Upgrading a HSS strat.

I have an olde HSS pickup configuration stratocaster that sounds great. However, there is always one is there not, the tone controls do absolutely nothing.

I have a pile of good quality after market pots, caps, and a few tone bleed circutis I got from DB...thank you.

I note from a few sites around the place that the neck has a tone, the mid has a tone....but the humbucker does not...and the volume is a master voume.

My query....what value pots do I use for this? To me it seems that I would use 2 x 250K B curve pots for the tones with 0.22uf caps and then a 500k A curve pot with the tone bleed circuit for the master volume.

Will this work?

I don't know what is presently fitted as the pot spec will be on the side of the pot that faces up under the pickguard....and I want to know what I am doing before I shag it....oops make the upgrade.

The pickups are nothing flash...Wilkinson....but I love the sound....just the tones are useless and the pots grate as you move them....even thinking of dropping a new 5 way switch in whilst it is apart.

Your ideas will help. Thank you in anticpation. :)

It depends on how you use, or want to use, the tone controls. If you like having a separate tone for the neck and middle then stick with that, you could even have a neck tone then use a push/pull to switch between middle and bridge tone on the other control. Or, it's easy to have neck and middle on one tone and bridge on the other. You could even do a spin-split tone control combo for the bridge (if it's 4 wire), so at 10 you get a single coil, at about 8 you get full humbucker and then 8->1 it's a normal bridge tone control.

Using 'B' pots for tone can sometimes be a bit all or nothing, they work in some configs but in others you'll get better and finer control with 'A' taper pots. With your HSS layout a 500K volume may be too bright for the single coils, but it depends what's in there already and if a bit more brightness would hurt it. If you went master vol, neck & middle tone 1, bridge tone 2, you could proably get away with 250's for vol and tone 1 and a 500 for tone 2 (particularly with a spin-split) and that should help to balance the warmth and brightness across the pickups. Plus, you'd then be able use different value caps for the single coils and humbucker, if you want.

The cap values you want/need can also depend on the pot values you choose. Larger value brighter pots may need slightly darker caps etc. If you like the sound as it currently is, then the cap values that are currently in it would be the best place to start.

Another option would be to have a master vol and master tone and then a blender pot. That would mean in position 1 and 2 you could blend in the neck, and positions 4 and 5 blend in the bridge. But, that may not be the direction you want to go in.

Weirdy,

I just want to upgrade what I have. The pots don't do much at all....and I have just finished 2 x other strats from step one and the difference with better pots is very noticeable.

I was thinking to put a better 5 way switch in as well....I have a Gotoh one here.

So I think I might just jack up the old ones and drop in the new ones.

Thanks mate nice ideas. :)

Greg