Post Type Archives: SWD

Changing the potentiometer can change the tone of the instrument. The higher the value potentiometer will allow more high end to cut through. A pickup using a 250K Audio taper potentiometer will sound warmer than using a 500K audio taper pot. One important thing to remember is the tolerance given by the manufacturer of the…

A common mistake is the meter is not adjusted to the proper setting for what you are measuring. If you are checking the DC resistance of a pickup, make sure that you have it set on the proper setting. Make sure the leads are inserted into the proper socket. Make sure you have no breaks…

Most likely I would replace it. I would make sure it is the proper value and the one specified for a particular use. Capacitors can be wired in series or parallel on a guitar or bass circuit and combined with resistors can have some interesting tonal possibilities.

The most common potentiometer used on Fender guitars is 250k audio taper. They also used 1 Meg. potentiometers and various instruments. Their amplifier line used an assortment of potentiometer values. Gibson used 500k and 300k audio taper for the volume and tone controls. Danelectro guitars used 100k for the volume controls while many other values…

You can use a .001mfd, .003mfd, .01mfd, .03mfd, .22mfd and .01mfd. These are the most common, although custom modifications can be done to tone the circuit how you like it.

Without a doubt it would be Les Paul. I would go to Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey and sneak back stage with Pat Martino (a jazz legend) when we were kids. We’d ask Les all kinds of questions and he’d show us his recording equipment, guitars and the electronics he had in them….

The first material I found for fabricating guitar bobbins came from old drum cases made from Vulcanized Fibre. I got my first Vulcanized Fibre from Jim Sharp, the drummer in one of my first bands called “The Flintones” in Gibbstown, New Jersey during the 60s. Most cases where 1/16″ thick and just right to fabricate…

This sure has happened to me before! To this day I think of guitars that got away from me over 20 years ago that wish I still had. I’ve seen great guitars in stores or yard sales and procrastinated about buying it and when I returned it was gone. I’ve owned guitars that I decided…

This is a hard one as there are so many to choose from. I will start with my favorites and what I like about them. a. Roy Buchanan: Roy was my biggest influence when I started playing guitar at the age of 13. I used to watch Roy play all the time and he taught…

There are so many tones that I like and I’ll try to list some of the players and instruments they used. These are not in any particular order. Chet Atkins recordings on many of his instruments using several Gretsch Model guitars. Duane Eddy recordings using his famous 1957 Gretsch Chet Atkins 6120 with DeArmond single…