Fender Strat volume pot help

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

I was wondering if it is possible to control the how much the volume pot on a Stratocaster affects the tone and volume? Currently, my volume pot has very little effect on my tone until it's almost all the way off, when there is a sudden huge drop in gain. I would like to have a more linear, gradual drop off.

I've Googled it and read some things about resistors and caps but I don't understand any of that kind of stuff!

Is this possible or am I talking about stupid things?

[TheoGB]

Your volume shouldn't have any control over the tone - that's what the tone knob's for, isn't it? I don't like Strats so maybe I misunderstand how the knobs are meant to work.

If the lowered volume is affecting tone it's probably just to do with how your ears hear frequencies at different volume levels.

EDIT: The analogue nature of the electronics will mean that you'll get an uneven response from all the controls, as far as I know, hence why after about 7 or 8 out of 10 your guitar amp no longer gives the same response as it did from 1-3 on the dial.

The best way to get good control mid-song would be via a dedicated graphic equaliser pedal, though these are pretty expensive. Or else maybe upgrade from a Strat to a Jazzmaster or a Jaguar with the dual circuits.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

I should have been more specific, volume knob on a Strat has a huge control over both the volume and the amount of gain so I tend to think of it as a much better tone control than the fairly useless tone pots.

If I am playing with an overdriven sound, I can have the volume opened up to full and get all that distortion. It will stay that way until I nearly close the volume off completely, which will first reduce the sound down to a clean tone, then drop the actual volume down to zero.

[bumfrog]

what model strat is it? US/Mexican/Jap and year.

The general all round tweak is to replace the standard volume pot which I think it a 250k, with a 500k one.

[TheoGB]

I should have been more specific, volume knob on a Strat has a huge control over both the volume and the amount of gain so I tend to think of it as a much better tone control than the fairly useless tone pots.

If I am playing with an overdriven sound, I can have the volume opened up to full and get all that distortion. It will stay that way until I nearly close the volume off completely, which will first reduce the sound down to a clean tone, then drop the actual volume down to zero.

Okay, I added an edit to my post while you posted which I won't bother repeating.

What you're talking about isn't a very good way of controlling a clean to distorted sound. Really you want a pedal or a dedicated switchable amp channel if that's your thing.

By reducing the volume you'll naturally take away the distorted feel but you'll also presumably hear more hiss and other noises coming in as you're running a quieter sound through gain circuit.

Alternatively you can simply play the guitar quieter, which I've seen done, but it's kind of tough. Shellac use a sound called a 'Harmonic Percolator' (you can buy various makes of this) which partly is about getting that sort of heavy crunchy lead noise when you really whack the strings but a clean thick sound when you ease off. They're expensive, though, and you'd probably want to try one out. I'd guess the shop that's taken over Andy's old lot on Denmark St. will have one.

[TheoGB]

Do you have a sort of style in mind that you're trying to play? I probably just don't know what feel you're aiming for. :)

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

It's a lefty Mexican Standard Strat.

I've always controlled my distortion with the volume knob, I find it much easier than using pedals (which I also have). I think I stole it from watching Brian May play when I was a kid. In recent times I have started experimenting with using pedals when live to change from clean to dirty, but I find the change quite jarring and like the smoothness of using the volume knob.

The style of music is general rock, though tilted slightly more towards the heavy side, so I need a variety of clean, dirty and solo sounds.

[TheoGB]

Seems I'm confused about the Harmonic Percolator sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nahPA-RKEfQ

Certainly I associate some of Shellac's best sound with that great definition of the guitar but still distorted.

[TheoGB]

It's a lefty Mexican Standard Strat.

I've always controlled my distortion with the volume knob, I find it much easier than using pedals (which I also have). I think I stole it from watching Brian May play when I was a kid. In recent times I have started experimenting with using pedals when live to change from clean to dirty, but I find the change quite jarring and like the smoothness of using the volume knob.

The style of music is general rock, though tilted slightly more towards the heavy side, so I need a variety of clean, dirty and solo sounds.

Well Brian May does make his own guitar electronics! It shouldn't really be jarring except in a few cases when using pedals. Mainly it's about knowing when to change, making sure you catch the beat and noise from the rest of the band or giving yourself the space you need to let the notes hang.

That said, I did once try to find a sort of cross-fader volume pedal, that would let me switch in an effects pedal loop like a line-switcher but to gradually fade it in and at the time (10 years ago) I was told you just couldn't find such things, which seemed weird.

Obviously the style of distortion pedal's going to make a big difference too and how you set it up. I prefer to have my distortion on quite low and then my volume higher to keep a lot of definition, but if you prefer a fuller fuzzier sound then the switch will be more obvious.

[bumfrog]

It's a lefty Mexican Standard Strat.

yeh, it's probably got 250k pots in it as standard if it's after about 1994ish, so I'd replace at least the volume with a 500k one.

It's ok, I know what you are talking about when you're controlling the overdrive and stuff with your volume knob, but yes, it will require replacing some electronics.

If it's got stock pickups, you may want to think about replacing them too.

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Cool, thanks for that.

[The Bear]

I know the sound you mean LHG. Jimmy Page used to use his volume knob all the time on his Les Paul when playing live, to drop back and forth from clean to overdriven.

Since I've Been Loving You is a great example at around 1:10 - Madison Sq Garden '73 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxubniUvaBI) (That intro still gives me goosebumps)

[Bigsby]

Do some digging around the truly excellent TDPRI forum.

For example, this thread recoomends a DiMarzio pot that sounds like it would fit the bill.

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech/124329-deal-cts-pots.html

[LeftHandedGuitarist]

Thanks for the help, everyone.

Using the volume pot to control distortion was something I thought most people did anyway, but I've discovered over the years that it's not that common. It always seemed the most sensible way to go to me though. I was having lessons with Pete Friesen (of Alice Cooper) once, and he would say that controlling distortion with the volume pot was always the way you should go instead of pedals.

[TheoGB]

It would make a lot of sense if you were using a big amp distortion sound. Probably the likes of Jimmy Page didn't have a range of distortion pedals because they had really nice amps and the distortion they used was generally tube amp based. But if you've not got roadies to lug your various Marshall stacks and if you want to try a lot of different sounds from the previous decades pedals give you more options :D.