![]() Meiser drew for us: The blue vertical line shows the cut in the bass frequencies that you can adjust with the resistor. To bring it all together, look at Image 2, which my friend Bernd C. Wiring a resistor in parallel with a cap limits the cut in the bass frequencies.The lower the bass frequencies, the deeper the cut. If you use a bass-cut cap without a resistor, you cut bass and lower mids.Here are two things to ponder while you experiment with different resistor values: Typically, it makes sense to use a larger resistor value with a humbucker, compared to a single-coil pickup, so try smaller resistor values than the 330k humbucker spec. If you decide to install this bass-cut circuit in a guitar with single-coils, you can use the same values for the cap (3300 pF for a 500k volume pot and 6800 pF for a 250k pot), but you'll need to play around with the resistor values to find something you like. If you want to control your humbucker with a 250k volume pot instead of a 500k unit, I suggest using a 150k resistor and a 6800 pF capacitor. The specs Yamaha chose for their RC network's two components work very well for a humbucker with a 500k volume pot, as found on their Revstar models. On the Yamaha, this is a 0.022 ♟ film cap. The cap on the left is the tone control's standard capacitor. The RC network is connected to two lugs of the push-pull tone pot's switch as shown in Image 1. Yamaha uses a carbon film resistor and a standard film cap, but if you're going to do this mod, I recommend upgrading to a metal film resistor and a silver mica capacitor for the best sonic results. Located on the DPDT switch of a push-pull tone pot, Yamaha's Dry Switch consists of a 330k resistor and a 3300 pF capacitor connected in parallel. A humbucker's tone gets brighter and clearer, which is also cool for playing clean jazz lines.Īs a rule of thumb, we can say the more distortion you use, the less bass you want in your tone to prevent it from getting muddy and mushy. As a rule of thumb, we can say the more distortion you use, the less bass you want in your tone to prevent it from getting muddy and mushy.īut you can also use a carefully designed bass-cut switch to make a humbucker emulate the tone of a single-coil pickup without losing the 'bucker's hum-cancelling capability. (RC is an abbreviation for “resistor and capacitor.") You can only engage or disengage this bass-cut feature-it's not controlled with a potentiometer.īefore we go any further, let's ask another question: Why would guitarists want to cut bass out of their tone? This type of circuit is most useful on a humbucker-equipped guitar played with overdrive or distortion. So why revisit this subject of passive bass-cut circuitry? Well, Yamaha's Dry Switch works differently from what we've explored previously: It's a RC network connected to the switch of the push-pull tone pot. In addition to what Joe wrote, I'll add that a no-load pot will work best for this application. In October 2016, PG's Contributing Editor Joe Gore wrote an excellent article on this subject called “ The Fabulous Focus Knob." You simply must check it out. Other companies, such as G&L, Music Man, and Reverend, offer similar technology on some of their instruments. Rickenbacker also used a similar idea-on the 4001 bass, for example-calling it a “Treble Tone" circuit. These circuits usually centered around a bass-cut capacitor. ![]() In fact, such rhythm/solo switches were widely used on guitars in the '60s- especially on German brands, such as Hofner, Framus, and Klira, but also instruments from the U.K., U.S., and Japan. ![]() ![]() This used a bass-cut capacitor to filter out some low frequencies. In the mid '50s, DeArmond equipped their floating Rhythm Chief 1100 single-coil with a “Rhythm/Solo" switch on the pickup's control box. Guitar manufacturers have been exploring this idea for decades. Studying Yamaha's materials, it became clear that this is a type of passive bass-cut filter. Intrigued by the description and chart, I decided to peek under the hood. This description is accompanied by a chart that illustrates how engaging the switch lowers the bass frequencies approximately 4 dB, relative to the highs, starting at around 3 kHz. And because it's a filter circuit, the Dry Switch works on both humbuckers and P-90s for a totally unique, usable tone. Using a passive filter circuit painstakingly designed to give the perfect frequency response, the Dry Switch filters out low frequencies to give the punch and clarity of a single-coil pickup minus the inevitable hum and hollow tone often associated with split humbucking pickups. I recently came across a Yamaha ad for their Revstar guitar series that mentions a “Dry Switch" function, which Yamaha describes on their website like this:ĭesigned especially for Revstar, Yamaha's proprietary Dry Switch gives you the versatility of a coil-split, but with a tone that's miles ahead.
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