Author Topic: Need help, how to install built in distortion, without drill (Read 5591 times)

daveirl1 · « **on:** July 12, 2006, 11:52:26 PM »

i decided i'd upgrade my tele and put in a 4-way switch, and i said why do something fun with my other guitar while i'm at it, so i decided to buy a "distortion pot", the diagram i got with it tells you how to install it in a strat style guitar, by replacing one of the tone pots, but the problem is my guitar only has one volume and one tone pot, is there a way i could intstall this distortion pot without drilling a hole in my guitar. Distortion pot link---> http://www.artecsound.com/qdd.html it is the "qdd"

FELINEGUITARS · « **Reply #1 on:** July 13, 2006, 01:01:18 AM »

Simp;ly remove tone control and have this pot in its place
You'd have no tone control but you would have the distortion device
Where will you put the 9V battery? - not much space on a tele

daveirl1 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 13, 2006, 11:03:03 AM »

It isn't on a tele i'm doing it on it's a yamaha rgx, is there some kind of push-pull pot i could use to keep the tone controls?

PhilKing · « **Reply #3 on:** July 13, 2006, 12:54:26 PM »

You could replace the volume with a push-pull pot and set a fixed tone cut on the switch. You can experiment with a couple of resistors and the capacitor you have now. I would look at 220 or 200k if it has single coil pickups or 400/450K if they are humbuckers. You solder the resistor in series with the capacitor, and the pair in between the live and ground.

daveirl1 · « **Reply #4 on:** July 13, 2006, 10:37:06 PM »

I'm new to all this, what do you mean by a fixed tone, i was looking at this http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm the pot with two 500K pots in one "Dual Concentric Control Pots" about halfway down the page, would this do the job, and does anyone know where to get it because it's out of stock on this site.

daveirl1 · « **Reply #5 on:** July 14, 2006, 12:14:13 AM »

if i remove the tone pot, and wire it directly to the output does the tone stay on full?

_tom_ · « **Reply #6 on:** July 14, 2006, 12:22:28 AM »

Quote from: daveirl1

if i remove the tone pot, and wire it directly to the output does the tone stay on full?

It should make it a bit brighter without a tone pot, I prefer it as I always have my tone on 10 anyway :D

WezV · « **Reply #7 on:** July 14, 2006, 04:44:19 PM »

Quote from: daveirl1

I'm new to all this, what do you mean by a fixed tone, i was looking at this http://www.axesrus.com/axeknobs.htm the pot with two 500K pots in one "Dual Concentric Control Pots" about halfway down the page, would this do the job, and does anyone know where to get it because it's out of stock on this site.

If you do that it is basically like having two pots so you can easily wire one for normal tone and one for distortion.

deg0ey · « **Reply #8 on:** July 18, 2006, 03:55:33 PM »

WezV: The distortion things you can buy usually have to use the pot suppled, as they have a circuit board attatched to it...

However, using the concentric so that the top is tone and the bottom is volume (or vice versa) and then the other hole can have the distortion pot put in it - that's the only way I can think of to work it, or what Phil said, so that you just click a switch and it gets a "drop" in tone - but the concentric pot thing leaves you with full variation of the tone control :)

daveirl1 · « **Reply #9 on:** July 18, 2006, 05:10:30 PM »

Quote from: deg0ey

WezV: The distortion things you can buy usually have to use the pot suppled, as they have a circuit board attatched to it...

However, using the concentric so that the top is tone and the bottom is volume (or vice versa) and then the other hole can have the distortion pot put in it - that's the only way I can think of to work it, or what Phil said, so that you just click a switch and it gets a "drop" in tone - but the concentric pot thing leaves you with full variation of the tone control :)

That is exactly how i want to do it, "using the concentric so that the top is tone and the bottom is volume (or vice versa)" but i can't find any on the net or in shops and i have no idea how to wire it that way!

deg0ey · « **Reply #10 on:** July 18, 2006, 06:28:15 PM »

Well lets find you some then :)

EDIT:
http://www.allparts.uk.com/catalogue/index.php?cPath=91008_91074
Concentric knobs are here...

http://www.allparts.uk.com/catalogue/index.php?cPath=91004_91056&ALLPAR=5828ee2d5d5a2312e8b9babb4797a278
And those are the concentric pots...

You'd want to email them and ask if you need to buy both, or whether the "concentric knob set" actually has the pots in already

daveirl1 · « **Reply #11 on:** July 18, 2006, 08:35:23 PM »

yup, that would do perfectly, just got to ask how much shipping is cause i don't wanna be spending 30 quid on it when i can get shipping for free from axesrus when they get it in, now i just gotta find out how to wire it. thanks!

deg0ey · « **Reply #12 on:** July 18, 2006, 09:13:44 PM »

Ordered from there for my pickguard (and other things) - shipping is £3.95, and they said it should be dispatched within 2 - 5 working days (incredibly poor, but at least they have it in stock)