Ahh, now I have room! - I rewired my RG570

Drestin Black · #1 05-18-2001, 03:43 AM

Well, I decided to change pickups again (third time), but this time I got rid of the tone knob and put the volume knob there instead. *Now my right hand is free to pick without hitting that goshdarn volume knob. *It actually feels wierd! *I have a hole there where the volume pot was but I don't care, I covered it up with a small piece of electrical tape and can't even tell unless your looking for it. *I put in an Air Norton neck and Tone Zone bridge by the way. *If you're bored I highly recommend it. *

jeff l · #2 05-18-2001, 10:21 AM

* * * * Yep, I've done that exact same mod (with different pups) to one of my 570's right down to the electrical tape inside the body cavity! LOL. Mine is a PAF Pro/ V V Blues/ Paf Pro combination. *

Man, I hear ya about getting that da^^n volume knob out of the way. It DOES feel wierd at first but you won't miss hitting your pinky on the vol. knob when picking lead lines. I think maybe we both should have bought Paul Gilbert models.

*Also, did you have to splice the wires to get enough length, as I did?

(Edited by jeff l at 9:25 am on May 18, 2001)

lwi · #3 05-18-2001, 02:16 PM

Regardless of the pickups, does removing the tone knob (and attached cap and stuff) altogether affect the sound of the guitar in any way? or does it only sound like the tone knob is always maxed out (as you probably always kept it)?

Lwi

Drestin Black · #4 05-18-2001, 02:49 PM

I had to splice a bunch of wires. *Believe me don't use red wires for all of them. *It looks like a mess!! *I'd be embarassed if a tech saw my work HA HA! *I don't hear any difference when I take the tone control off. *I think it's supposed to sound brighter but I can't hear it. *I tweak my settings on the amp to compensate anyways. *I love this mod. *Anyways Ibanez should bring back the PGM's in the upper end models. *I always wanted one but back in the day I had no cash. *Oh well.

lwi · #5 05-18-2001, 03:25 PM

Well.. high-end PGM are still around .. in Japan

...

lwi · #6 05-18-2001, 03:38 PM

And one more thing... I'm no electronics whiz but according to the following diagram:

the tone capacitor, wether the tone pot is full-on or full-off, is never shorted out.. its always between the pickups and the ground, therefore always cutting some frequencies depending on it's value.. right?

Well if ppl dislike the additionnal brightness (I know you don't... some but ppl do) caused by the mod, then why not leave the capacitor in place an just remove the pot??

just my 0.02 $CAN

Lwi

jeff l · #7 05-20-2001, 01:16 PM

Lwi,
* * *I can hear the difference. It DOES get a bit brighter, IMHO. Is it possible to re-install the cap with the mod in place?

Drestin Black · #8 05-21-2001, 02:37 AM

It looks like on the Ibanez wiring diagrams that they have a resistor (I think) with a 330 microfarads(?) value on the volume pot. *I wonder if that would take some of the brightness that everyone mentions.

lwi · #9 05-22-2001, 01:24 PM

Jeff - Yes I'm sure you could put the old cap where it was befor, just without the pot, and it would work fine (in theory

)

Black - it's a capacitor, and it's function is to keep the high frequencies from dropping when you reduce the volume (it makes it clearer at lower volumes... if the cap wasn't there it would sound mushy and lifeless) *Is this cap present on all S's, Rg's and Jem's?

frankfalbo · #10 05-23-2001, 08:58 PM

First, when the tone control is up, the only voodoo happening is that the resistance inherent in the pot's value is separating the pickups from the cap. This is more apparent when the cap is wired directly to the hot lead and the center lug of the pot is grounded, as on les pauls and others. On Ibanez guitars, the cap is between the pot and ground, and the hot lead is introduced to it through the pot. So the resistance is pre-cap, not post-cap. Most people will never hear the difference, and if you do, you should feel cursed! It means you are destined for misery because you notice every little thing like I do. Ignorance is bliss.
* * Second, the cap goes to ground, so if you wired the cap in, you would achieve the effect of the tone knob all the way down. What you would want is a 250k or 500k resistor in series before the cap. That would simulate the pot on "10". Another twist is that some pots "jump out" at the end of the travel. when full up, there isn't even the resistance there, i.e. no difference when removed.
* * The cap across the volume is different. Again, full up it should make no difference, but as you turn the volume down, the treble frequencies are the first to go. I like it because it sweetens the sound as I go down. Others don't. They want to go cleaner and janglier when they turn down for rhythm parts. The cap lets the highs escape unharmed while the other frequencies get pummeled. At zero, obviously all frequencies are grounded and the guitar is dead. Sometimes, to lessen the effect of the cap, it is coupled with a resistor. Other times, a resistor is used by itself to create a custom taper, or to smooth out the signal drop as you turn the volume down. Whew! Thats all I have to say about that!

lwi · #11 05-23-2001, 09:29 PM

That's good stuff frank.. I was hoping someone more knowledgeable than me would step in to clarify things.. thanks!