Custom Varitone

http://www.diyguitarmods.com/custom-varitone-wiring.php is were you can find detailed build instructions.

A custom varitone in a Stratocaster. This guitar modification allows you to select six different capacitors, each removing different parts of the frequency, and blend each capacitor back in with the clean signal of the guitar. The result is a stratocaster that can have a very jazzy tone along with the stock tones. The capacitors being used are six Sprague "Black Beauty" caps. The capacitor values are: .003mfd, .006mfd, .01mfd, .02mfd, .033mfd, .047mfd.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• varitone
• custom varitone
• guitar varitone
• guitar tone mod
• strat mod
• stratocaster mod
• jazzy sounding strat
• how guitar capacitors sound
• capacitor sound examples

[mctabla]

Hi!

Please, please make a repeat demo but with your tone control OUT of the mix. When you went through each varitone setting, it was one dull mush of a sound. How is anyone supposed to really hear the potential of the circuitry!?

Exactly because I'm burning with curiosity & honestly congratulate you on getting this installed... I'm so disappointed at the mush with mush and more mush.

Jazz isn't about muffling. Think Ed Bickert on telecaster or Barney Kessell with Charlie Chrisitan singelcoil!

[DIYGuitarMods]

@mctabla By the way, I love Ed Bickert's tone but I'm quite sure he uses the tone knob to get it.

[pleximanic]

Soo no choke?

[yogeesunshine]

a excellent site you have!! DIY

[ralphe01]

Hey ED. its ralphe here again. Do you a sound test of ur JFET preamp on a strat. I know u have the DIY in ur website but i'd like to hear the tone before i try it on my strat. Thanks man!

[DIYGuitarMods]

@mctabla Yes and yes

[mctabla]

@DIYGuitarMods I think, Ed's tone is mainly thick strings, thick pick and humbucker. Listen to (on youtube):

Ed Bickert Trio - Street Of Dreams

Or a young German quartet emulating the Paul Desmond Quartet (w Ed Bickert):

Pure Desmond Quartet (guitar solo at 4:50)

You're right, Ed has used the tone control on some recordings more than others:

Paul Desmond : Warm Valley

At the end of your vid, you demonstrate a very nice sound. With far less mush than during the varitone demo. New demo possible?

[mctabla]

@DIYGuitarMods Is it possible to hear the differences between the various varitone positions if you just minimally apply tone control?

Does the standard varitone used by Gibson use inductors?

[DIYGuitarMods]

@mctabla Look, a Varitone can only be heard when the tone knob is used in some position other than off because all it does is select different capacitors to route the signal to ground through (it is a bit more complicated with Varitones using inductors though). I understand that it sounds "mushy" but the point was not to demonstrate what a good tone is. I made it to show the true character of the different capacitors for people who might want to try different values.

[mctabla]

@DIYGuitarMods Thanks for your reply. Please demo absolutely with the varitone. The varitone needs to be in the spotlight of the demo. It's the tone control that needs to be open (at 10 with clean sound) all the way all the time.

You see in the vid at 1:25 you start going through the 6 varitone positions with the tone control muddling all the sounds... making them sound like the same mush. It would be great to hear all the varitone sounds in clean please.

[DIYGuitarMods]

@mctabla You want me to make a repeat demo but without the Varitone...