Installing the Treble Bleed Cap
This is the followup to my previous video on how to select a treble bleed cap. Here in part 2, I explain some basic soldering skills, and then show how to actually solder the treble bleed cap in place.
This is the followup to my previous video on how to select a treble bleed cap. Here in part 2, I explain some basic soldering skills, and then show how to actually solder the treble bleed cap in place.
November 2, 2009 @ 7:30 pm
bee. the numbers on the cap read this,… (2)715P200V 473J 0825…… What
does this mean? is it for a tone and if so which one? The web site i got it
from says it’s a .047 orange drop. what do you think?? thanks.
November 5, 2009 @ 8:59 pm
November 11, 2009 @ 4:15 pm
looked everywhere.
February 1, 2010 @ 6:07 pm
Hi John! I have really enjoyed your video’s on modifying guitar pots. I have a question if you don’t mind answering. I am setting up an old guitar with a single humbucker and just a volume pot. I have notice on some of the schematics that I have seen online that some people use a cap on the volume pot. Is this necessary? I have the volume working fine and the guitar sounds pretty good but I am wondering if the cap would make it sound any better? If so what type of cap would you suggest? Thanks man your video’s on soldering pots made it possible for me to do my own work instead of taking it to the shop. Your a talented guy with that soldering iron!
February 1, 2010 @ 11:05 pm
That’s a treble bleed capacitor. If you find that your sound gets a bit dull/dark as you turn down the volume, the treble bleed cap can help allow some of the brightness to “bleed through” when turning down. With the volume all the way up, the cap should make little or no difference in the sound.
I demonstrate the differences and evaluate some different cap types in part 1 of this video ( see https://www.planetz.com/?p=240 ). Please check it out! I went with an Orange Drop 1000pf.
-John
February 25, 2010 @ 2:53 am
i want is it possible for me to lose volume on my guitar ? cheers..
March 5, 2010 @ 11:02 pm
guitar I don’t have one on my volume pot but its on my tone pot.
June 5, 2010 @ 7:55 am
I went for the treble bleed but i realised that the tech had not soldered the capacitor onto the vol pot. He only soldered a resistor. Why is this so?
June 6, 2010 @ 8:11 am
What exactly did the tech add to the volume pot?
Both a cap and resistor (a resistor is sometimes used along with the cap in treble bleed to allow some lower frequencies to bleed through as well, and/or to change the pot taper)?
If the tech just added a resistor, that doesn’t make much sense to me. How does it sound when you turn the volume down?
June 21, 2010 @ 10:45 pm
caps do I need? One because there’s only one tone control?
June 22, 2010 @ 5:16 pm
July 6, 2010 @ 3:17 pm
resistor needed?
August 14, 2010 @ 9:29 am
clean.
August 25, 2010 @ 11:20 am
November 14, 2010 @ 3:52 pm
Drop .001 mfd in the volume for treble bleed, but when i turn down the
volume, the sound waaaay to thin. What should i do? If i need a resistor:
what resistor, what value of resistor and how would i solder it?
November 21, 2010 @ 9:02 am
just this. all i can say is SWEEEEEEEET..
December 10, 2010 @ 9:46 am
a bit of bass to bleed through as well. try around a 130k ohm resistor. you
could put in a 500k trim pot and experiment to find a value you like.
December 27, 2010 @ 4:55 am
January 20, 2011 @ 9:19 am
February 5, 2011 @ 2:29 am
April 24, 2011 @ 6:10 pm
May 27, 2011 @ 7:53 pm
August 3, 2011 @ 9:13 am
Thats why singles have 250s normally to tame the highs. 500K pot + treble bleed will = much happiness with a valve amp!
August 3, 2011 @ 9:17 am
October 9, 2011 @ 8:30 am
October 20, 2011 @ 12:46 pm
October 22, 2011 @ 6:40 am
October 23, 2011 @ 8:43 pm
October 15, 2011 @ 8:37 am
I’ve been following and learning from these excellent videos and have ‘repaired’ the problem caused by my choosing incorrect cap values. My final question is, can you recommend some values for resistors to fit to my log pots, to slightly alter the taper, so it’s a little closer to linear? I guess I would place them in parallel BEFORE the caps?
Thanks again guru
October 20, 2011 @ 9:46 am
October 20, 2011 @ 2:12 pm
many thanks
November 21, 2011 @ 10:00 am
November 22, 2011 @ 10:08 am
November 23, 2011 @ 4:11 am
December 8, 2011 @ 6:04 pm
December 8, 2011 @ 6:08 pm
December 9, 2011 @ 5:13 am
January 10, 2012 @ 2:31 pm
January 11, 2012 @ 6:01 am
January 31, 2012 @ 9:18 am
February 1, 2012 @ 10:55 am
Hey. i saw your video and i must Admit your the best youtuber who post videos about guitar harware. But i’ve come here for a reason. Yesterday i broke my volume knob on my strat copy and i want to fix it. The metal rod that holds the volume knob is broken too so i want to buy a new volume pot. Is there anything ikmportant i should know and have you made a video about it? if yes link.
Thanx and continue the grat work.
February 1, 2012 @ 12:28 pm
Hi Jacob,
Strats usually use a 250k audio taper pot for volume.
You can see my video on how to identify your pot, in case it’s something different, here (start at 7:44):
https://www.planetz.com/?p=261
For general wiring/soldering, see my video series on wiring starting here:
https://www.planetz.com/?p=272
-John
February 2, 2012 @ 2:06 pm
THX
should buy this? http://www.tmart.com/A250k-Mini-Electric-Guitar-Control-Potentiometer_p111194.html is there a diiferent beetween min pot and normal pot?
or this one
http://www.tmart.com/B250k-Electric-Guitar-Control-Potentiometer_p111193.html
February 2, 2012 @ 4:16 pm
The A250k is audio taper. B250k is linear.
Mini is typically a smaller body which can be useful if you’re trying to fit in a tight space, like through a hollow-body f-hole, or into a pedal.
-John
February 3, 2012 @ 12:15 am
so i can’t use one of them?
February 5, 2012 @ 11:05 pm
You can use either one, depending on your taper preferences. The A250k is probably most comparable to what you have in your Strat.
-John
March 3, 2012 @ 2:47 pm
Would this be a just fine soldering iron to do a guitar? I have a soldering gun but its hard to solder stuff like this.
March 20, 2012 @ 10:15 am
March 3, 2012 @ 2:49 pm
March 20, 2012 @ 10:15 am
April 4, 2012 @ 6:08 pm
I’ve read that 50’s style wiring on Les Paul will keep a lot more higher end when rolling down the volume knob. Isn’t that the same effect with treble bleed?
So treble bleed will work a lot better with modern wiring?
Or 50’s wiring doesn’t need treble bleed?
April 8, 2012 @ 9:24 pm
April 11, 2012 @ 11:05 am
May 11, 2012 @ 3:36 pm
May 13, 2012 @ 9:05 pm
June 23, 2012 @ 3:22 pm
June 24, 2012 @ 9:31 pm
You’ll need to start with a circuit layout for your particular pickup/tone/volume/switch configuration. Take a look at the guitarelectronics wiring diagram archive to find the one you want, and go from there.
Good luck!
June 23, 2012 @ 10:17 pm
June 24, 2012 @ 10:20 pm
June 24, 2012 @ 10:21 pm
July 14, 2012 @ 2:37 am
Hi,
I’m new to this but I’m learning as I go, I need to combine Tone Controls in a Les Paul Copy so I have ordered a 500k Blend pot and 2 Caps – .022 and a .047. I am only going to install one Cap on the Stacked pot so here’s the real Noob question – Does one of the Cap wires get Soldered to one terminal on each set of 3 and the other to the top of the Stacked Pot?
July 15, 2012 @ 5:06 pm
Yes, sounds right.
The cap can be shared for both tone pots.
So if your stacked pot lugs are: ABC and DEF, you’d wire your first pickup to B and second pickup to E.
Both C and F would be connected to the tone cap, and the other lead of the cap goes to ground (back of pot is ok, if a wire is also run from back of that pot over to the jack shield lug).
Or you could use two separate caps if you prefer (C->cap1->ground and F->cap2->ground).
Hope this helps,
-John
July 16, 2012 @ 11:14 am
Thanks, I just couldnt find that info anywhere but you’ve put me straight – nice one!
August 12, 2012 @ 5:02 pm
August 14, 2012 @ 8:07 am
Soon!
September 17, 2012 @ 10:24 pm
September 18, 2012 @ 4:18 pm
December 2, 2012 @ 5:23 am
December 4, 2012 @ 1:03 pm
January 22, 2013 @ 10:34 pm
May 12, 2013 @ 10:11 am
July 28, 2013 @ 6:01 am
August 6, 2013 @ 10:02 pm
August 8, 2013 @ 12:28 pm
October 9, 2013 @ 6:02 am
October 11, 2013 @ 4:09 pm
October 18, 2013 @ 7:31 am
is it ok to use 40w iron?
October 18, 2013 @ 9:32 am
October 18, 2013 @ 10:01 am
October 24, 2013 @ 8:35 am
December 9, 2013 @ 7:23 am
you could find some time to answer it.
1. Why didn’t you put a resistor? Because I found in the internet that you
need to put a capacitor and also a resistor when doing treble bleed mod.
What’s the purpose of the resistor?
2. I have a strat with SSH set of pick-ups and with 1 volume and 1 tone
pot, and I’m using a 500k pots. What do you think is the best value of caps
and resistor (if really necessary) for it? Because I also found out that
the caps and resistor will vary on the pots and the types of pick-ups used.
In my case it’s hard because I’ve got humbuckers and single coils.
Thanks in advance and God bless you John. May you help more people with
your videos.:)
June 7, 2014 @ 6:56 pm
of these guys who never soldered a cap before so I could get them on tape
jumping out of their shoes the first time they overheat a cap and it
explodes! The first time it happened to me I think it took ten years off my
life.
December 2, 2014 @ 6:39 pm
either the tone cap or a treble bleed cap are worn out or not functioning
properly. I have been trying to solder HSH in my Ibanez with a 5-way switch
and positions 2-4 are buzzing very loud.It’s not your regular single coil
buzz, it sounds like a bad ground but it can’t be. I’ve tried 3 switches
and I’m still getting the same thing. All the rest of the connections are
correct and the grounds are on and have been re-wired.The middle pickup is
reverse wound. I don’t know if it’s the caps or the pots that are causing
this? Thanks