McCarty wiring question/thought?

[that_brianm_guy]

So, what changes would need to be made to standard McCarty wiring such that the tone control only affected the bridge pickup?

Happy to have no tone control on the neck pickup, just the bridge... and I'm looking at the guitar, and thinking it should be obvious...

... but it's not coming to me.

Thoughts?

 

[Simon Says]

It's as simple as moving one wire from the tone pot (disconnect on the volume pot side) to the right leg of the three-way switch. Done

 

[Lewguitar]

It's as simple as moving one wire from the tone pot (disconnect on the volume pot side) to the right leg of the three-way switch. Done

On one of my SE Singlecut, which only have one master volume and one tone, I'd do that: Move the tone wire to the where the neck pickup solders to the 3 way switch.

Kept the neck pickup a little brighter and clearer and allowed me to lower the tone on my bridge pickup and leave it there as a preset.

You will still have a tone control when the pickups are combined in the middle position of a 3 way switch, so it wasn't a perfect solution.

But when you use the neck pickup by itself you will not have a tone control.

 

[Lewguitar]

Another cool option is to move the tone control wire to the where the hot tip of the OUTPUT JACK solderes to the jack. Hamer does this on their gutars.

You could use a shielded cable and ground the shield to the grounded terminal of the output jack.

Or just keep your tone controls but move where they are connected to the Volume pots to the OUTPUT of the volume pots: the MIDDLE terminal.

The effect will be the same since that OUTPUT is a clean shot (through the switch tho) to the output jack.

This allows for cleaner tone and retention of treble so it doesn't get muddy when you lower the volume and tone of the guitar.

It's called "THE 50's MOD" by some because in principle, it's the way some early 50's goldtop Les Pauls were wired.

You might like it.

All Bernie Marsdens come wired that way with the the tone control LAST and after the pickups and volume pots.

Bernies do not have the PRS bright cap to retain highs because with this wiring they don't need it.

The 50's MOD takes care of that.

 

[that_brianm_guy]

It's as simple as moving one wire from the tone pot (disconnect on the volume pot side) to the right leg of the three-way switch. Done

"right leg" = bridge pickup hot?

From the bridge pickup hot selector, to the tone control, not coming off the volume control at all.

Doh!

thanks!

 

[Simon Says]

"right leg" = bridge pickup hot?

From the bridge pickup hot selector, to the tone control, not coming off the volume control at all.

Doh!

thanks!

Yep, it is easy, although it still will affect the neck pickup if in the middle position (as mentioned above).

It is an easy mod to reverse, too