Hi guys, i'm new around here and glad to talk to you. I had been looking for a new guitar in HSS configuration and the Silo Special came up as an option, but I would probably add another tone pot for the bridge pickup only and unwire it from the old tone pot, as I generally like to keep it rolled of a bit. Has anyone tried it? What would be a good place to put it? Maybe I should put it where the volume is and move the volume? Thanks guys!
Adding another tone control to Silhouette Special
- Thread starter Ro-om
- Start date
beej
Moderator
Neat idea. The piezo-equipped Silhouette Specials have an extra pot for the piezo volume, so an easy fix might be to order a pickguard from MM and put the extra tone control in that spot.
Tollywood
Well-known member
Hello, and welcome to the forum.
Cool idea...I hope you post some pics for us to enjoy!
Cool idea...I hope you post some pics for us to enjoy!
DrKev
Moderator
Yep, this is the great idea!
(Of course the Silhouette Special has 250 kΩ volume and tone pots, so you may not need to roll off the treble on the bridge pickup. Humbuckers more usually have 500 kΩ pots, 250 kΩ is a touch dark for some people's tastes. But 500 kΩ in this guitar would make the single coils too bright so they went for 250 kΩ).
DrKev
Moderator
Just one molex connector with output jack and battery on one end and the entire pickguard assembly on the other.
So all I should get is the pickguard, a pot and a knob as I understand, cool. One more question, does anyone have experience with splitting the bridge humbucker on the silo special? Does it sound good to you? Which coil do you recommend using? I'm loving this forum already, you're being great help to me. Thanks guys.
DrKev
Moderator
You certainly can split it (it's a DiMarzio Virtual PAF). I've never tried it on it's own. In the stock wiring the humbucker is split in positions 2 and 3).
Half a humbucker can sometimes be lower in volume than a single coil and can sound a little harsh or anemic but I've heard that the Virtual PAF actually sounds very good in split coil mode and balances well with the single coils. The outer coil closest to the bridge could sound a little harsh so I'd recommend the other coil. Some people prefer parallel mode to just one coil, which would also have the advantage of being humbucking too.
Half a humbucker can sometimes be lower in volume than a single coil and can sound a little harsh or anemic but I've heard that the Virtual PAF actually sounds very good in split coil mode and balances well with the single coils. The outer coil closest to the bridge could sound a little harsh so I'd recommend the other coil. Some people prefer parallel mode to just one coil, which would also have the advantage of being humbucking too.
DrKev
Moderator
The stock position 3 is the neck pickup and half the bridge pickup, which sounds like a cross between the middle pickup and the middle (bridge and neck) position on a telecaster. It's a very cool tone. Obviously you could re-wire the switch to get middle pickup if you want.
In the stock wiring scheme the silent circuit is only wired to the single coils, though it is only active in position 5, which is the neck pickup on its own. Another single coil can be added to the silent circuit, as is the case on the SSS guitars but I'm not sure if it can be added to one of the humbucker coils.
Be warned - the switch used is a 4-pole 5-way super switch (that's 24 terminals) and the wiring is complicated enough that modifications are really a job for those who are good with a soldering iron and are not scared by complicated wiring. One pole alone controls the silent circuit. If you spit the humbucker on a separate switch it will add an extra layer of complication to an already complicated circuit. And my guess is that you would need a triple-pole double-throw switch for it to work. And the silent circuit can be adjusted, it may require a different adjustment for half a humbucker compared to the singles, and may not work perfectly well with both.
In the stock wiring scheme the silent circuit is only wired to the single coils, though it is only active in position 5, which is the neck pickup on its own. Another single coil can be added to the silent circuit, as is the case on the SSS guitars but I'm not sure if it can be added to one of the humbucker coils.
Be warned - the switch used is a 4-pole 5-way super switch (that's 24 terminals) and the wiring is complicated enough that modifications are really a job for those who are good with a soldering iron and are not scared by complicated wiring. One pole alone controls the silent circuit. If you spit the humbucker on a separate switch it will add an extra layer of complication to an already complicated circuit. And my guess is that you would need a triple-pole double-throw switch for it to work. And the silent circuit can be adjusted, it may require a different adjustment for half a humbucker compared to the singles, and may not work perfectly well with both.
Stratty316
Well-known member
What happened to simple wiring? 2 hb's, a 3 way and a volume... There you go!
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