08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Warehouse Clearance Sale!

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 1/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

(/mobile/books/basic-theory/)

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 2/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

(/mobile/books/preamps/)

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 3/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

(/mobile/books/power-amps/)

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 4/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

(/mobile/books/bassman/)
We are moving our inventory to a new warehouse and boxes of books are heavy! While quantities last, get all
four of our guitar amplifier electronics books for $60.
details (/mobile/books/buy-now/)
Based on our analysis of the James tone stack (/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-analysis/), let's
design our own stack. Our key concerns are the overall attenuation level at midrange and the transition
frequencies between bass, midrange, and treble. Greater midrange attenuation facilitates possible bass and
treble boost, but requires greater overall voltage gain in the signal chain. The transition frequencies determine
the frequency ranges that can be boosted or attenuated.

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 5/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

To convert our theoretical knowledge into a practical strategy we translate the equations that determine
frequency response based on parts values into equations that determine parts values based on the desired
frequency response. This will be demonstrated using a concrete example. For design goals let's set the mid-
range attenuation to 8dB at maximum control settings, the bass-to-midrange transition to 500Hz, and the
midrange-to-treble transition to 1kHz. With the controls at minimum let's choose a flatter response than the
Orange Graphic and set the bass-to-midrange transition to 200Hz and the midrange-to-treble transition to
1.4kHz.

Midrange attenuation is determined by R1 and R2. Let's set R1 = R3 = 100k, which is substantially higher than
the output impedance of a typical driving stage and yet substantially less than the input impedance that a tone
stack typically drives. Midrange attenuation is

This means the value of R2 as a function of midrange attenuation G, which is a number between zero and one,
is

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 6/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

For minus 8dB the voltage gain is

for which we get a value of R2 = 66k. (We'll use 68k, the closest common part value.)

Setting the Bass-Midrange Transition Frequency

With the bass control at maximum, gain changes by at most 6dB per octave. This can't be altered - it's the
basic nature of the circuit. So when we set the midrange attenuation and one of the bass transition
frequencies, we effectively select the other as well. The bass-to-midrange transition frequency is given by

The capacitor value needed is thus

For our design goal of 500 Hz, for example, we get C2 = 4700pF. This puts the lower-bass transition frequency
at

which is 202 Hz. Above this frequency the response transitions to its midrange value, decreasing at a rate of
6dB per octave until we reach 500 Hz. Here is the bass response, bass control at maximum, for R1 = R3 =
100k, R2 = 68k, and C2 = 4700pF:

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 7/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Setting the Midrange-Treble Transition Frequency

The midrange-treble Transition Frequency is

The value of C3 based on the desired transition frequency is thus

For 1kHz we get C3 = 460pF. (We'll use 470pF.) Here is the treble response with the control set to maximum:

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 8/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Here is the superposition of the bass and treble response curves:

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 9/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Our Bode plots and part value calculations assume a zero-impedance source, infinite-impedance tone
controls, and an infinite-impedance load. Here is the actual response using Electronics Workbench Multisim®.
The plot assumes a Fender Bassman environment with 1M tone controls. The source impedance is a 12AX7
cathode follower with an output impedance of 500 ohms and the driven stage is a long-tailed-pair phase
inverter with an input impedance of 3M.

(The horizontal axis is a log scale of frequency from 10Hz to 10kHz and the vertical scale is from -15dB to
0dB.) The next plot below assumes the tone stack is driven by a 12AX7 voltage amplifier with an output
impedance of 39k and a follow-on grid resistor representing an input impedance of 1M.

There is greater overall attenuation and a slight shift upward in the frequency at which gain is minimum, but the
response is not dramatically different.

Setting the Remaining Capacitor Values

Here are the formulas we derived earlier for the bass-midrange and midrange-treble transition frequencies
when the tone controls are set to minimum:

The first is the bass-midrange transition frequency and the second is the midrange-treble transition frequency.
Turning these around we get

For our design goals of 200Hz and 1.4kHz we get C4 = 4700pF and C1 = 680pF.

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 10/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Here is the response when both controls are set to minimum:

Here is the response using Electronics Workbench Multisim®. The plot below assumes a Fender Bassman
environment with 1M tone controls. The source impedance is a 12AX7 cathode follower with an output
impedance of 500 ohms and the driven stage is a long-tailed-pair phase inverter with an input impedance of
3M.

(The horizontal axis is a log scale of frequency from 10Hz to 10kHz and the vertical scale is from -50dB to
0dB.) The next plot below assumes the tone stack is driven by a 12AX7 voltage amplifier with an output
impedance of 39k and a follow-on grid resistor representing an input impedance of 1M.

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 11/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Here is the final circuit:

If you're getting a feeling of déjà vu, it's probably because these parts values are identical to those found in the
Garnet G250TR and G250D amplifiers.

Guitar Amplifier Electronics: Basic Theory (/mobile/books/basic-theory/) - a modern

approach to understanding tube amp design. Learn more. (/mobile/books/basic-theory/)

(/mobile/books/basic-
theory/)

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 12/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

Guitar Amplifier Preamps (/mobile/books/preamps/) - upstream circuits using triodes

and pentodes. Learn more. (/mobile/books/preamps/)

(/mobile/books/preamps/)

Guitar Amplifier Power Amps (/mobile/books/power-amps/) - from the phase inverter to

the loudspeaker. Learn more. (/mobile/books/power-amps/)

(/mobile/books/power-
amps/)

The Fender Bassman 5F6-A (/mobile/books/bassman/) - plus Marshall's

Bluesbreaker and Plexi. Learn more. (/mobile/books/bassman/)

(/mobile/books/bassman/)

Georg Simon Ohm (/mobile/books/ohm/) - Imagine a world without Ohm's Law. Learn
more. (/mobile/books/ohm/)

(/mobile/books/ohm/)

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 13/14
08/10/2019 James Tone Stack - Create Your Own Design

About Us (/mobile/books/about/) | Archives (/mobile/archives/) | Legal Notice (/mobile/books/legal/) | Contact

(/mobile/books/contact/)
Copyright © 2005-2019 Amp Books LLC All Rights Reserved

https://www.ampbooks.com/mobile/amp-technology/james-tonestack-synthesis/ 14/14