crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Sep 25 2008 09:50 AM
Hi all!
I read Dave Wronski used a Strat for most of the first Slacktone album which was a bit of a suprise because it sounds Jaguar-ish to my ears. He does go on to say you CAN get the Jag sound with a strat but does he mean stratocaster with Jag bridge/trem unit OR bridge/neck pickup wiring? My strat dosen't have a bridge/neck pickup option so i'd be interested to know if anyone is using a blender pot (looks a doddle to wire up) or is a Push/pull switch method a better option?
I'm just a bedroom guitarist who gets to play surf with some friends every now and then.. I have a little fender Pro Jr/Holly Grail reverb (i know don't tell me!) I get a good trad surf sound with my CIJ Jazzmaster but man it's big and weighs a ton! it's almost like strapping on an ocean liner!! would prefer if my confy lightweight strat sounded like the JM.
Lay the secret on me of man's red fire! 
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MadScientist
Joined: Jan 17, 2008
Posts: 2188
Atlanta, GA
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Posted on Sep 25 2008 10:43 AM
I have a push/pull volume pop on my Am Std Strat that turns on the bridge pickup at any position on the switch, and it sounds kind of Jaguary-ish in the 5th position, though it cuts my volume for some reason. I haven't tweaked it really, but it gets the job done when I want it to. Could be the solution you are looking for.
—
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NoisyDad
Joined: Mar 04, 2006
Posts: 215
West Hartford, CT
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Posted on Sep 25 2008 11:35 AM
I added a micro switch (which controls the neck pickup independently from the 5-way) to both of my Electra strat-like objects. I guess you could say the neck/bridge combo is Jag-like or Tele-like, depending on how much reverb you have dialed in. Either way, it's a sweet sound that I use a lot.
— http://www.aquatudes.com
http://www.facebook.com/theaquatudes
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PhatTele
Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445
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Posted on Sep 25 2008 11:37 AM
I use a blender pot in my Strats. There are a few ways to do it. The most straight forward I've seen is out on Lindy Fralin's site (see link):
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg
This setup gives you the normal 5-way controls when the blend is on zero. However, in positions 1 and 2 you blend in the bridge PU relative to the neck, and in positions 4 and 5 you blend in the neck relative to the bridge. For instance, if you're sitting on position 5 (the bridge PU), by turning the blend control all the way around, you'll bring in the neck PU and have a Tele mid position tone. In positions, 2 and 4, you're getting all three PUs togther.
There's another way to do it called the "Hendrix mod." This uses a Tele switch and you blend in the middle PU to get your "quack" tones. Personally, I like this one better. I'm more of a fan of the Tele's switching and tone than the Strat's, but I like the feel of the Strat and the whammy bar option. I actually set my Strats up with a Tele 4-way switch, blender for the middle PU, and a baseplate on the bridge PU.
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echobeach
Joined: May 21, 2007
Posts: 220
Redland City, Australia
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Posted on Sep 25 2008 10:20 PM
I use a push pull switch I also wired the tone conrol to incorporate the bridge pup. Have a look at Deaf Eddie's website for more options.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 06:56 AM
Living in the uk i wouldn't like to have to walk to see a surf band.. might have some swimming to do too. I'd guess by the many photos here surf guitarists like middle pickup position on Jags and Jazzmasters etc but with most Strats your you're limited to a single middle pickup, as i say i'm only a novice player but to me that would suggest the Jags & Jazz's have one up because they can get two pickups sounding at once. I can't buy a Lindy Fralin or Mojo blender here in the UK such is it's lack of popularity but i think i'm going import one out of curiousity. It's just a tone control pot (probably just a no-load pot) easy to wire following Fralin's wiring diagram which gives you a single master tone on all pickups and blend on the other tone control. When the blender is fully on No10 your strat returns to standard switching. Thanks for the replys, Deaf Eddie's site is excellent.
Last edited: Sep 26, 2008 10:58:39
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PhatTele
Joined: Jun 05, 2006
Posts: 445
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 07:30 AM
I'm not sure if you can find them over there or not, but Fender sells something called a "no load" pot which you can use as a blender also. You can get them with knurled or straight shafts. They're primarily used to take the tone pot load out of the signal path (say in a Tele). However, because of their design, you can use them as blender pots too. Just wire them up the same way you see in the diagrams. They might be easier to find.
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 10:26 AM
PhatTele
I'm not sure if you can find them over there or not, but Fender sells something called a "no load" pot which you can use as a blender also. You can get them with knurled or straight shafts. They're primarily used to take the tone pot load out of the signal path (say in a Tele). However, because of their design, you can use them as blender pots too. Just wire them up the same way you see in the diagrams. They might be easier to find.
I'm loading a pickgaurd with switchcraft and cts componets, the cts pots are sorta bowl topped where as fender no-load pots are plain flat topped, call me fussy if you like but the blender pot is bowl topped too. Will look good on ebay when i sell it! It's just a test-bed for "Shigeo Naka" type hybird creation i have in mind, or maybe a tele with mustang bridge/trem could be an elegant solution!
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Sonichris
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1906
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 10:30 AM
I made my own no load pots - here's where I learned how... www.projectguitar.com/tut/pots.htm
I used it on a strat as a blender pot- worked great.
— "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 11:15 AM
Sonichris
I made my own no load pots - here's where I learned how... www.projectguitar.com/tut/pots.htm
I used it on a strat as a blender pot- worked great.
Sonichris looks like you're playin' a jazzmaster in the picture so you must be aware of it's sonic boom! When you converted the strat did the sound get closer to the Jazzmasters. thanks for the link.
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Mel
Joined: Feb 25, 2008
Posts: 321
Canada's Wet Coast
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 11:16 AM
If you want to have a no load blender pot, but don't feel like making one, just look for a pot with an on/off switch on the back:
The on/off switch can be activated in a rotary motion or with push/pull. I prefer the push/pull on mine since you can click it off in a hurry if need be. Plus with a push pull, you can already have the blend preset so when you enable it, the blend is where you want it.
Wiring: You'll end up with 2 wires coming from the pot. To get those two wires, there are three terminals on the pot, terminal 2 (middle one) goes to either lug on the switch. The other lug on the switch is your first wire.
If you're using a rotary switch pot, for the second wire, when you are viewing the pot from knob end use the left term if you want max blend at ON, use the right terminal if you want minimum blend at ON.
For a push pull switch it doesn't matter...:-)
Most of the switches are rated for 10 amps so there won't be any sound lost by the additional routing and you should have 10 amps flowing through those pickups, your audience will be enjoying the light show anyway...:-)
— Mel
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synchro
Joined: Feb 02, 2008
Posts: 4542
Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 11:24 AM
Great idea Mel.
— The artist formerly known as: Synchro
When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.
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Mustard_Man
Joined: Jan 16, 2007
Posts: 100
England
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 12:11 PM
PhatTele
I use a blender pot in my Strats. There are a few ways to do it. The most straight forward I've seen is out on Lindy Fralin's site (see link):
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg
This setup gives you the normal 5-way controls when the blend is on zero. However, in positions 1 and 2 you blend in the bridge PU relative to the neck, and in positions 4 and 5 you blend in the neck relative to the bridge. For instance, if you're sitting on position 5 (the bridge PU), by turning the blend control all the way around, you'll bring in the neck PU and have a Tele mid position tone. In positions, 2 and 4, you're getting all three PUs togther.
There's another way to do it called the "Hendrix mod." This uses a Tele switch and you blend in the middle PU to get your "quack" tones. Personally, I like this one better. I'm more of a fan of the Tele's switching and tone than the Strat's, but I like the feel of the Strat and the whammy bar option. I actually set my Strats up with a Tele 4-way switch, blender for the middle PU, and a baseplate on the bridge PU.
I like the idea of this mod, can I use the same 250K pots as in standard strat wiring (as I've already got) or do I need anything different for the blender?
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crumble
Joined: Sep 09, 2008
Posts: 3158
Guildford England
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Posted on Sep 26 2008 02:56 PM
Mustard_Man
PhatTele
I use a blender pot in my Strats. There are a few ways to do it. The most straight forward I've seen is out on Lindy Fralin's site (see link):
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg
This setup gives you the normal 5-way controls when the blend is on zero. However, in positions 1 and 2 you blend in the bridge PU relative to the neck, and in positions 4 and 5 you blend in the neck relative to the bridge. For instance, if you're sitting on position 5 (the bridge PU), by turning the blend control all the way around, you'll bring in the neck PU and have a Tele mid position tone. In positions, 2 and 4, you're getting all three PUs togther.
There's another way to do it called the "Hendrix mod." This uses a Tele switch and you blend in the middle PU to get your "quack" tones. Personally, I like this one better. I'm more of a fan of the Tele's switching and tone than the Strat's, but I like the feel of the Strat and the whammy bar option. I actually set my Strats up with a Tele 4-way switch, blender for the middle PU, and a baseplate on the bridge PU.
I like the idea of this mod, can I use the same 250K pots as in standard strat wiring (as I've already got) or do I need anything different for the blender?
Theres a complete blender kit on ebay, He's a U.S. seller but it still appears on ebay U.K. if you search with "Blender" in the Instruments section. I think you just need the blender, a capacitor and some skill with a soldering iron. Yes you can keep all existing electrics.
The seller also adds a variation to the fralin schematics diagram:
"One change I would make is to connect the tone control to the middle terminal of the volume control instead of as pictured. This is called the 50's mod and it will help retain treble and give you a clearer tone when you reduce the volume on your guitar and also eliminates the need for the "volume kit" shown across the volume control. Sounds better and more natural to me".
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Sonichris
Joined: Mar 06, 2006
Posts: 1906
Wear gloves - I'm in the Rockies
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Posted on Sep 27 2008 09:03 PM
crumb
Sonichris
I made my own no load pots - here's where I learned how... www.projectguitar.com/tut/pots.htm
I used it on a strat as a blender pot- worked great.
Sonichris looks like you're playin' a jazzmaster in the picture so you must be aware of it's sonic boom! When you converted the strat did the sound get closer to the Jazzmasters. thanks for the link.
I'm the guy in the middle - still, yes a Jazzmaster in the photo.
with the blender pot, it sounds more like a Jaguar with both pickups on than a Jazzmaster - to me, a Jazzmaster has it's own unique sound that is tough to find in any other guitar -
One of my reasons for liking the blender pot instead of the "neck on switch" is that you can add just a little neck pickup, to the bridge, or all of it. with the switch, its all, or nothing - Plus, I heard that Hank Marvin used a blender pot, and thats one of the cool tones you can get - just a little neck pickup with the bridge pickup. so far, so good.
I don't think I can decide on which I like better - I like all the sounds Fender guitars make through a good amp - Stat, Tele, Jazzmaster, Jag - it' all sounds so cool!
— "You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"
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revmike
Joined: Feb 26, 2006
Posts: 3852
North Atlantic
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Posted on Sep 28 2008 02:05 PM
I moved my middle pup to the neck position, and the neck pup to the middle position. That way when I have the 5 way switch in position 2 the bridge and neck are on. The wires were long enough that I dedn't have to rewire anything. The only tricky part was remembering the new positions!
1 bridge
2 bride & neck
3 neck
4 neck & middle
5 middle
It does sound sort of Jaguar-ish. I've been using #2 position for a lot of surf gigs lately, and it sounds great.
Rev
— Canadian Surf
http://www.urbansurfkings.com/
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Mustard_Man
Joined: Jan 16, 2007
Posts: 100
England
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Posted on Jun 22 2009 03:44 AM
PhatTele
I use a blender pot in my Strats. There are a few ways to do it. The most straight forward I've seen is out on Lindy Fralin's site (see link):
http://www.fralinpickups.com/images/blendschem2.jpg
Done.
Sonichris
I made my own no load pots - here's where I learned how... www.projectguitar.com/tut/pots.htm
I used it on a strat as a blender pot- worked great.
Done. Surprisingly easy, I used some balsa cement instead of nail varnish because that was what was near to hand.
Loving the bridge and neck sound!
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Woodsurfer
Joined: Feb 07, 2009
Posts: 310
Bel Air, MD USA
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Posted on Jun 22 2009 03:59 PM
Having added a neck-on mod to my Strat a few months back, I can attest that it's an awesome addition. I chose the push-pull pot route. It's important to note, however, that while the neck/bridge combination sounds fantastic and sort-of Jaguar-ish, it does not replicate the Jaguar sound.
Here are samples of the same tune played first on a Strat with the neck/bridge combo and then on a Jag:
http://www.pemburnia.com/bluesurf/samples/La%20Corona%20--%20Strat.mp3
http://www.pemburnia.com/bluesurf/samples/La%20Corona%20--%20Jag.mp3
The Strat is an '03 Highway 1 (also modded with a steel bridge block). The Jag is a '96 CIJ '62 RI with Fender AVRI pickups. Both were played through a POD 2.0 set to "Black Panel" and recorded on a Mac with Audacity.
-- Woody
— It takes a lot of mussel memory to avoid clams.
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Noel
Joined: Mar 15, 2011
Posts: 8528
Back in Piitsburgh, Pennsylvania, where I grew up.
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Posted on Jan 31 2012 08:21 PM
My Strat just got a Callaham blender pot added where the second tone knob used to be. It functions as a rheostat. Of the 5 positions, 2, 3 & 4 work normally. 1 dials in more bridge as you turn up the dial. 5 dials in more neck as you turn up the dial.
3 and 5 had always been my goto settings for my Strat. 3 still is essentially the same and sounds great on my guitar. 5 with the rheostat on 1 is like before too. But I have a new overall favorite. Setting the switch to position 5, I dial the tone knob to up 5, mixing enough neck pickup into the bridge to richen it without mellowing it. Nothing else on the guitar sounds like it. It's a great tone.
I get the feeling this is what Johnny Marr was after with his 4-way pickup switch. I like it a lot.
— This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.
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DeadRanchHands
Joined: Apr 15, 2008
Posts: 1281
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Posted on Feb 01 2012 12:16 PM
When I had a Squier Strat I did the blend mod. I never liked the 2/4 positions. It made it usable for me. Never liked the Strat trem, though.
— http://www.reverbnation.com/thedeadranchhands
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZEW74mHjQk
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