ToneShaper-Instruction-Manual-Strat-1

 (we come:
Your decision to purchase a ToneShaper was a good one! Your
new toy should give you lots of tone tweaking enjoyment, and
Will prove to be a valuable tool in getting the tone you're looking
for from your guitar. Please read over these instructions to
become acquainted with your new unit, and keep them handy
for future reference.
Can't wait to get started? Then go right to pages 5-8 for sample
settings, and refer back to pages 1-4 as needed.
INSTALLATION
We ve included everything you'll need. The first step is to
remove the strings and pickguard from your guitar. Note that if
you have a floating tremolo, removing all of the strings at once
will ensure that several rounds of tuning will be needed when
you restring the guitar, before the tremolo reaches equilibrium
(before the string tension on the top of the guitar equals the
spring tension in the rear of the guitar). You may already realize
this, but if not then be advised that this will be the case, so you
don’t tear your hair out when you get to that step.
Once the pickguard is removed, then you'll attach the
ToneShaper unit to your pickguard. Please note that this unit fits
the control spacing of Fender pickguards, so if you're using a
pickguard from another manufacturer then you may need to
modify it.
Put the included internal-tooth lockwashers (star washers) over
the three pot shafts, then insert the three pot shafts into the
pickguard holes. If you find that the pickguard holes are too
small, then they're probably sized for metric pots and need to be
enlarged to 3/8”. If they don't line up with the ToneShaper's
pots, then you'll need to drill new ones in the correct locations.
You'll find that if you need to drill new holes that overlap, or are
beside, existing holes, then there's a good chance they'll be
covered by the knobs.lf you need to re-drill, then you can cut out
and use the full-scale drawing below as a drill template.
O
This drawing will also give you some visual confirmation as to
whether or not any extra holes you might end up with will be
covered by the knobs.
Once you have the ToneShaper mounted on the pickguard, then
put the flat washers and nuts on the outside (the face) of the
pickguard, and tighten the nuts.
Next, install the switch. Make sure that the two black connectors
are facing over the side of the switch as shown in the illustration
below, then slide the switch straight down. The idea is to have
the switch’s actuator (lever) enter the slot in the pickguard at the
same time that the 2 connectors are engaging the 8 pins on the
circuit board. These 8 pins are pretty durable, but don’t use a
hammer here. Just gently push the connectors down onto the
pins as shown below.
ALIGN CONNECTORS TO PINS
The next step is to attach the pickup and jack leads, along with
any grounds. This is easily done without soldering by using the
ToneShaper's quick-connect terminal blocks. Simply depress
the appropriate button, insert the stripped wire, then release the
button.
Г
INSERT
je a
— В
DEPRESS
Ch
RELEASE
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(772) 217-8662
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/ieKuP CONNECTIONS
You'll notice that there are six connection points for the pickup
leads; two for the jack leads; two for grounding; and one for a
series link. We've assumed that your pickups will each have a
hot and a ground, so you'll attach these six pickup wires to the
six pickup connection points, making sure to follow the labeling
on the board.
HOT = the hot wire (typically white)
RTN (RETURN) = the ground wire (typically black)
If you have three wires on each pickup (Lace Sensor, Fender
SCN, etc.) then you'll follow the manufacturer's wiring instruc-
tions, which will typically involve two of the wires being
connected to ground. Assuming this is the case, then these two
wires will share the ground connection.
If you have four wires coming from each pickup, then you’ll most
likely connect together the two that form the series link (consult
the manufacturer’s wiring diagram to identify which wires are
which) and tape or heat shrink this connection to keep it out of
the way. This will leave a hot and a ground, and (typically) a
bare wire. Any bare wires will be twisted together and attached
to one of the two GND points (for convenience, there's one GND
point on each of the two terminal blocks). MAKE SURE that any
bare wires won't inadvertently contact anything else - wrap them
in tape or put heat-shrink tubing over them. This will leave only
the hot and ground for each pickup, which will be connected to
the appropriate HOT and RTN points.
If you're using a humbucker in the bridge and want it to be split
in the 2-position, then its series link will be connected to the
Series Link (or Serial Link) connection point.
JACK CONNECTIONS
The two jack leads are attached to the small terminal block:
JACK OUT = the hot wire (typically white)
JACK GND = the ground wire (typically black)
GROUND CONNECTIONS
Your guitar will most likely have a bridge ground, which is a wire
coming from the tremolo claw in the rear of the guitar (or directly
from the bridge if your guitar has a hardtail bridge), and
attached to a ground point, such as to the back of a pot.
Assuming your guitar has such a wire, then you'll attach it to
one of the two GND points on the ToneShaper.
Additionally, your guitar may have a ground wire similar to the
one shown below that connects shielding paint in the cavity to
ground. Note that most guitar bodies don't have shielding paint
in the cavities, and most that do have shielding paint don't use a
wire to connect the paint to ground. But many American and
Mexican Fenders do, though it might not be immediately
apparent. If there is a wire like the one below that is screwed
into the cavity somewhere...
...lnen you'll want to leave this wire screwed into the body, and
attach its other end to one of the two GND points on the
ToneShaper. Then you will be a happy camper.
AND NOW, THE FUN STARTS
Okay, are we all ready to go? Let's put this baby through its
paces.
The ToneShaper has been designed to be really simple to use.
Once installed, you can make changes to its configuration by
simply removing the pickguard and flipping it over, then manipu-
lating some mini switches. The mini switches that are used are
large enough for many people to move with their fingernails, but
we've also included a dandy pointed stick that you fingernail-
challenged folks can use instead.
As you might expect, the mini switches have an OFF side and
an ON side, and understanding which is which will make life just
a little more rewarding for you:
THESE SWITCHES ARE OFF
THESE ARE ON
This is pretty straightforward, but in the interest of making things
really clear and easy-to-discern in the rest of this manual, we're
going to use color coding to illustrate when switches are on, off,
or optional, as follows:
CYAN (BLUE) = ON
MAGENTA (PINK) = OPTIONAL
YELLOW = SELECT ANY
BLACK = OFF
TURN THESE ON
IF YOU WANT TO
TURN ON AS MANY OF MAKE SURE THESE
THESE AS YOU WANT ARE OFF
(BUT AT LEAST ONE)
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4913 US Highway 1
Vero Beach, FL 32967
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- CONTROLS
Here's a picture of the ToneShaper:
SW4 SW3 SW2
SW1
1 2 3 4 5 6
3030
C B
There are four switches (SW1 - SW4), a volume kit (A), and two
banks of tone capacitors (B & C), each of which has a .015uF,
.022uF, .033uF, .047uF, and .1uF capacitor.
SW1 and SW3 are used to select the various wiring styles, as
you shall see in the following pages.
SW2 turns the caps in bank B on and off (see how they're
beside each other?), and assigns them to the middle potentiom-
eter. You can turn on any one, but you can also turn on more
than one. When you add capacitors together in parallel (as we
are doing here), their values add. So if you turn on, say, the
.022uF cap and the .O33uF cap, you'll have the equivalent of a
.055uF cap. And turning on the .015uF, .022uF, and .033uF
caps Will give you the equivalent of a .07uF cap. There are in
fact 31 possible values that can be achieved by turning on one
or more of the five caps, though only the bottom half or so fall
within the “conventional” range used in guitar tone circuits
(.015uF to .1uF). Still, we've provided a table on page 4 that will
show you which caps to turn on in order to achieve any of the
31 combinations.
SW4 is similar to SW2, except that it turns the caps in bank C
on and off, and assigns them to the third potentiometer (the one
closest to your feet when you're playing the guitar). We should
clarify: this is what happens when you're using the third potenti-
ometer as a tone control, which will not be the case when you
set up the ToneShaper for either blender or series/parallel
operation.
It's easy to remember which switch/bank is assigned to which
pot, because SW2/bank B is located directly over the middle
pot, and SW4/bank C is located directly over the bottom pot.
Here's a drawing that shows the cap/switch mapping:
.047uF ==
033uF mr ЖЕ
022uF m2
.015uF mr"
VOLUME
KIT
047yF [17
ApF
033uF
.022uF
015uF
THE VOLUME KIT
The volume Kit is a resistor/capacitor that can be engaged to
address the problem of treble roll-off that accompanies rolling
back your guitar's volume control. Perhaps youre aware of this.
When you roll the volume control down, there is a discernible
tonal change that comes along for the ride. This is the case with
all vintage Strats, and it's something that many people have
never noticed, while it drives other people crazy. The volume kit
may be switched on or off at almost any time, it's use is optional.
If you check it out then you'll find that the treble roll-off that
exists without it really is there, even though you may never have
noticed.
THE BILLY MOD
Some people don't like the idea of a volume kit, saying that it
brings it's own baggage to the party. There's another way to
address the treble roll-off issue that involves having the tone pot
receive its signal from the volume pot's output, rather than from
the switch. Of course, this only works with a single tone control.
Plus, it makes the tone/volume controls interactive, so this
method has its own trade-off. Still, there are many people who
swear by this method, so we’ve incorporated it into the
ToneShaper in those schemes where a single tone control is
employed. There are two of these schemes, and they're the only
two where the volume kit is not an option. You can't use both;
it's one or the other, or neither.
By the way, we call this last mod the “billy mod”, after Billy
Wagner, the killin’ (and illin') Tele player who first brought it to
our attention.
OUR OPINION
We're not saying. The truth is that with any debate you can find
friends and neighbors on both sides, and where the debate is
heated there's often no benefit in taking a stance.
In the end, it's all just opinion. Tone is always about opinion,
there is no wrong or right. The thinking with the ToneShaper is
that we'll provide all of the options (the “old way”, the volume kit,
and the billy mod) so you can try them all and make up your
own mind. People often agonize over these things, reading
opinions on forum sites in an attempt to sniff out the prevailing
wisdom. Our approach is to make it easy for you to try different
things to see what works for you.
Tone is like art: your opinion is valid. Listen, learn, have fun,
draw your own conclusions.
Tone Shapers, Inc.
4913 US Highway 1
Vero Beach, FL 32967
(772) 217-8662
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(rs GO!
Okay, enough, let's get on with the party. We'll start with
straight-up vintage wiring, the way Leo did it.
ON CTs
ON CTs
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 2 3 4 5 6
SOUND WITH Y A TWIST
See those blue switches? They're on, and everything else is off.
You'll notice that each tone control has its .1uF cap turned on;
the ToneShaper's tone controls don't share a capacitor, as they
sometimes do in a hardwired guitar. Even where you want both
tone controls to have the same value, you have to turn the
appropriate cap on for each one.
So let's say that you try this configuration, but then you want to
turn on the volume Kit and give it a try. Then you would simply
turn on SW1 98:10. They're the magenta ones below (remember
that magenta means optional).
ON CTS
ON CTs
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
1 2 3 4 5 6
SOUND WITH Y A TWIST
Now, if you wanted to change the value of the capacitors, then
you would simply turn on the appropriate switch for each tone
control. You might decide that you like the .1uF cap for the
middle pickup, but not for the neck. Perhaps you'd like to try a
.047uF cap for the neck tone. No problem, on SW2, simply turn
off the .1uF cap and turn on the .047uF cap:
ON CTS
ON CTs
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 910
1 2 3 4 5 6
SQUAD WITH Y A TWIST
Simple!
Now you have the idea. The ToneShaper is very simple to use,
and once you get used to the color codes you'll be able to
quickly and easily make any changes you need. On the follow-
ing pages, we'll focus on the main wiring options available.
CAPACITOR MATRIX
As promised, the following table shows all of the combinations
that can be achieved with the five cap values provided. Simply
turn on the appropriate caps to get the value you're looking for.
The table applies to either set of caps, so if youre using one of
the wiring schemes with two tone controls, then you can select
any of the values in the table for each control.
.015uF
022uF
.033uF
.037uF
.047uF
.048uF
.055uF
-062uF
.069uF
.070uF
.080uF
.084uF
.095uF
ТНТ
ПУЛЬ
115pF
.117pF
.122uF
1ЗЗуЕ
META]
147uF
RECU
.155pF
.162uF
.169uF
170uF
Ea
184pF
MELT
202uF
217pF
[e " Tone Shapers, Inc.
4913 US Highway 1
Vero Beach, FL 32967
FLIP THE SWITCH (772) 217-8662
[DRAWN DATE TITLE
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for Stratocaster®
[ASSY PN [REV |
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®
(000000)
(000000)
VOLUME
TONE 1
TONE 2
ON CTS
T1010 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TeneShaper
VOLUME
NECK TONE
MIDDLE TONE
T1010 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
ToneS nager”
VOLUME
NECK TONE
BRIDGE TONE
T1010 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
TeneShager
VOLUME
MIDDLE TONE
BRIDGE TONE
TWO TONE CONTROLS
The conventional way to wire a Strat, but now with the
ability to select the capacitor values for each tone control,
and then to decide which pickups the tone controls are
assigned to. A lot more flexibility than the old way!
Each of the five diagrams yields a different tone control
mapping, so you can dial ‘er in. Assign cap values to the
tone controls by simply turning on the appropriate caps
on SW2 and SW4. Refer to the table on page 4 for the
possible values.
The volume kit is optional for all five of these schemes, so
you can turn it on and off to see which you prefer. No billy
mod with this one, since there are two tone controls.
ON CTS
JURE LEE WE
2 3 4& 5
ToneS ape”
VOLUME
NECK TONE
MIDDLE + BRIDGE TONE
ON CTS
JIU LLL JANE
2 3 4& 5
ToneS ape”
VOLUME
NECK + MIDDLE TONE
BRIDGE TONE
Tone Shapers, Inc.
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(000000)
(000000)
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
BLENDER
Both of the blender schemes work the same way. The bottom control is
the blender control, and turning it fully clockwise (CW) removes it from
the circuit entirely. Think true bypass, though this is a little different.
Same idea though. But in any case, fully CW means it's not doing
anything.
When you roll the blender counter clockwise (CCW), it starts to add in
either the neck or the bridge pickup. It's connected to both, so it works
on either. If you have the neck pickup selected with the 5-way, then the
blender adds in the bridge. If you have the neck/middle selected, then it
still adds in the bridge. Either a little, or fully, depending on how far you
turn the knob.
Select the bridge pickup, or the bridge/middle, and now the blender
adds in the neck. So you can add a little neck into the bridge to warm it
up, or a little bridge into the neck to make it a little spankier. You can get
+
m
m ON CTS
= ON CTS
% MEN. 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10
+ 1 2 3 4 5 6
Е
O
т
ToneS nager”
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
BLENDER
BLENDER WIRING
Lindy Fralin was the inspiration for this one. Lots of
players have added a mini-toggle or push/pull to their
guitar so that they could have both the neck and bridge
pickups on simultaneously. But Lindy's idea to use a pot
provides more flexibility, since you can add just a little of
the neck or bridge, or have it full on, or anything in
between.
the neck and bridge fully on, like a Tele in the middle position, which is a
very useful tone. You can get all three pickups on, which is also a useful
tone. Try it and see what you think.
The difference between the two wiring versions shown below is that one
allows for the (optional) use of the volume Kit, while the other employs
the billy mod (if you use the billy mod then make sure the volume kit is
off). To refresh your memory, each of these two mods is pretty effective
at addressing the treble roll-off that normally accompanies rolling the
volume control down. However, each brings its own consequence. So
you can try them and see whether you think the benefits outweigh the
consequences. If not, then you can use the standard blender wiring (the
one on the left) and just turn off the volume kit.
Of course, in either scheme you can select the capacitor values for the
tone control.
т
0
m ON CTS
= CN ÉS
& 1111 1.2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
— 1 234756
w
m
O
т
tomeshaje”
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
BLENDER BILLY MOD
Tone Shapers, Inc.
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(772) 217-8662
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®
(000000)
(000000)
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
SERIES / PARALLEL
Like the blender options shown on the previous page, both of the
series/parallel schemes work the same way. The difference is that the
one on the left allows for the optional use of the volume kit, while the
one on the right uses the billy mod to manage treble roll-off.
The middle control in these schemes is a master tone, and you can
assign the capacitors to it by turning on the capacitors you want, using
SW2,
The bottom control is the series/parallel control, and turning it fully
clockwise (CW) removes it from the circuit entirely. Think true bypass,
though this is a little different. Same idea though. But in any case, fully
CW means it's not doing anything. So with the control fully CW, you can
forget it's there and just use the Strat like you normally would, the pickup
combinations will be just what you'd expect.
+
m
m ON CTS
= ON CTS
% MEN. 1 2 3 45 6 7 8 9 10
+ 1 2 3 4 5 6
w
ГП
O
т
ToneS nager”
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
SERIES / PARALLEL
SERIES / PARALLEL
Time to get fat. Do you know the difference between
series and parallel? Strat and Tele pickups are usually
combined in parallel, yielding that hollow, open sound that
we all love.
That is, we hope you love it. You do love it, right?
Gibson’s PAF, on the other hand, combines coils in
series. That's what gives it that full, punchy midrange.
Now you can have the best of both worlds at the turn of a
knob!
When you're ready for a little mayhem, then turn that bottom knob fully
counter clockwise (CCW). Unlike the blender, which can be turned on a
little or a lot, with the series/parallel wiring you need to turn the bottom
knob fully in either direction, no leaving it in the middle. Fully CW -
nothing; fully CCW - mayhem. Got it?
Now, with the knob fully CCW, the switch positions don’t work like
normal. In position 1 (all the way back) you get the bridge/middle in
series. In position 5 (all the way forward) you get the neck/middle in
series. In positions 2-4, you get only the middle pickup. Okay? Again,
this is only when the bottom knob is fully CCW. Otherwise
the 5-way works normally.
=
m
mn
m "ON CTS
= ON GE
& 11111 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
— 1 2 3 4 5 6
UV
m
O
т
ToneS nage
VOLUME
MASTER TONE
SERIES / PARALLEL BILLY MOD
Tone Shapers, Inc.
4913 US Highway 1
Vero Beach, FL 32967
(772) 217-8662
FLIP THE
[DRAWN DATE TITLE
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for Stratocaster®
[ASSY PN [REV |
A-TS-S1 N/A
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SSH
®
Say, who's up for a little humbucker in their bridge? Well,
your ToneShaper will accommodate you in three ways. All
three schemes auto-tap the humbucker in the 2 position,
so you'll be combining two single coils in that position, like
with the legendary Lone Star Strat.
(000000)
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Scheme one gives you a neck tone and a bridge tone,
with selectable cap values. Scheme 2 gives you a master
tone control, with the bottom pot unused. And scheme 3
also gives you the master tone, but pot 3 becomes a
blender control that will allow you to combine the
neck/bridge, or have all three pickups on. Read the
blender page for more details.
VOLUME
TONE 1
TONE 2 or BLENDER
+
I
m
0
ON CTS т ON CTS
ON CTS = ON CTS
ALE 1 2 3 4 56 7 8 9 10 5 ПОНИ! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
w
m
O
т
ToneS nager” ToneS nage
VOLUME VOLUME
NECK TONE MASTER TONE
BRIDGE TONE POT 3 NOT USED
+
I
m
wn
m ON CTS
= ON CTS
© ALE SE SE Tone Shapers, Inc.
y 4913 US Highway 1
o Vero Beach, FL 32967
т FLIP THE (772) 217-8662
Ternes Ларе [DRAWN DATE TITLE
RETA TE George Ellison 12/27/08 ToneShaper
VOLUME for Stratocaster®
MASTER TONE ASSY PN [REV |
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