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ToneShapingw ithVariaxandW orkbench

Many factors affect the tone of an electric guitar the wood, the pickups, the controls, the bridge, and even the nut. In this discussion we will explore how various electronic components affect sound, and how you can methodically build the sounds you want, with predictable results using a Variax guitar and the Workbench software. This can generally be accomplished by selecting pickups, positioning them, and by changing pot and tone capacitor values. You just need to know how, right! Before getting started with the Variax, it is important to understand the science behind what drives these tonal changes. So first, lets discuss how the electronics affect a conventional guitar. Below is a graph showing what essentially amounts to a universal guitar pickup characteristic curve. The basic shape of the curve is always the same. All that changes is the resonance frequency (horizontal scale), and the resonance peak (vertical scale). There are several factors that affect pickup sound, they are: Pickups winding and construction Volume and tone pot values resistance Tone capacitor value capacitance, although not as much as you

may think
Cable type and length resistance, much more than you may think

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Figure 1 typical universal guitar pickup characteristic curve shape

All of the fundamental notes on a guitar are below 1.3 kHz, which means the resonance of a pickup, only typically affects overtones. The resonance frequency determines how fat or thin the sound is a lower frequency sounds fatter and a higher frequency sounds thinner. The resonance peak determines how much edge (or character) the sound hasa higher peak sounds more edgy and a lower peak sounds smoother.

For Example: Stratocasters tend to have a high resonance frequency and a high

resonance peak.
Les Pauls tend to have a lower resonance frequency and a lower

resonance peak.
The socalled hot humbucker available from third party pickup manufacturers, typically have a high resonance peak and a low 62
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resonance frequency. By contrast, some premium jazz pickups have a high resonance frequency and a low resonance peak. Confused? Read on Mostly two things determine resonance frequency: 1. Pickup impedance 2. Overall capacitance of the system mostly due to cable

capacitance
First, lets consider pickups. Generally, the hotter the pickup (i.e. the higher the resistance), the lower the resonance frequency. For example, if you wire two identical pickups (i.e. stack pickups) in series placed in exactly the same position for a Variax using the Workbench software, you are essentially creating an over wound version of that pickup. Thus you will get a fatter, louder pickup. If you wire the pickups in parallel, you will get a thinner, more piercing sound at about the same volume as the unstacked version. The graph below shows how stacking and wiring pickups differently affects the sound.

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Figure 2 effect of changing pickup configuration

But there is a twist here. More than one aspect of the sound changes when you simply change the pickups. This will not only make the sound fatter, or thinner, but will also change the loudness, and the height of the resonance peak as well. This can lead to some confusion because changing only one thing will cause several other things to change as well in the overall sound. For example, if you want to change only the resonance frequency to alter the sound, you must change several components. Change the resonance frequency to produce a fatter sound: 1. Stack pickups and wire in series. 2. Reduce the level by 6db. 3. Double tone and volume pot values. 4. Reduce tone capacitor value by . 64
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Change the resonance frequency to produce a thinner sound: 1. Stack pickups and wire in parallel. 2. Level is unchanged. 3. Reduce the volume and tone pot values by . 4. Double tone capacitor value. The graph below shows the effect of making these changes.

Figure3 changingonlyresonancefrequency

Lets say you just want to make the sound more edgy (or give it more spank, or crunch). Basically, this amounts to increasing the amount of character in the sound. This can be accomplished by increasing the volume and tone pot values. The higher the values, the more character the sound will have. A comment about tone controls is in order here. Changing the value of the tone capacitor has almost no effect when the tone control is turned all the way up. It only affects how the tone control works 65
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when it is turned down. The graph below shows how changing pot values affect the overall sound.

Figure 4 changing only resonance peak

This may all seem somewhat confusing at this point, but Workbench can make it easy you just have to know a few recipes for success. You also have much more control over these parameters with Workbench and Variax, than you do with a conventional guitar. Using Workbench and a Variax provides some definite advantages over conventional guitars where these controls are concerned. First, you dont have to worry about how loud pickups are at all you can simply set the level to anything you like. Second, you dont have to worry about the effect of cable capacitance. A few paragraphs back there was mention that two things affected resonance frequency one of them was cable capacitance. With a conventional guitar the cable has a VERY big influence on resonance frequency. The higher the capacitance (the longer the cable), the lower the resonance frequency. Variax has a low impedance output making cable length, and type, virtually immaterial. 66
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RecipesforSuccess
Following is a list of recipes with examples. The examples use the Variax Spank model patch, for the neck position. Note that the available component values are not always exactly what you need, but the closest available values will work. Other models and pickups have different base values. For example, the Lester model starts off with 500k pots.

Figure 5 Example default Spank model neck position patch values as shown in Workbench.

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Figure 6 Shown above, is the new Fat Spank Patch (Recipe 1) with all modifications circled.

Before you start please note: The values shown below in all recipes are for the Spank model only, and are shown in parenthesis. Other models will need to have their values recalculated accordingly.

#1FatSpank
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Make my guitar sound fatter.

(Lower the resonance frequency only)

Place two identical pickups in the exact same. Wire them in series. Double the tone and volume pot values (500k). Cut the tone capacitor value in half (22nF). Reduce the volume by 6db (6db).

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#2FunkyRhythmSpank
1. 2. 3. 4.

Make my guitar sound thinner.

(Raise the resonance frequency only)

Place two identical pickups in the same exact position. Wire them in parallel. Cut the tone and volume pot values in half (100k). Double the tone capacitor value (0.1uF).

#3SpankLeadSolo

Make my guitar sound more edgy, crunchier make it have more spank.
(Have more character only)

1. Increase tone and volume pot values (500k, or 1M).

#4JazzyRhythmSpank

Make my guitar sound smoother.

(Have less character only)

1. Decrease tone and volume pot values (100k, or lower).

#5HotRhythmSpank
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Make my guitar sound fatter and, have more character.

(Lower the resonance frequency and have more character)

Place two identical pickups in the same exact position. Wire them in series. Quadruple the tone and volume pot values (1M). Cut the tone capacitor value in half (22nF). Reduce the volume by 6db (6db).

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#6EdgySpank
1. 2. 3. 4.

Make my guitar sound, have more character.

(Raise the resonance frequency and have more character)

Place two identical pickups in the exact same position. Wire them in parallel. Double the tone capacitor value (0.1uF). To make the sound even edgier, increase tone and volume pot values (500k, or higher).

#7SmoothSpank
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Make my guitar sound smoother.

(Lower the resonance frequency and have less character)

Place two identical pickups in the exact same position. Wire them in series. Cut the tone capacitor value in half (22nF). Reduce the volume by 6db (6db). To make the sound even smoother, reduce tone and volume pot values (100k, or lower).

#8SuperSmoothSpank
1. 2. 3. 4.

Make my guitar sound even more smoother.

(Raisetheresonancefrequencyandhavelesscharacter)

Place two identical pickups in the same exact position. Wire them in parallel. Double the tone capacitor value (0.1uF). Cut the tone and volume pot values to value, or less (50k, or lower).

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#9TurnitUp

Make my guitar pickups hotter.

1. Turn up the level.

#10TurnitDow n

Make my guitar pickups quieter.

1. Turn down the level.

There are many, many things you can do to shape tone with a Variax and Workbench. For example, you can stack dissimilar pickups, or change their relative positions a little, or set each pickup level a little differently. And we havent even talked about selecting different body types. Dont be afraid to experiment, who knows what you might discover. The possibilities are endless, so keep exploring!

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