Love the knowledgable yet humble explanations you do. It's like watching Brian Wampler talk about pedals. You tell us what things do in an easy to understand way without saying "my way is always right". It's up to our ears but what you're saying is a bloody good grounding to understand what's going on. Thanks for your vids . They're invaluable :)

I’ve watched dozens if not hundreds of videos on many many topics, and you, Ben Crowe, are by far my favorite host. The little joke you throw in, plus the fact that you are down to earth and admit when you mess up, then explain how to fix that and other mistakes. So again, thank you for being you, and keep up the good work.

It's funny how you say crocodile clips because in the USA we say alligator clips.

@JeanMarceaux

Жыл бұрын

In Australia they're called cayman clips

Thanks for answering that Ben. I always thought pots worked by "cutting" the signal, so at zero volume, the pot is at full resistance and by varying it you allow through more volume, but with a tone control, you allow the full signal through and just cut the top end with a capacitor, which as you said can colour your sound. So to my way of thinking, it follows that without a tone control, I can effect that tone more effectively on my amp by using the EQ. This is why I tend to leave tone controls out on my guitars. I also like that you pointed out that your cable can have a big difference on your sound. Youre absolutely right! Cheers!

To clarify a bit about the capacitor thing. is the cap along with the pot forms a filter that can either let higher or lower frequencies through depending how its setup. So either high pass or low pass filter set to a perticular frequency (note) either above or below that the signal is passed or not. glad you mentioned that the older vintage caps may not always be best. Parts do age of course, values can drift over time or the materials can break down completely. Some newer parts can also have tighter tolerances so they stick closer to the listed value.

I don't use the tone knobs on my guitar, and I'd like to bypass them so I can free up that spot for a volume control on a piezo signal. Do I need to wire a capacitor into the signal so that it will sound the same as with a tone knob on 10 (open)?

To describe how a potentiometer works in a different way to Ben's description: There are three terminals. The outer terminals are connected to a long resistor which forms a near circle within the casing. The middle terminal is connected to a movable contact which moves when the potentiometer's shaft is rotated. When fully clockwise or anticlockwise the resistance of the pot is zero between the centre terminal and ONE outer while it will be at the stated pot value between the centre terminal and the OTHER outer. The resistor can be made of several different materials all of which have slightly variable properties and that variability alters the actual resistance of the potentiometer. Hope that helps.

Hi, Ben and Staff at Crimson guitars. I'm Juan Armengol and I started making my own electric instruments last April (2018). I live in Bogota, Colombia, South America. First of all I have literally devoured your videos on every topic I was able to get my eyes on - by the way, your channel has become my preferred online luthiery information source... GOOD JOB!!! I have built an electric tenor ukulele with local tropical woods, and since we don't have any mahogany nor rosewood available here, I've been forced to do some local tone woods research. By lots of trials I've found magnificent (sustainable sources and government regulated woods) which I'll be glad to tell you later about them. My ongoing project is an electric guitar with 3 hand-made by me (from the magnetic poles to the winding and pickup design itself) pickups (NECK:Single coil - MIDDLE: Single coil - BRIDGE: Humbucker)The guitar has a bolt-on neck including a very interesting double action truss rod designed by me - the whole neck turned out really good, and a well balanced body again hand made by me. My issue is that I want to have a 5 way Fender Strat style pickup selector, but I want a very specific configuration in order to have the pickups I want to hear. I want to have it wired in this fashion: 1st position (from the upper or north part of the switch) for the NECK Single coil Pickup ONLY - 2nd position for NECK + MIDDLE Single coil - 3rd position for MIDDLE ONLY - 4th position for BRIDGE Humbucker + NECK Single Coil and for the last selector position BRIDGE Humbucker ONLY, and finally I want to have just 1 volume and 1 tone control knobs. I have searched the Internet extensively but haven't been able to find a wiring diagram with this particular configuration and as you can deduct I'm not very good at wiring. Does any of your geniuses there at Crimson can hang me such a diagram? I woukd like to send you some pictures of my beautiful guitar (I call her LYNX G9+ since it's the 9th design the one I chose to build). Thank you for your excellent Internet material, your awesome workshop and your hard work there. I would appreciate very much if you can help me out with this issue. Best regards, Juan Armengol.

@mihailmilev9909

Жыл бұрын

Wow I wish I could help with that but idk either. So did u ever figure out that wiring diagram? How did the guitar turn out and what are you doing now?

There is a definite, audible difference between tone pot in and out of circuit. I immediately preferred the more present and transparent tone with no capacitor. Great stuff Ben.

Do the lugs of a tone pot have any specific position can you wire them any way you want i recently installed a tbx tone control in an ibanez 350 rg everything works except when tone is rolled to 0 guitar goes off like a volume pot i wonder if the wiring is matched to the correct lug

Hi Ben quick question ?....must be able to do I have a 2015 gibson les paul deluxe I was wondering if I could set the db boost to my favourite position then change it to a regular tone know this is a guitar for life so don't care about devaluing the resale I have scoured the net but cam up with nothing thank you John

I have purchased two Humbucker's with quick click fittings on the end. Where can I purchase potentiometers that will click to them?.

Hi Ben - thanks for all your fine videos. I wonder if you have any thoughts on sourcing pots that can be recessed such that the top of the knob sits flush with the guitar surface, and when pressed in a little "jumps up" so that you can access and adjust it as a normal tone/volume knob, then can be pressed flush again with a second push... They seem to be hard to find, though I have seen them long ago on a guitar (though I can't remember what guitar it was...). I'm designing a travel bass guitar and this is part of the spec given. Cheers! ps did you ever find your experienced luthier to join you? I guess because the video is still up you have not... Rob

@miserablecherry7651

4 жыл бұрын

I'd love to see this finished build

I wasn't going to respond because of the age of this video, but what the hell... I've started building guitars recently. At first, I was using Obsidian Wire kits, because I had ZERO confidence in my soldering abilities. After about 2 months, I decided to try out a La Cabronita wiring for a telecaster build with Filtertrons. I got the S1 pot, and the 3 way switch, and looked up how to do it...I had to do my own soldering, and it's acceptable...not astounding, but it will do. The point of the La Cabronita is that there is no separate tone pot. You put 2 sets of caps in the circuit, to be engaged when the S1 switch is pressed in. It changes the tone of the signal ever so slightly. So you essentially have the neck pickup wide open, the bridge wide open, then each has a different "preset" tonal change with the switch engaged. I found it to be interesting, but rather useless, since I preferred the wide open sound. I then started thinking about how I NORMALLY use a tone pot. The fact is, I don't. I always have it at 10, letting everything through that I can. I play at church every Sunday. My sound tech advised me years ago, to always have my tone pots wide open, and HE will adjust the tone at the board. I mean, he's a sound guy, I just pluck some strings. then I started looking around at all of my equipment. I have a multi effect pedal, with Chorus, Reverb, and an EQ...each of those has their own tone adjustment. I have a tube screamer....with a tone adjustment. I have an amp modeler, with, you guessed it, a tone adjustment. Even my delay pedal has an ever so slight tone knob. All of that even BEFORE getting to an actual amplifier, with it's own tone adjustments. long story short......When I build a guitar, now, I only put in volume pots. To me, the tone adjustment has become extremely redundant, since there are about 10 different places in a chain of sound that it can be adjusted. I'm not sure if there has ever been a guitarist that needed to adjust their tone enough times during a show that the tone pot was absolutely necessary...in fact, I'd say that there are infinitely more guitarists that never touch their tone pot, and it's cranked at 10. The only change that I've seen most accomplished guitarists make is the whole guitar itself, for a different sound...

How do you know which pot ports to connect a capacitor? The Middle? the top port? Bottom port & ground to back ? Where should it go?

Any thoughts on lining the cavities with tin-foil-like metal, vs. conductive paint? (Specialty stuff, such as is sold by GFS.)

I have a problem with my bridge pickup. It loose the gain when I press the volume pod it get Normal. It happens all the time

Ben, that's an excellent explanation. [I'm an "electronics genius" 🙂... and I can say that you've covered the basics very well here. I'm not even going to bother nit-picking about a minor point or two (OCD successfully resisted! 🙂)].

I'm changing the single coils on my cheap start to hot rails, should I change the pots to 500k? Considering they're basically small hambuckers.

what if you leave the capicitor out? I did this on one guitar and it is brighter and raw sounding. the tone knob still rounds the high end off. Is there any down side?

Ben, can you explain in more detail your methods for carving guitar tops (LP-style)?

so... i built a tele with hot tele Seymore Duncan pickups. which is actually sounding quite dark even with 500k pots. should i get 1meg pots?

A cap across the PU O/P is just a top end cut varied by the resistance of the series pot. If you want full top end and still retain the tone control pot then open the pot and cut the track with a scalpel just immediately before the far end of the slider run with the pot turned up full. Then the pot will go O/C when turned up full and you will get full pick up output with no capacitor in circuit. (re assemble the pot cover). This mod works very well. Pots, use say 500K log (audio taper) for Vol and 250K Linear for tone.

I installed a preamp and pickups. The tone is incredible but all the knobs are working in reverse...help please.

So I have always wondered why worry about the tone capacitor and potentiometer, when we can adjust the frequencies of the guitar with the amp? Would it not make more sense to have a more complete tone coming out of the guitar and trimming it after, rather than using caps and pots to trim the tone in the guitar?

Hi Ben, Excellent video, You are spot on, Tone is Subjective, I used a 300k Cap in a Stratocaster, sounds Brilliant, it was the only Cap that I had anyway, but it worked Brilliantly! You did make me laugh with the "Go to Bed and die" statement, lol. Take care♥️👍. Melbourne, Australia.

It would be interesting to show the wiring up of a guitar.

'a rotary turning thingy' lol

I want to thank you and tell you how pleased I was to hear you mention your thirst for learning. It's one of today's most undervalued an underutilized human characteristics. A couple of additional statements make me think you also possess a truly humble heart. Although humility seems to be in short supply these days, it tells me all I need to know to ensure me that you are great at your job. I just discovered your channel, but have thoroughly enjoyed your videocasts. I wish you much success! Keep up the good work!

I assume that you are talking about pots for passive pickups? I am changing my Jackson soloist over from the 2 default passive humbuckers to 2 Seymour Duncan Blackouts that are active and they came with, what I have read that 25K pots are required rather than the 500K and 250K pots. True?

What changes with different tone pots? Some Gibsons have 300k volume and 500 k tone. What is the difference between that and 250k tone pot? I understand what the volume pots do just trying to figure if it makes a difference with the tones.

Great episode!

Ben ! a pot is a variable resistor some have carbon tracks some have plastic and some which sound the best ,i think are, cermet track .:-)

I have to comment and say, the ending to that video...spot on.

you did a good job. I bought one of your nut file jobie an its nice but could be a little bigger. I build bass's for the most part

lol, love the editing at the end

Should/can I put a capacitor in a guitar with only one pot ?

Great video!

Great vids!! Cheers!

Hmm, now I'm wondering what extra level of adjustment could be had by installing a variable capacitor!

@wolflahti412

8 жыл бұрын

I've never understood why builders and manufacturers do not use variable caps - such a simple and elegant way of adding a whole new dimension to your tone controls.

@ParedCheese

7 жыл бұрын

Wolf Lahti Physics & mechanics. A variable capacitor with a high enough value to do the job would be *huge*.

A capacitor video would be awesome possum :)

i like that he say the tru story great video man!

I always heard that non polar caps in a guitar amp should all be oriented with the leg connected to the outer foil closer to ground. But I've never seen a video where a guy builds two amps with all the caps oriented opposite ways and tests it. I suspect that the difference would be utterly lost amid the differences that would be there anyway from simple manufacturing irregularities and such. Still...someone...

Can I run my pickups straight to the input no volume or tone pot

@CrimsonCustomGuitars

3 жыл бұрын

yes you can, and it gives a better tone with more volume.. B

Please, if can you tell me, for no one else, in any forum can agree? What the neck pocket size of a 1988’ M.I.J. CTL-50L Telecaster? In fact, any model MIJ 80s neck should fit. I’ve got $100 in returned TL necks that sellers guaranteed would fit. Thank you. I do contribute when I can, certainly watch daily.👍🏼 . Thank you, Steve.

What is the difference between 500k A and 500k B? Thanks

I used a spot of solder (lead free, stronger I hear) on one of my frets. This worked out fine and undetectable. Did I brake some guitar builders code?

Thank you.

6:03 potentiometer absolutely is the correct term for it. while it does vary resistance in that it is a variable resistor, it changes the resistance in the circuit to effect a change in the output voltage. since voltage is a *potential difference* between two points, the variable resistor is used to change the potential difference between 2 points. If you change the resistance , you change the potential difference as an effect to create a weaker/quieter/lower voltage signal or stronger/louder/higher voltage signal. V=I.R it effectively metes out a voltage. see "mete" ... really it's rooted in potentiomete... because it metes out potential difference within the confines of a set gradient.

A matched set of pots is a good idea in a Les Paul kind of wiring. When running both pickups with their individual volume pots, a small difference in the pot setting makes a big difference in sound. So if your pots are actually equal when both are at, say, 8, it's easier to balance the sound. In a single volume configuration it doesn't matter if it's 400 or 600 kOhm. The difference between 500 and 250 kOhm is just noticeable. There's a lot of alchemy around about guitar sounds. This has led some to think that there is a sacred pure signal that you got to keep from changing. But it is just as you said. The lead between a guitar and amp is a capacitor and does the same thing the tone cap does. And the signal is massively altered in amp and cabinet anyway. Whatever sounds good to you is good. There is no "right" way.

@nicholassmerk

9 жыл бұрын

Changing the height of the pickup 1mm changes the volume much more than a few thousand Ohms would. What's the point?

very nice, I tend to agree with you about capacitor values, since essentially a lower value cap will let less high frequencies escape the sound will have richer overtones. In the end a tone control is a way to EQ your sound. except you only control the one range of frequencies determined by a particular capacitor. While it’s convenient to have that control on the guitar rather than fiddling with amp settings or an EQ pedal, I often feel it does more damage to the sound and so I tend to leave mine at 10 all the time (for the guitars that have a tone control). It would be an interesting project to integrate an EQ pedal circuit into a guitar’s body, that way one could have more fine-grained control over the tone :)

yes sir how to wire a double nec gutters thank you your time.

size of caps used to make a difference too not just the value of em ( 20 yrs as a component level tech ) same value and a difference of size can make a difference of how it works

@CrimsonCustomGuitars

9 жыл бұрын

Hey Walter, thank you! That is something I have never heard and you will be quoted :) I just love the breath of experience and willingness to share on youtube.

#Helpful really good stuff, I now know more than I did.

My tone pot is always all the way up. Don't even need one lol.

MORE VIDEOS OMG! - just joking LOL. On a sort of similar vein to pots. Can you recommend any high quality guitar lead cable, I need to make a number of guitar leads and pedal patch cables so would want to buy the cable in bulk. Have you any idea where I can buy such cable? Also have you any experience with the Neutrik Silen 1/4" jack plugs - are they actually silent?

@nicholassmerk

9 жыл бұрын

Where are you located? If in the States, try here: www.fullcompass.com/category/Guitar-Instrument-Raw-Cable.html There are so many middle-man who sell cable, it's not funny. Look at the manufactures spec sheets and you should find one that suites your needs. Also consider Switchcraft, they have been industry standard for years for a reason.

@willford8475

9 жыл бұрын

Nicholas Smerk Hi, I'm based in the UK.

@nicholassmerk

9 жыл бұрын

Ok, I can't really give you any pointers on where to look. Just Google "Bulk Instrument Wire". I'd suggest, don't pay premium for a specific brand name (like "Mogami" or "Monster Cable"). If the cable is shielded with tape and wire, and has a good dialectic...doesn't matter who produces it. Just buy a reputable brand that isn't made in Chinaland.

@nicholassmerk

9 жыл бұрын

Will Ford And, are you good at soldering?

@willford8475

9 жыл бұрын

Nicholas Smerk Thanks, I'll check Google out.

Sorry. A potentiometer is technically not a variable resistor although it can be used as one, in a tone control typically. A pot is a voltage divider. You apply the signal to each end of the pot and tap off what you need by moving the wiper around the track. In a circuit using a linear pot, theoretically moving the wiper half way round will tap off half the signal although other things like pickup impedance and the load after the pot can affect things to a greater or lesser degree. Note that for audio use you need to use a logarithmic pot because the ear's response to different sound levels isn't linear. You use a linear pot for tone controls which in non-active electronics are no more than treble cut controls. Active onboard electronics are another kettle of fish entirely. Hope this helps.

You need to disconnect the potentiometer if you want to use the jumpers straight to the pickup and hear the unadulterated sound. The pot(s) will still add resistance to the circuit, be if 500k or whatever it is, if it is left connected. If left connected it should sound the same before and after if the potentiometers are left turned all the way up (the added resistance would be in parallel). I would really like to try experiment without a tone control...I never use it.

@CrimsonCustomGuitars

9 жыл бұрын

I thought I said that, thanks for pointing it out.. I send it out to the amp at each stage of the wiring process to see how it changes the tone.. Ie volume pot - out, the volume plus tone pot to out etc etc

@JeffBarberDigideus

9 жыл бұрын

Ney Nicholas, I never use tone controls either, and this is why I see them as added junk in an electronic circuit. i guess it depends on you playing style and musical style. for Metal Rhythm playing, i dont see a need for them.

One of the best capacitor comparison tests we have seen on KZread. Can YOU hear the difference? kzread.info/dash/bejne/oIWXz7uvoM3eZ9Y.html www.monstertone.co.uk

Crocodile clip😂. Brits! At least it wasn’t Komodo Dragon clip.

Your pot has a rotary thingy. Haha. I fuckin love your videos dude! Hahaha...

You should be opinionated, you're the pro! Good on you mate.

Indeed, I suspect most of us are here because of your opinions Ben. The alternative is fence-sitting, which is just another manifestation of indecisiveness. So, opinion on!

Same here im not an electric work man but i play my guitar and bass thats its if i got an problem okay i will try to find out why if tone pot its dead well that i know the tone will be on 100% and i cant get it down but the one way i do i adjust the treble on the amp and if i have an eq pedal or eq on my preamp i adjust the trevle their and its make a diffrents. I have one custom shop telecaster that one man have tryet to change pots to humbucker on tone control and seems not work but my treble are on 100% anyway if it on 0% so i dead but its work for me its make a good sound. But i will maybe soon send it to an professional service man that can fix it when i looked down the other guy who had try to do it have wire it all over place never seen that on other guitar so i may need to fix it or otherwise its sound good 100% treble. I used an oil on it and it became little more to work on it then so i heard it and ask my dad if he heard a diffrent and he said yes so good

That's the Pot calling the kettle black that is...

Get on with it.....

Hey I've got a pseudo scientific experiment for you. What if to demonstrate the differences in pickup to amp, or pickup to pot to amp etc you rig the following up. Mount a small speaker above the pickup of the guitar and play a sinewave through it, have it travel to your guitar amp, and into say an SM57 on the center of your speaker cone. You could then record that into your PC or laptop and analyze the frequencies with a spectograph. Repeat the process for different electronic configurations, and make a nice overlay graph at the end with colours and lines 'n all things smart and pretty. Also if you don't have a dynamic microphone laying about by now and an audio interface I really recommend picking a set up. For your guitar demo's n such it'll be invaluable. Also a definitive explanation and demonstration of how wood effects tone would be nice too, it's still highly debated here on KZread and needs to be settled. Sorry if you've already made this video and I'm missing it xD

@wolflahti412

8 жыл бұрын

The tone wood question has been settled repeatedly, but people will continue to believe what they want to believe, the facts be damned. (And by facts, I don't mean calculations from some physics textbook but rather real-life testing/listening.)

Better!

@pd4165

9 жыл бұрын

BETTER!

"crocodile clips". Sweet. In the U.S., it's alligator, or roach clip.

Why isn't it more common to also have a bass cut tone control

Alligator Clip

Alligator clips. At least here in USA.

@jeremyturner2873

6 жыл бұрын

No alligators in the Old World. Just crocodiles. :)

@markh9246

6 жыл бұрын

In England we only have crocodiles, no Aligators.

Was your head tattooed in the 90's?

There's something weird going on at the end of that video!

the "pointy bits" on the far left and right of your beard are asymmetrical. Please correct this for your next video. Good beard symmetry is very important

@eirikstorvik2413

7 жыл бұрын

now i will end up watching his beard in every video. thanks a lot! -.-"

@NachoManRandySandwich

7 жыл бұрын

podoz every time I watch one of his videos (which I always enjoy, in fact Ben inspired me to become a luthier myself) I can't help but picture Bill Bailey with his head shaved 😂

@eirikstorvik2413

7 жыл бұрын

I had not thought of that xD but you are so right. Bill Bailey with head tattoos though x)

@RotorBotanical

7 жыл бұрын

he's a wood worker. Not a beard worker.

Wow - the editing at the end of this video. I BLAME TOM!

@CrimsonCustomGuitars

9 жыл бұрын

:) thank you!

Try telling Eric Clapton that tone controls don't matter !

in the states we call it ground not earth. show us some kindness lol

Ben For Prime Minister....Now

Glad you don't do the wiring. 😂😂😂

Just fit the little sucker !.

At 2:05 "Now let's get on to today's question..." ...in those two minutes, you could have given me the info I wanted, but no, you have this need to chat me up, to regale me with this, that, and so many other things...Almost all of you "experts" do this, and the many hundreds of minutes I've had to listen to this drivel is time wasted that could have gotten me further in the directions I'm going. So why don't you cut to the chase and AFTER you've given up the data, THEN you can chat me up over tea, "Otay, 'Panky?" ~ David, a.k.a. the ConnMan.

I stopped watching the video at "im not an electro-electrics - electronics genius" then "my friend the bassist" you are using precious data, please get to the point. I want to know about time pots

@VenomousB6U6R6N

9 жыл бұрын

Hahaha *tone

Stop begging for subscribers and get to the point !

@CrimsonCustomGuitars

3 жыл бұрын

hey.. did you subscribe ;) B

you don`t know.

I would rather hear it explained by a guy who is not into theatrics and hearing himself. He's smart and skilled, but his convoluted explanation does not match the title.

I used a spot of solder (lead free, stronger I hear) on one of my frets. This worked out fine and undetectable. Did I brake some guitar builders code?