Best way to darken my tone

[stratology]

I would approach it systematically, from no cost to low cost to high cost.

- adjust pickup height. In most cases, this means lowering the pickups. The ideal spot can be in a pretty specific position - half a height screw turn, and you miss it. I listen for harmonic content of the note. So, I adjust by sound, not by trying to maximise volume.

- try 50s wiring - which means, just changing one cable, the one that goes from the volume pot to the tone pot, to a different lug of the volume pot. Here's a schematic. More clarity, volume and tone pots behave differently after the change. I found some guitars sound better with 50s wiring, some with modern wiring.

- change volume pot values. Higher value > more high end. So a 250k pot will result in a softer, darker sound than a 500k pot. Alternatively, you can start with a 500k pot, and solder parallel resistors on it. This has the advantage that it's cheap, and you can really fine tune the pot value, which affects the resonant frequency of the pickups. Description here, resistance calculator here. Example: 500k pot plus 680k resistor makes the volume pot behave like a 290k pot. One way to do it is to use short cables with crocodile clips, to find the ideal resistor value for the pickups, and then solder it in once you found it.

- change the tone cap. A 0.015µF cap will remove less highs than a 0.022µF cap when the tone control is rolled all the way off. So: higher value -> less high end.

- change pickups. This is really the last resort, as it is comparatively expensive, and the results are completely unpredictable - the same pickup will sound completely different in different guitars. Lots of quality options out there. Choosing a pickup manufacturer is mostly about finding out what suits your taste.



It's also possible to mess with the pickups, by changing magnets, or try pole screws made of a different material. Maybe not the best option for a 7-string though, as pickup dimensions are different.

And, obviously, different string types and materials give different sounds, flat wound is softer than round wound, pure nickel is softer than nickel plated, which is softer than stainless steel. Same gauge and material from different string manufacturers also results in different sounds.

[stratology]

After a few bad experiences with noise, rough action, and infant failure, I wouldn’t use $1 pots. Although they don’t affect tone when perfect any more than $25 pots do, they’re generally made cheaply from low quality materials - so they don’t feel as good and they have a high early failure rate.. Wipers are tiny pieces of cheap metal, resistance elements are flimsy sheets of cheap carbon based material that scratches easily and becomes intermittent fast, shafts are not well supported so they feel loose and rough when turned, and the innards oxidize / deteriorate quickly. And their values often vary widely from the stated figure.

Agreed. It's always a good idea to measure pots, to see what you're dealing with. A 500k pot can fall roughly between 420k and 580k.

In terms of quality, best I've found are Bourns Model 82 Vintage guitar pots (pdf), which are sealed, and use a conductive polymer element rather than carbon. Regarding the name, there's nothing 'vintage' about them, it's just branding that indicates lower tolerances than their Model 95 guitar pot.


Also worth noting that with traditional construction pots, like CTS, the track - the strip of carbon that the wiper moves along - is lubricated by the manufacturer. When you have scratchy pots, electrical contact spray can compromise the lubricant. So if you have a scratchy pot, using contact spray to make it work is only a short term solution, and it's better to exchange the pot in the long run.

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

Also worth noting that with traditional construction pots, like CTS, the track - the strip of carbon that the wiper moves along - is lubricated by the manufacturer. When you have scratchy pots, electrical contact spray can compromise the lubricant. So if you have a scratchy pot, using contact spray to make it work is only a short term solution, and it's better to exchange the pot in the long run.

If the problem is caused by dust or other foreign material in the pot, and it's not sealed, the best immediate fix is a can of compressed air sold for cleaning electronics. it's pure, dry, and free of lubricants. If there's an opening into the pot large enough to accept the tip of the thin flexible tube that comes with the can, a few puffs will often blow the material off the conductive element (which is where it's causing the noise by interrupting contact between the wiper and the resistive conductor as you turn the shaft). If there's enough of an opening for the dirt to be blown out, the fix is more durable. But once there's foreign material inside, it's only a matter of time. And if it's caused by oxidation of something inside, the process will continue and more will form.

[jim777]

The bass heavy Blaze made the 7th string very tubby. The SD Air Norton 7 is another good HB for jazz. But I didn’t really like the Blaze and am very glad I removed it. If you really want one after doing your research, I’ll gladly sell you mine.

DiMarzio Air Norton 7

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

DiMarzio Air Norton 7

Thanks, Jim! Sorry - the Air Norton is a Duncan product! It's just a gay mad whirl of pickups out there. The Air Norton is a pretty good general purpose pickup for a jazz player who's earning a living playing music people will pay to hear - or, at least, to have in the room while they're getting married, drunk, arraigned, insured, or whatever