50's style and independent volumes. I don't like the different changes that happen at a turn of any knob. Like I said, you cleared up a lot of confusion. Cheers, mate.
As shown, the single 330p cap bleed is the only one which really retains the audio taper of the pot. It only keeps treble, and you can easily fine-tune it to your desire (PRS uses 180p, Ibanez uses 330p, which is my favorite).
You really can’t make volume swells in overdriven solos with the other types of treble bleed, because you’ll have an abrupt transition from 0 to 1 in volume, as those bleed circuits immediately let too much frequencies (highs but also mids) pass as soon as you move away from 0. Actually those bleeds transform the volume pot in a bass-cut pot, because as said not only high treble gets passed, also mids start to pass undisturbed through those bigger 1n caps. That’s most evident with the “mystery” bleed, with that gigantic 6.8n cap.
PS: thanks for this very well made comparison, the best on UA-cam to date!
So then how do you get both an audio taper for fuzz/dist/od control and then have a linear taper for better control over clean volume? Is there a semi-audio taper? A dual mode pot or something?
@@Drunken_Hamster audio taper is the standard and is what you need to have a good control over volume. People have always used that with fuzz pedals as well. So you’ll never want a linear taper.
The real problem is with fuzzes and a treble bleed circuit. Without a treble bleed, when you reduce your guitar volume you are increasing series resistance between the pickup and the fuzz, so your fuzz sees a higher input impedance and you get that nice cleaning up (less gain and more treble, a clearer tone), because the fuzz face circuit was born with a low input impedance. But if you have a treble bleed circuit installed, you lose that phenomenon for the treble frequencies, that are allowed to pass through your volume pot no matter the position of it… so you don’t get as nice as an effect. The solution for this is to have a switch or a push-pull volume pot to disengage the treble bleed when using a fuzz face. Although Satriani is not such a frequent fuzz user, his signature Ibanez guitar as always had this feature.
@@shredgd5 Right, but in the video Waylon said that a linear taper is better for clean tone volume control. So my question is, how do you get that good volume control for cleans while also having the good gain control for fuzzes and whatnot? Or is that statement he made about linear taper for clean tones somehow incorrect?
@@Drunken_Hamster try for yourself. You will realize the linear taper doesn’t have any progression from 0 to 1. A linear taper does from 0 to 1 what a log taper does from 0 to 5…
That's presuming you WANT the taper of the pot, just the same as presuming everyone wants to keep the same mids, highs with the right size cap.
It's all up the the ear and beholder of it.
I have been using a variation on the series method for a couple years on my main guitar. I forget the values off hand, but its 2 caps (one large, one small) feeding the outer lugs of a trim pot and the wiper serves as the output of the network allowing the trim to both blend between them and setting the series resistance. You can kind of go from either just the very high sparkly treble frequencies in the bleed to introducing more upper mids along with it depending on which cap the trim is panned toward. And since the trim pot is always in series with the caps there is no effect on volume pot taper, which is important to me as well. I typically run a simple single channel amp up nice and hot so a good treble bleed is essential to get both the clean and dirty sounds I am after.
Nice! Sounds like a cool mod!
I just found your channel and I'm really enjoying your videos! Especially on mod topics. Keep up the excellent work!
Thank you for explaining all treble bleed types. I will try out some variations. You are an inspiration! Great video! 😊
I have my guitars wired like Jazz basses with the Duncan style (parallel) treble bleeds. I like the pickup blends and also keeping one of my pickups set at a lower volume and then the other pickup I can swell in or out. With the volume of one pickup at full and the other pickup volume at my cleanup setting you can't hear the blend until the louder volume is dialed back so basically I'm using one volume knob for most of my sounds at times.
I think when having the input lead on the center lug and the output lead on the outer lead changes the tone and possibly the taper a bit when rolling down the pot. But when using the Duncan style treble bleed helps to restore the sound to a more conventional guitar wiring. If I used a conventional wiring I'd likely just go with a 50's wiring and no treble bleed as I have in the past. The tone pot wired to the input of the volume pot really affects the treble roll off when rolling down the volume pot but just moving that lead to the output lug remedies it a lot.
This was SO educational. Thank you for sharing. TOTALLY looking forward to that fuzz device vid. That was very interesting! Quick question, that is a little off topic, you mentioned the Audio vs. Linear tapered pots... I have an old amp that goes from zero to 10 in the first few ticks of the volume knob. Would replacing that pot with a linear style version make the ramp up to max volume more even across the dial? Or is an amp more complicated at that pot? Really appreciate this channel!!
Thanks! I would try an Audio Pot in that position, it sounds like it already has a Linear pot installed. There can definitely be other factors at play but I would check that out first, cheers!
Woah, the definitive treble bleed video. Awesome content, thank you and congrats 👏👏👏
Great video, thanks mate.
I noticed Satrianis signature has a treble bleed on a push/pull so it can be deactivated.
Is that because on a clean channel with a treble bleed you can't change the volume as much or what's the benefit of not having a treble bleed in your opinion?
I've always wanted to try a linear pot too, i figured it would it work better for volume swells
On one of my guitars I decided to put a treble bleed on a switch so I choose when I want it. On cleans it can sound really nice but it's nice being able to turn it off when I don't want it.
4:00 An electronics engineer call it a "Potential Divider".
Nicely done! You've inspired me to try a few of these using aligator clips and also check them out using pedal interaction. Thanks for posting! I think my entry will compare the Fender Treble bleed (expensive about $70 USD) against the parallel resistor cap combo (much cheaper about $10 USD).
I'll take the mystery one, then your favorite is my 2nd choice! Great work!
The value of all five are all the same so there's no change in treble roll-off as you switched from one to the other. To each his/her own but I refuse to pay for a PIO cap that does the exact same thing as a ceramic, Mylar, or polypropylene cap all do... great informative video!
Great comparison of the different treble bleed circuits. But it's also really helpful to experiment with different cap and resistor values; especially the value of the series resistor in the series and parish circuits. Every pickup position is different. Try out a bunch with alligator clips. Or an adjustable trim-pot. You can really dial in exactly how much treble you want to keep while rolling off volume.
Very informative! Loved the thorough comparisons and explanations of each alternative. Thanks so much for the video
I use the volume knob for swells a lot. A year and a half ago, I bought a Jerry Donohue Signature Hellecaster Strat that had the standard treble bleed as stock. It messed up the taper enough that I had to clip it out in pretty short order. Most of the time I don't miss it, but sometimes when I turn down a little more than usual, say 5 or 6, (I tend to live around 7 or 8 and turn up to 10 for leads) I disappear in the mix. It'd be nice *sometimes* to have that little extra "cut". I don't know though, sometimes when I'm totally solo I really like how the treble rolls off just right along with the volume. I may have to try that series version, but to be honest, in that guitar, with all its extra switching function and extra wire packed in there and small pots, it'd be a bit of a pain to accomplish. Thanks for the comparison though. It's certainly helpful.
Just gonna throw a possible solution for having the best of both worlds. If you replace your current volume pot with a push/pull pot you can add the treble bleed to one side of it and then activate/deactivate it based on the situation.
Linear volume pot instead of audio taper for swells.
thanks for sharing, a very interesting topic. it gets even more interesting when you start playing around with different types of bleeds on the Neck and bridge pickups in an LP style wiring situation. that middle position becomes very interesting indeed!
I just did a guitar with a parallel cap and a linear pot.
The treble bleed works great and it reacts like a audio taper
Good to know, thanks!
This video is amazing! I will try the parallel one, to see if it extends the taper of my pot, as it falls to fast.
thanks this was a very helpful test, I like the series too, it think it is important to retain the volume and consistency of the signal as much as possible, with the other trebble bleed circuits I thought they added more than they needed to, for live guitarists they can be ok, but for the recording guitarist I think it is important to keep consistency across the board. cheers
the custom switcher is a labour of love, subbed :)
Thanks for that video. Now, that fuzz sounds extremely great. What circuit is it based on? Is there a kit one can buy?
I always used the parallel one but I guess today I'll check out the series one on my Hamer. The taper seems to work better especially with drive with humbuckers. On my Strats I'll stick to my parallel ones because I'm used to it over the years.
Thanks for the comparison. Great job!
No problem, thanks!
Awesome video. So much fun intently listened. Very comprehensive but not mental overdrive.
Can't wait for more. Very helpful resource.
Thanks, stoked you liked it :)
Wow. Awesome test and methodology! Liked and subscribed! Which type of treble bleed would you recommend for a master volume on a guitar with 3 volumes, master volume and 1 individual volume for each humbucker (neck and bridge)? So when using the master volume it wouldn't cut treble. As a second related question, I guess if the guitar was 50s wiring the master volume would not need a treble bleed? Thanks.
Cool video.
I learned that I really do hate all treble bleeds.
So happy I tore it out.
Haha! Great to hear
Thanks for the detailed explanation, I watched this video months ago and loved it, I actually have it saved to my Playlist, to come back to it when it's time to do a rewiring on my guitar.
But I have a very important question for you if you can please help.
My guitar is an hss single volume and single tone with 5 way switch, I was planning on adding a treble bleed and to balance the pickups with a resistor so that the humbacker still sees 500k pots when the two single coils only a 250k.
My question is will combining a treble bleed and the resistor trick cause any nasty surprises, and which wiring should I go for 50's or modern ??
Thanks.
This was very informative. Thanks! One very frustrating thing for me is of the 5 guitars I play regularly, 3 of them have volume pots, that feel and sound like at least, they're on/off switches. Rolling the pot back it needs to get to nearly closed before anything effect is audible. Very frustrating and even a local Tech --said-- he did something to help one guitar (Reverend Agent OG) by adding a treble bleed @_@ w/e he did did nothing. Same problem with a parts caster strat and even my LTD EC1000. Conversely, my Eastman SB59 and old 78 Strat, the volume tapers beautifully....
Make sure first of all that you're using good quality pots on those guitars (read CTS).
I've been using parallel bleeds but I quite like the series. What are the values you used in that series bleed?
I use a telecaster mostly and would like to make that same one. Thank you!
I used a 120k Resistor with a 1NF capacitor, cheers!
After days with alligator clips hanging out of my guitar, the values I settled on are 1500pf cap in parallel with 150k resistor, 280k audio pot, Nashville Tele into deluxe reverb, 20ft low cap cable before first buffer. What I like about it is that I can go from (mostly clean) lead at 10 to totally clean funk rhythm at 7-8.5ish. This bleed gets pretty bright bellow 6, but that's fine because I really only use my guitar volume from 6-10. The other treble bleed all lost that funky neck + middle pickup magic as soon as I rolled the volume back a little
Thanks for this great comparison!
But how long do we have to wait for a Fuzz video?
Absolutely brilliant man, thanks ! Its the series for me ! You are a fantastic resource, possibly the best ive actually found and i cant wait for your channel to start taking off. Its so cool to hear a familiar accent and decent playing too !
Great to hear! Cheers!
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You Sir ... crips, i have been floundering with my treble bleed, and Finally have a direction in mind. ( and Kudos on inventing the "6th desighn" treble bleed )
Great to hear, yes definitely have to experiment with that 6th design. I also thought of a series version of the Mystery Variable Dual Gang design which could be very cool, cheers!
The “Mystery Circuit” reminds me a little of the Fender TBx control.
Thanks most kindly!
If I added an inductor/Q-filter, would it 'make the pot' more global, flattening the difference between pickups on different guitars?
One other circuit related idea.
If I used a stereo cable, would it be possible to make a foot pedal that handled things like phase reversal, coil tapping and treble bleed etc if the pedal's just a continuation of the circuit that starts at the pickups?
Thanks for explaining that, I didn’t even know there were different types of treble bleeds. Once you engaged the fuzz I realised that I like the series treble bleed the most, that’s cool
Thanks for checking it out!
G'day Waylon,
Thanks for a great video. I could never hear the affect a treble bleed has on a guitar, until this video. Great effort!
As for your 5th treble bleed circuit, am I right in thinking that I can rewire my Strat so that the top Tone pot is wired into all 3 pickups, & the bottom Tone pot could be the adjustable treble bleed?
Keep up the good work
Andrew, from NZ West Island... ;)
Glad you enjoyed it, Yes you definitely could wire it like that way. That could be pretty interesting!
I always apprecitated the push/pull HP filter featured on the Satriani Ibanez guitars.
I hope I have a 1 nf cap sitting around so I can try the series. From your examples I think it might be the right balance for my purposes as well. I’m a vol knob worker and I’ve always actually liked how it rolls frequencies off and the series seems like it retains a bit of treble but not as much as some of the other options.
Yes, same here, the Series arrangement is still my go to, cheers!
I put a bleed into one guitar project just to try it. Ive put them into most of my guitars now. I didn't do my Schecter because its got a Sustaniac and active electronics. And i didn't do one in my PRS SE custom 24 because it doesn't really need one. Also a D Angelico that i just dont modify.
Great video. My test for a treble bleed is to dial in a good heavy crunch tone on a tube amp and ear how the tone evolves when going from mean to clean by adjusting the guitar volume. If I can go from a balanced distortion sound to a nice balanced clean just like that , that's it !
Nice! Thanks
Useful video. I use treble bleed only on neck p.u with guitars that have seperate volume pot for neck or bridge ofcourse.
I find it very useful almost all the time.
Only when i play with fuzzpedals and roll off volume,it beacomes too trebly.
Solution ? Yes, i mounted a push/pull pot with treble bleed in my in-position and no treble bleed in my out-position.
My own design, clever, right ?
Finally, a good video showing the differences between them. Turns out the one I was using is not the one I want but didn't want to keep taking the Strat apart to try them all. Going to change it out next time I change strings.
Glad I could help!
Nice lesson on different treble bleed circuits. I had no idea there was more than 1 type! Hey, what guitar is that? Little Crow?
Thanks! I built that guitar 5-6 years ago, it's my fav, cheers :)
Very good video, and it was interesting to hear the different types of Treble Bleeds in comparison with each other. Long ago, I tried Series and Parallel Treble Bleeds. Though the worked as described, one thing that is sometimes overlooked is that they can affect your ability to do traditional "volume swells." I ended removing the Bleeds, as even though I'm not doing volume swells frequently, it is nice to get both the change in volume and tone when I do a swell. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it, I find my series combo retains the taper very well so it still works great for swells, cheers :)
@@WaylonMcPhersonGuitar Good to know. Thanks
Really usefull Video. Thank you. The treblebleed box is a clever idea and I really like the fuzz….
Thanks for the demo and explanation . Well appreciated 👍🏼
Great clear and valuable video on a topic that has been discussed many times over decades! That dual gang pot idea is fresh!
Cheers man :)
I decided to try this on an HH Squier Thinline I had during Covid. Not having separate components I bought a bleed circuit off eBay. There’s are many available but all parallel. Definitely doesn’t cut the volume much until it’s nearly in off position…
Thanks, you are the master of the universe : ) That's what I've been looking for for weeks: ...how to manipulate "ultra sensitive" (ge)fuzz. That treble bleed is a brilliant way to affect fuzz when using the vol pot. I want to make rhythm and lead sounds without losing a good touch to the sound despite the volume control. Br. from Finland
Excellent video!! thank you!! i have a question, months ago i did the mod using 1200pf Cap and 130k resistance in series, but i noticed you are using slightly different values, does it make a big difference? thank you!! Subscribed!!!
Waylon you did a masterful job here! I actually have experimented with this, and have a Paul neck pickup set up with it. But l have no clue what I'm doing. You have taught me the how and why of it. Thank you so much!👍🙂
Your welcome, thanks!
learned so much. Thank you for making this video!
If you're not already hip to it yet, the best treble bleed mod IMO is simply the wiring of a volume & tone pot the way gibson used to do in the 1950's (as opposed to the modern way).. it only requires moving existing wires to different pot lugs; no extra components are needed. I tried all these treble bleed circuits without being impressed before hearing about the gibson '50s wiring. Now i just immediately re-wire every new guitar that way.
doesnt that mean when you adjust tone the volume will go down?
@bluedot6933 no, but it does become interactive with the volume. It's great fun, especially in a 4-knob setup thru a responsive amp.
@bluedot6933 no more than a standard vol/tone setup. What I mean by interactive is the tone knob will be doing different filtering depending on where the volume is set.
For instance: vol on 10, the tone rolls of treble like normal, albeit not as suddenly.
But with vol on 5, the tone pulls down a little midrange going from 10-6, then begins to roll off treble as you go further down.
The fun comes when the interactivity makes it necessary to use your ears instead of remembering what number you want.
And of course you can use an overdriven 1-channel amp to full potential. And with a 2vol/2tone guitar your pickup switch can now be a channel switch. It's liberating to just bring an amp, guitar, and a cable....but you can jam no matter the genre.
Well explained Sir thanks for your hard work . Is there a difference in the way they affect single coils opposed to humbuckers? Thanks 👍☮️
Thank you, I tend to alway use my series arrangement for everything and it works great!, but it is probably worth making some custom combinations for both
@@WaylonMcPhersonGuitar thanks bud enjoy your weekend 👍☮️
at least for the first 4, you could have done it with a rotary switch, it'd also make it possible to fit in a guitar. haven't reached the 5th option yet, shallsee.
impossible to combine if using a rotary
@@deltavistastudio124 a standard one... there's multistacks... though, if i bother to go back and see what i was talking about, probably meant it'd work with a standard one.
That stacked pot is just a bit clever, thats a must try! Great vid sir :)
Thanks! 👍
Where can we get that dual audio-tapered pot, and is there a schematic for how to wire it up for the very last part of this video?
I would love that treble bleed box! Can you make that and sell it? Please!!
My favorite is also the series circuit but I prefer to have it on a linear volume. The mystery circuit is just like the one they use in the fender design for Eric Clapton mod to make his guitar sound like a Les Paul and he can vary his tone to add trouble or remove it to zero and then add more bass sound
What an amazing test rig!! Why didn’t I think of that? Really tempted to make one. Although I’d never use it! Other than to demo to customers!
The mystery mode is a new one on me! But is it a balance pot we're looking for?
I mean is it 500k & both logarithmic? Are there one that's left hand and the other right hand, so to speak?
Thanks in advance for any response!
Glad you liked it! You are looking for a Dual Gang Pot, which can be used as a balance pot. Definitely 500KA for both, it's rare to have different values/taper for each gang but they are available, cheers!
@@WaylonMcPhersonGuitar 👍
Wow, what a great comparison!!! Thank you for prefacing it with understanding what a treble bleed actually is. I've put a few in some telecasters but only because someone trusted told me I needed to without really understanding the core of the physics of it. One question, the mystery piggyback pot, Is that linear or audio? And is the smoothness of it because of the type it is? The mod? or both ? Thanks
Thanks! The Dual Gang Pot is 2 x 500K Audio pots stuck together, the smoothness or Linear nature of how it works is due to the mod, cheers!
Very informative, did not know the last two variations. Thank you for sharing your experiences
Glad it was helpful!
Came for the great mod video and liked also the fuzz!😄
Waiting for the next video about it!!!
Thanks, I'm looking forward to putting out the Red Gizmo Fuzz Project!
@@WaylonMcPhersonGuitar
😍
Great. Thank you ! Just need a bit more comparison of different treble bleed mods with fuzz and volume knob behaviour.
Can you tell please, How can i make kinman style series treble bleed a little less bright, closer to original wiring?
Is it possible to make series mod less bright and make taper curve behaviour just a very little closer to linear curve in same time? (I just don’t understand what capacities will suit for this task) i really like volume swells on parallel mod, but fuzz compability is really important too and series mod is a little bright at first 1/4 turn on volume pot for it.
Very good video, although one thing that didn’t translate to UA-cam well is the change in tone. The series seems to keep the tone intact where the parallel and the lone cap tend to remove all low end. The fuzz seemed to help show this but the wonky taper of the parallel masked that fact
Great videos..I have a problem with my Les Paul studio p90 pickups..My first e string is quieter than the others, what can i do to make it louder.?
I like the series-parallel. To my ear there something special about it. Although I still have to try what Ibanez's treble bleed on those JS1000 series. They sound smooth for those Dimarzios pu when volume is rolled down.
Put a 1nf cap un a muddy sounding les paul special Treble pickup, now I can roll the vol down to 3/4 for an almost acoustic Guitar tone , it actually sounds better than a big humbucker with that 1nf cap now. Don't even need a fuzz/OD pedal cos you can turn the master vol of the amp up and use the Guitar vol pot as a "Master" control..I almost got rid of the LP special till I put this mod in and replaced the the bridge with a Faber aluminium wrap around. So for a few quid(solder- 1nf cap from an old TV and a bit of patience and a torch ) a mediocre sounding instrument becomes the Guitar every-one wants to borrow!!
Very cool, thanks for sharing!
I have a Strat that does not have a treble bleed circuit. The way I wire it, it acts as a treble bleed without anything added to the guitar to achieve the effect. It does not lose the highs as you turn the volume down and the pickups are opened up more and the output increases compared to stock type wiring.
Id rather just use your stomp box lol. Seriously, whip some up and sell them. Id take one if it was under $150
haha! The problem is you would need to rewire your guitar like I did for the test, if you don't you would actually loose treble overall, cheers :)
Brilliant video. Thank you