Stratocaster Knobs Explained: Volume, Tone, and Pickup Selector
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 เม.ย. 2023
- Check out my full article here: www.roundtableaudio.com/strat...
In this video, I'll show you what the controls and knobs do on a Stratocaster style guitar covering the volume, tone, and pickup selector!
For more info, check out my article here: www.roundtableaudio.com/stratocaster-knobs-explained/
00:00 Intro
00:09 Pickup selector
01:05 Knobs
02:15 Final thoughts
Rolling the volume off a bit (from 10 to 9 or 8) can help roll off some of the top end as well, the treble if it’s too bright. It’ll also clean up your guitar if it’s too distorted, you’ve got the gain cranked a bit too high on the amp. Use your knobs kids!
True. However, it shouldn't get too "dark" when you turn doen the volume below 8. That's why you use a good treblebleed! It will make you use your volumeknob even more!!!
Never understood why designers allow the top end to roll off via the volume pot. Conversely, adjusting a tone knob doesn’t affect the volume!
Hay there. I have a Player Strat. The Sea Phome Green 1. What are the defalt positons for the Tone nobs and which is at which? I ask becaus when my cousin unboxed mine 1 was at 4 and the other at 8. But which was at what and if those are indeed the defaults I know not. Thanks
@@MrHamit64 there aren’t any defaults. Set all of em to ten, full. Then setup your amp to taste. If it’s a little bright, dial back the respective tone knob to taste. If it’s too loud or you want to clean it up a bit, roll the volume down. But ten is the answer.
@@MrHamit64 anytime. Any more questions along the way, fire em at me
Nice demonstration. Clear and right to the point. Thanks.
Thanks! 😊
the guitar itself is not very clean but yeah😂
Honestly I feel like these videos help me to play my guitar better than those excessively long scale tutorial videos
Thanks, I really appreciate that 😊 I'll always try and keep it as helpful and concise as possible!
20 + years with strats and never took the time to think about how the selector switch worked with the pickups. Now I know thanks to your exsplanation
Thank you
ah bue
I play guitar, but there is so much I don't know. Therefore I love what you do!! All th questions I have, answered in one place!
Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate it! Glad I could help! 😊
Nicely explained. A Telecaster was my guitar of choice in my band days as I was front man/singer. My over-active hand would always keep hitting the volume know when I played a Strat.
Thank you!
Just picked up my first Strat Standard American and you solved a few mysteries for me. Thanks! you Rock!
Glad I could help! Enjoy your new guitar 😊🎸
That I will! Once again, thank you.
@@JayThatsMe 😊
Ahh this would’ve been nice to see this a while back instead of playing with the tone knobs maxed out for my first two years playing 😂
It's a rite of passage! 😄
The best explanation I’ve ever heard. Thanks!
Your demonstration is very easy to understand
Thank you!
This was a perfect video tbh. Exactly what I was looking for and nothing more.
Thank you!
the most helpful and right to the point video about this stuff..thanks
Thanks, Pablo! 😊
Big thanks. I appreciate the short and informative video and approach. Now i can get better neck pick up tone!
Thanks - enjoy your new tone! 😊
Good explanation.
Thank you 😊
Great job! Clear, concise, & to the point! Kind regards!
Thank you! Glad it was helpful 😊
@@ConorRocksYT, I've been playing acoustics for 56yrs., but I'm a complete newbie when it comes to electrics! Thanks for the insights & kind regards!
Thanks dude! For the info, and also for the relaxing style :)
Happy to help! Thanks for your comment 😊
that was really nice and to the point of the strat's knobs capabilities, thanks
Thank you! 😊
thanks sir iv been looking for this to understand the 3 nabs
You ate this up son
this is a great video for a beginner that 1st time buying electric guitar specially if it's a Strat
Original Strat wiring had no tone control for the bridge pickup. The two tone controls were for the neck and middle pickups only. Eventually Fender smartened up (but not for about 30 years) and put the middle and bridge pickup tone controls together, on the bottom tone knob.
Amazing when you watch someone like SRV play live how much the selector switch or knobs are used!
Nice vid, clear and straight forward.
Thanks!
Thank you i needed that one❤❤
Appreciate the clear explanation
Initially the pick up selector was three stops until Fender realised musicians were often putting the selector between 1 and 2 or 2 and 3 to get that out of phase sound.
And that didn’t happen until the late ‘70s.
No out of phase sound, it's // wiring between 2 pick ups, you can control through a ohmeter; resistance is droped by 2 with 2 equal resistance pick ups, but magnetism is x by 2, and the volume stays OK.
I believe Clapton was the first guitarist to use that trick, on his Derek & The Dominoes album.
Side note: I'm the original owner of a somewhat rare solid walnut `85 Elite Strat with active electronics and 3 push buttons in lieu of a blade switch.
@@TheJoeFridayBand I think it was done before him. Probably Dick Dale done it.
I LOVE YOU!! This is so clear!
Greetings from Argentina
Thank you, glad I could help! 😄
Different models have different electronics. For example, on my Stratocaster American Professional II, the lower tone knob is a push-push control that engages the neck pickup. This means that with the selector in position one and the push-push knob out, the bridge and neck pickups are both on, whilst putting the selector in position two means that all three pickups are engaged. The SSS version of the American Pro II is the only Strat that can do this. The HSS version is different, however, because the push-push knob acts as a coil split for the (humbucking) bridge pickup.
And another model the older early 90's deluxe plus Strat has a TBX tone that works on both middle and bridge P U. I read where it's not that difficult to get any Strats tone hooked to the bridge pup. It's a great move for more versatility in your tone control.
Mine came with one tone for the middle and the other one for the neck. Only 9 years later I changed so that one is for the bridge and the neck, and the other one to the middle.
Thank you so much for explaining this! :)
Thanks, Martha! Glad I could help 😊
Love it! Love your channel!
Thank you, it means a lot!
Have a guitar for 3 years and couldnt figure out what the tones did, thanks for the info
*Yes im lazy to google it for 3 years*
Love this! Definitely subscribing
Thank you! 😊
thanks for the explanation, really helpful
Glad it helped! 😊
Thanks for this: concise and clear. Subscribed. 👍
Thank you, glad you liked it! 😊
Thank you very much.Questions answered.
Thanks, John!
this was soo good thank you thank you greetings from germany
Thank you! 😄
Good video true and never discussed
Thanks for this. 👍 😊
On a black strat. You set the controls for the heart of the sun!!!
On the serious note...Punn intended, The video is so basic but so true. The many amps people say suck are generally due to not knowing how to dial in the tone along with pickup height and simple stock variables. I know this as I was guilty of it my first 2 years. Excellent video.
And at times it is true...The amp may very well be a Gorilla app from 1985...lol😅
Thanks Robert! I agree - using these controls helps me reign in my brighter sounding amp!
Thank you so much 🙏🏾🙏🏾🔥🔥
Thanks for suggesting the effects pedals . My sound is close but can you recommend the settings for each pedal. Thank you
I thought the knobs changed the color of the Guitar 😂😂😂😂
they do! the tonal color 😉
u make a quality content. Thumbs up
Thanks Rozely! 😊
Good job
Very goodjob
Man ! I love this video .
Thanks! 😊
I got that exact guitar with one exception, it has a humbucker and the tone controls won't affect it.
Hello Conor,
I am a new subscriber. ❤
Thank you!!!
Cool! Thanks!🎸😎👍
Excellent information and presentation! Thank! Musician/Artist USA- ThomMeinert
Oh man thank you
Wow amazing
Thankyou
Buen vídeo.
Me suscribo. 🇲🇽👌🏼
¡Gracias lo aprecio!
Main thing is to have your bottom tone pot wired to JUST your bridge pickup, leaving the middle pickup with no tone controll. That way, you can roll off some or a lot of those bridge pickup treble tones. Notch positions will generally require more treble, so having the middle pup free of a tone pot, helps with that.
You can do the Jimmy Hendrix mod on the switch. Plenty details out there. Really easy and pretty useful.
Muy bueno , ☺️ gracias ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
¡de nada! gracias 😊
brief and to the point, many thanks
Thanks Paul! 😊
Nice
I have not had my strat out in a long time. I replaced everything but i could only afford cheap stuff. I hope to get good American parts when i can afford them. Rock on
Sounds cool! 😊
Thank you for the video. I have a question so in order to get the ones with the tone knob push button for the neck and bridge together what year are these made? Fender American Strat
Thank you.
It's pretty uncommon, the only model I know of is the Fender Custom Shop David Gilmour Strat.
If you want to do it to your guitar, it's a pretty striaghtforward mod! Just search for the "7 way switch" mod.
Why do they stop at 10? Couldn’t they go a bit further up. 11, 12, 50?
It's been two months but I think it's about the volume on your amp. Personally, mine is super loud even at 4
😂😂 not a lot of people knows the reference
So, what is the reference?
I have a SSH Strat. Like you said, on my guitar the tone knobs only work for the neck and middle pick-ups. My humbucker is at the bridge, and neither of the tone knobs effect the humbucker sadly.
If you're handy with a soldering iron, you can mod your pickup selector to allow for bridge tone control!
Good 👍
I never use the tone with my middle pickup so one tone controls my bridge pickup. I roll the tone off unless it's distorted, then I crank it for more edge
I always find that there isn't much difference when turning the tone knob. Unless you turn it all the way. Yes it work, but not much difference from 1 to 8. It's almost like you could put a On and Off switch instead of the two tone knob and it would sound the same. The volume is ok.
Wrong
Nice strat
Thank you! It's a 2006 Mexican Standard 😊
@@ConorRocksYT nice. Mine is a 2014 MX standard. But I did put a warmoth neck on it in 2019 🍻
@@randall9000 awesome! They're great guitars! 😊
I have 3 Strats(a Black, a white, and a sunburst. All with maple necks.)
Nice! I'd love a maple neck strat at some point 😊 (edit: Fretboard!)
Any thoughts on how Hendrix affected the move from 3 to 5 pickup positions or is this apocryphal
To be honest, that's not something I'd ever heard!
I know that Jimi Hendrix, used the "in-between" positions on a 3 way switch (positions 2 and 4 on a 5 way switch) a lot - but guitarists had been using this technique since 1955 (source: www.fender.com/articles/instruments/sounds-aplenty-the-stratocaster-pickup-selector-switch)
Whether or not Jimi's influence at the time convinced Fender to change to the 5 way switch as standard is hard to say.
If I had to guess, I'd say his influence as a prominent guitarist would have helped - but it wouldn't have been down to him alone.
Yes, I believe there were other influences even before Hendrix arrived on the scene. My older brother had a 1960 Strat with the 3 position switch well before I even started playing. And I used to play with the switch and accidentally found the sweet spots in between. 😁
i own a HSS electric guitar in position 1 it detects the neck pickup and position in 5 it detects my humbucker. is it normal?
Position 1 (where the pickup selector is closest to the bridge) should be your humbucker. Position 5 (where the pickup selector is closest to the neck) should be your neck pickup.
As long as it's all working correctly, there's nothing to worry about! It could be that your guitar had the switch replaced and it's been wired backwards - either way, just a little thing that makes your guitar unique! ☺
I have the push pull knob and it is always confusing any thoughts?
That's cool, push/pull knobs give you a lot of different tonal options! How they work depends on which model of Strat you have though - which one is it?
My Strat had no tone control for the bridge pickup so I wired it to be combined with the middle.
Nice! 😊
what about the Tone Volume of Washburn Mercury - push down and pull up position can make any difference? Please explain. Thank you so much.
I've never played one, but it looks like the push/pull is for coil tapping! So, pulling it up should give you a more vintage sound 😊
@@ConorRocksYT thank you so much, sir..
I have an old Squier Affinity Strat. The Tone knobs don't work at all and the volume knobs, is a bit scratchy, but more annoyingly, goes from nothing to 100% very quickly.
Hate having to pull the strings off a Strat to get access to Pots and wiring.
Sorry to hear that!
You might be able to fix your volume knob by cleaning it with switch cleaner. The scratchy sound suggests built up dirt, which might also be causing the volume jump problem.
I've covered how to clean it in a video here: th-cam.com/video/QYPyhSoO_-o/w-d-xo.html
Your tone knobs sound like they might need resoldering, which is a pretty straightforward job as well.
I also agree with you on the access. I wish it was easier on a Strat!
You can replace all that stuff inside real cheap. The knobs switch all come put together with the pick guard all one piece just hook up the wires inside and screw on the new pick guard with everything already in it
@@Edward-eo5fv Thanks. I never done this sort of thing before, but I've watched plenty of videos.
I was thinking I'd just take the pickguard off and see what's underneath. Could be a problem with solder joints? Or maybe, just get new tone pots etc.
I'm prepared to have a go at some soldering; I did a bit at school 50 years ago. 😂.
It'll be interesting to see if its only routed for single coils or it it has a swimmimg pool route.
If I were to upgrade a pickup, would I need to upgrade the knob to a higher quality one aswell? My eg is a cheap Chinese brand
Hi, Ian - it depends on a couple of things!
If you're replacing the pickup with a like-for-like pickup (e.g. a passive single coil with a passive single coil) and are happy with how the knobs responds (e.g. no sudden jumps in sound, no crackling or popping) then you can leave it.
But - if you're swapping pickups to a different type (e.g. single coil to humbucker) then you'll need a new pot with a different level of resistance (a very general rule is 250k for single coils, 500k for humbuckers).
Likewise, if your knobs are giving you problems with crackles or responsiveness then now's a good chance to swap them out while it's all opened up! 😊
I'd suggest reading around about different pots resistances and also "treble bleed" modifications you can make as well 😊
Let me know how you get on!
Whenever I adjust the knobs they always find a way back to 10.
10, 10, 10
Thanks TH-cam, this vid had an advert that lasted almost 10% as long as your vid... bad form youtube.
In saying that you did a nice vid, some folks have suggested that the tone knobs are basic on off switches... 10 on anything else off, is that just a bad strat copy?
Do you have a vid on the sound cutting out when you strum, assuming its not the cord at fault
Thanks Tom - tone knobs shouldn't be on/off as they're made with potentiometers - so there should be a gradual change. A jump in sound suggests a problem with the pot.
As for the sound cutting out - I don't have a video on it, but I do have that problem with one of my guitars. For me, it's a dodgy pickup switch that I need to fix.
If it's not the cable (or the amp) then it'll either be your pickup switch, output jack, volume/tone knobs, or pickups themselves (in that order of likelihood!)
The switch, jack, and knobs are are straightforward fix if your handy with a soldering iron!
What if you want to engage all three pickups?
You can't do that on a normal Stratocaster, I'm afraid! But, it is possible if you modify your guitar by rewiring your pickup selector!
Same colour Strat as mine.
It's a lovely color! 😊 I do sometimes wish it had a maple fretboard though!
Whats the name of the song you played at 0:50
It's not a song unfortunately, just a quick riff sliding an Eb9 to E9 chord - kind of in the style of Parliament or Chic/Nile Rodgers!
I have same guitar is this guitar good?
I like it! I have a USA Strat too, and this one holds up just as good 😊
2:10 what do I do if I can't hear a difference because for me i hear no difference (it's like this for my amp Aswell)
Can I check - is this for the bridge pickup only, or all pickups?
🔥🤘
does hss strat still has that signeture 2 and 4 pickup sound?
That's a good question! You'll still get a "quack" from position 2 (bridge and middle) but it's a bit darker. Position 4 (neck and middle) will sound the same as a SSS set up.
thanks(: i want to buy my first electric guitar idk what should i buy sss or hss@@ConorRocksYT
I have that exact color, model and build, but is upside down because I’m left handed
Nice! It's a great guitar 😊
I feel like a lot of non-professional players under utilize the volume/tone knobs because until recently most players didn't have access to technology that was as dynamic. Growing up playing in the 2000s, most of us were us were using crappy solid state combos, Line 6 PODs, Boss Metal Zone, MAYBE you had a tubescreamer or SD1, stuff like that. Specific techniques that sound great with, say, a warmed up tube amp, couldn't really be done on a mid 2000s 200-400 dollar solid state amp, and as players grew they learned to not do things. As the technology got more accessible, things like "turning down the volume to clean up the guitar sound" was once a selling point for boutique pedals/amps is now is an industry standard, people started learning how to use them. Rolling off your tone to reduce break up while rolling off the volume is a great way to work with what old heads called "Controlled Feedback" is a technique you could only learn to use if your gear had the ability to interact like that in the first place (Try rolling the guitar volume down while using a Boss SD1 and see if that gives the same effect as it would on a decent tube amp)
This game never end ! Too many to chase for. Music is different now day . it’s all about digital. But personally I like physical stuff because it’s more realistic. Collecting nice amp and tones are one of my favourite hobbies.
I now have finally a Strat... But i found out, that a Jazzmaster would have been the better Oppertunety for me. And I'm a bit of a Budget, so I can't just buy a Jazzmaster... Any Ideas to make the Strat sound more like a Jazzmaster?
Pls. HELP!
Thanks!! ❤❤
Hey - sorry to hear that!
So, Jazzmasters use P90 pickups which are single coils (like the pickups on a Strat) but they're warmer sounding because of the shape of their coil.
You might have some luck using the neck pickup and rolling the tone down slightly to get a warmer, fuller sound! (I have a guitar with a Jazzmaster pickup in the neck, and find that it sounds pretty similar to my Strat sometimes).
Failing that, you might be able to trade in your guitar at a local guitar store towards a Jazzmaster?
@@ConorRocksYT Thank you for your Quick Respond! I've tried to roll off the Tone Knob, and i think it helped me at least a little bit...
Thanks!
Glad I could help! 😊@@noaha3006
Hey! Its me again- just wanted to let you know, that i now finally got a Jazzmaster ( The Squier J. Mascis), and Im really happy with it! But ur Trick really helped me out
1:59 On some Strats..? I think think that this is the standard configuration on almost any Strat. However, the first thing I do on a Strat is switch the tone knob from the middle pu to the bridge pu. And put a good treblebleed in the guitar!!
I've removed the two single pickups on my Strat, leaving just the bridge humbucker, I've just received a blank Scratchplate from ebay which I'm going to be cutting just a spot for the humbucker over the weekend. I also want to remove one of the tone pots & move the volume pot down away from the strings, what I want to know is, which tone pot would be best removed ? The one directly under the volume or the lowest one? I just want the end result to have just one tone & one volume.. hope this makes sense to you lol
@@guitarscoffee17
You are flying on your own dude, my Strat doesn’t have Hum-buckers.
@@flouisbailey That's the original design and is what makes it a" Strat!!!" Settings "2/4 are humbucking"!!! Swiss Army Knife of all Guitars!!! No other can do what a " Strat" does!💯
Why does the neck pickup have a tone cntrol and the bridge pickup doesn't I would have liked it the other way round I never touch the tone control for neck pickup and would like the ability to lower high-end off the bridge pickup
that's just the way Fender wire it! you can actually add a tone control for your bridge by adding soldering a small wire onto your pickup switch - it's a really easy DIY if you want to try it! 😊
I agree though - I prefer having a tone control for my bridge!
How Manny money I can have for by the guitare Stratocaster
Quack!
🦆
I have an EC signature pick guard with active circuits. Completely different than you demo.
dude i have that exact guitar
Nice! It's a great guitar! 😄
Strat is where it's at
Why can’t all three pickups be selected?
Good question! It's just down to how it's wired. You can make modifications that allow all the pickups to be on at once!
Because the standard pu-selector switch doesn't allow that. In the old days you didn't even have positions "2" and "4", the so called phase-positions. The guitar had a threeway-switch, no combination of two pu's were even possible. Well, it was, but you had to put the switch in between two positions. Nevertheless some iconic guitarsounds are created by doing this. Take Sultans of swing from Dire Straits as an example. Only later Fender put in a fiveway switch as standard in Strats.
To my ear, positions 2 and 4 dampen the dynamics and articulation of the individual pickups for blues and rock. The tweener positions have more of a jazz box sound IMHO.
I can see that! I'm getting into these positions a lot more lately, but they definitelt took a while to grow on me!
@@ConorRocksYT Good for fattening up tone. I primarily will use them for full chords and rhythm. For bite, got to be the single coils individually.
Clean these buttons now!😮