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2006 vos 58 Muddy tone

kevmoe

New member
Joined
Aug 15, 2006
Messages
236
Hey all anyone here with a solution to the muddy tone my vos 58 has..What needs to be changed PUPS,Pots,,etc..your help greatly appreciated..Thanks
 

Lenny

Member
Joined
Jul 23, 2002
Messages
967
I had a pretty dark '05... I just turned up treble on the amp...
 

kingsxman

Member
Joined
May 19, 2005
Messages
316
Your pots are probably stock and too low of a value. Buy some RS Guitar works "super pots" for your volume controls. They are around 550k of resistance and will brighten your tone considerably. (higher resistance = brighter tone). Plus you'll like the taper of the pots compared to the stock historic pots.

http://store.rsguitarworks.net/rs-guitarworks-500k-superpot-short/dp/181

Caps wont change a thing unless you are someone who plays with your tone knob and even then the difference will be minimal. Its more affecting the "midrange" not brightness.

Try lowering your pickups...but I doubt that will do much. It may help clear the mud. Just take a screwdriver and back off each side of your pickups 2 complete revolutions. If you like the tone better (it should be a bit less muddy but not necessarily "brighter") then do some fine tuning from there. If not...put it back.

For fun, if you order...measure your pots when you take them out and measure the RS pots. I did this recently to a LP I had. 1 stock pickup was around 450k, the other was 498k. Each RS pot was 544k on the nuts. Really brightened the tone.
 

tdarian

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
3,575
If you have Brass Tailpiece Studs you can probably brighten up that guitar by removing them and replacing with Steel Tailpiece Studs. On my 2011 R7 the long steel studs from RetroSpec brought on the most active top end within the steel studs that I tried.

If your Tailpiece Studs are non-magnetic they are probably brass.

You can also check the ABR-1 Thumbwheels, and if they are brass, you could try steel wheels. I don't recall what came stock on the 2006s.

Hardware changes like this can have significant effects upon a guitars' overall voice.
 

korus

Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2003
Messages
636
If you have Brass Tailpiece Studs you can probably brighten up that guitar by removing them and replacing with Steel Tailpiece Studs. On my 2011 R7 the long steel studs from RetroSpec brought on the most active top end within the steel studs that I tried.

If your Tailpiece Studs are non-magnetic they are probably brass.

You can also check the ABR-1 Thumbwheels, and if they are brass, you could try steel wheels. I don't recall what came stock on the 2006s.

Hardware changes like this can have significant effects upon a guitars' overall voice.

+1

Also +1 for RS Superpots for volumes. If your wiring is stock then your tone pots are linear taper. Replace them with CTS audio taper 500k pots it will have greater usable range. And also change wiring to '50s - capacitor connected to middle lug on volume pot instead of leftmost one. ( 2 Superpots 500k + 2 CTS audio 500k -> ~ 50$)

pickups adjustment : lower the pickups BUT at the same time bring screw poles UP - that will take some body off the tone but keep the highs.

I have not used Retrospec steel studs (yet) but Faber steel studs (~20$) for tailpiece will also do the trick. Also if your ABR-1 bridge is stock it is the older version WITH retainer wire for saddles. Replacing it with new version of Gibson ABR-1 (~60$) which is wireless (no retainer wire) AND using thumbwheels that come with new version (made of steel, smaller and thinner) will also remove some muddiness.

So, it's both hardware AND electronics. This all BEFORE you even consider changing pickups. And pots, bridge and studs are the price of just one pickup worth buying as a replacement. And these 3 might be sufficient, so you might not need replacment pickups at all.

HTH
 

Classic

New member
Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
1,624
+1

Also +1 for RS Superpots for volumes. If your wiring is stock then your tone pots are linear taper. Replace them with CTS audio taper 500k pots it will have greater usable range. And also change wiring to '50s - capacitor connected to middle lug on volume pot instead of leftmost one. ( 2 Superpots 500k + 2 CTS audio 500k -> ~ 50$)

pickups adjustment : lower the pickups BUT at the same time bring screw poles UP - that will take some body off the tone but keep the highs.

I have not used Retrospec steel studs (yet) but Faber steel studs (~20$) for tailpiece will also do the trick. Also if your ABR-1 bridge is stock it is the older version WITH retainer wire for saddles. Replacing it with new version of Gibson ABR-1 (~60$) which is wireless (no retainer wire) AND using thumbwheels that come with new version (made of steel, smaller and thinner) will also remove some muddiness.

So, it's both hardware AND electronics. This all BEFORE you even consider changing pickups. And pots, bridge and studs are the price of just one pickup worth buying as a replacement. And these 3 might be sufficient, so you might not need replacment pickups at all.

HTH

Just a reminder that original '50s LP's came with brass ABR thumbwheels
 

rockinlespaul

New member
Joined
Oct 21, 2002
Messages
2,202
I would make some adjustments to the pickups before spending money! If it's still muddy maybe try a cap. If that no worky try new 500K pots or a new harness from MSSC or RS.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
First thing you do is change the TYPE of string. There are alloys that produce a bright tone.

Change amp settings. You can't make something out of nothing, but sculpting what you have can help. Reduce the Bass on the amp. Boost Midrange. Do not Boost Treble AND Presence, one or the other. You can tame an overly bright bridge pickup with the guitars tone control.

Pots, what everyone has posted is true.

Preamp tubes. If you are using a tube amp you can dramaticlt change frequency and tone by experimenting with the little tubes.

Cable. High quality low capacitence cable.
 

les strat

New member
Joined
Aug 22, 2004
Messages
5,194
Try lowering the pickups some and raising the pole pieces, especially at the neck.

Pickup magnet swapping can accentuate certain frequencies and can make a huge differences in dialing out those overly dominant mids or increasing them. It can make a huge difference. But honestly, the inherent one of the wood is something that will surface regardless.

Play around with it before you sell/trade.
 

Slashburst

Active member
Joined
Sep 14, 2010
Messages
682
My R8 had the same exact problem when I bought it 4 years ago.

Then I bought the RS guitar works kit and later changed the burstbuckers for Throbaks.

Never had the problem again.
 

Todd Louis

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 7, 2002
Messages
14,526
Your pots are probably stock and too low of a value. Buy some RS Guitar works "super pots" for your volume controls. They are around 550k of resistance and will brighten your tone considerably. (higher resistance = brighter tone). Plus you'll like the taper of the pots compared to the stock historic pots.

http://store.rsguitarworks.net/rs-guitarworks-500k-superpot-short/dp/181

Caps wont change a thing unless you are someone who plays with your tone knob and even then the difference will be minimal. Its more affecting the "midrange" not brightness.

Try lowering your pickups...but I doubt that will do much. It may help clear the mud. Just take a screwdriver and back off each side of your pickups 2 complete revolutions. If you like the tone better (it should be a bit less muddy but not necessarily "brighter") then do some fine tuning from there. If not...put it back.

For fun, if you order...measure your pots when you take them out and measure the RS pots. I did this recently to a LP I had. 1 stock pickup was around 450k, the other was 498k. Each RS pot was 544k on the nuts. Really brightened the tone.
+1!
 
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