Guitar Volume Control Mod - Installing A Treble Bleed Cap

By Paul Marossy

Last Updated 6/3/04

Have you ever noticed that when you turn your volume down on your guitar that it can get dull sounding? If so, here is a super simple mod that you can do to your guitar. All you have to do is get a 0.001uF film cap an solder it across the wiper of the volume pot (middle lug) and the outer lug that is not connected to ground. That's all there is to it. What this does is allows some of the higher frequencies to get through directly to the output when the volume control is turned down. Some guitars already have this cap installed in them, but a good many of the ones I have seen do not have this cap installed. I like this simple mod because if you like to use your volume control a lot, it helps you to retain some of the dynamics that would otherwise be lost. If the 0.001uF cap doesn't have enough of an effect for your taste, then try a 0.002uF or even a 0.005uF cap.

Credit for this must go to Craig Anderton for writing the book "DIY Projects For Guitarists", which is where I learned about this nifty little trick. If you don't have this book, you may find it to be very useful.

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