High pass filter Varitone for ES355

[paspallum63]

Hi
I have built an ES-355 tribute clone from a kitset
I've added a vintage Bigsby and Seymour Duncan, nitro lacquer, antiquity Humbuckers - mojotone caps etc
and a Varitone that I had a guy online (via ebay) to build for me
He was making and selling bass varitones
I supplied the specs for the capacitors directly from Gibsons website:

Positions 2-6 traditionally cycle through 1000pF, 3000pF, 0.01μF, 0.03μF, and 0.22μF capacitors.

http://www.gibson.com/News-Lifestyle/Fe ... itch!.aspx

But after installing the varitone and hooking it up - its working in reverse
And I don't mean that the positions of the caps are reversed, the caps are working in reverse
A Gibson Varitone cycles from Position 01 (bypass) to 06, each click makes a high pass, which filters bass more on each position 2-6
But on my one its a series of low pass filters - I've made a video to demonstrate (link below)
I'm wondering if anyone has a suggestion for caps I could use to achieve the desired effect?

Basically the idea is the same as the high pass filter on a jaguar - but in five steps
I'd say that the variance in bass cut from position 2 - 6 overall would be at least double the bass cut that my Jaguar makes with its one switch
So each cap would be around 1/4 the value of a jaguar cap?
I don't need it to be vintage correct in any way.... just want to dial in more of a single coil type sound in varying degrees
Paspallum
Clip https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o55oi8avCUE

[timtam]

I'm not a varitone expert, but I understood it to be a switchable notch filter, not a switchable high pass filter. ie each switch setting filters out a notch of different frequencies within the spectrum (allowing those above and below to pass), not all the frequencies below a given frequency (allowing only the higher frequencies to pass).

But when that notch setting covers mainly lower frequencies, it could sound rather like a high pass, because there is not much left 'below' the notch. LIkewise when the notch covers mainly higher frequencies, it could sound rather like a low pass filter.

One of the most common notch filters in elec engineering is a 50/60hz notch filter, ie a very narrow notch that filters the hum around the mains frequency but allows everything below and everything above 50/60hz to get through.

I don't know enough to say exactly how each step of the varitone should sound, so I'm not saying your guy may have done something wrong, but I take it he followed the standard ES-345 circuit, at least in its mono form, one half of that below, with choke, caps, and resistors ? ...

[oid]

It is meant to be a notch, rather bent shape, more of a low shelf with cut, followed by a slight notch with a peak on the high side and followed by a high frequency shelf at 0db, going off memory in that, but it is more or less right.

I think everything below the notch is down around -6db and the notch frequency down another 6.

After work I will refresh my memory on the varitone if a solution has not been worked out by then.

[paspallum63]

Thanks for your replies guys
I'd be pretty happy just to have some caps that do different hi pass filtering just like a jaguar - but I have the chance to have 5 caps of different values
I'm not trying to create an authentic replica of a 60's Varitone
Paspallum

[novamax]

Just a thought: A cap within the signal path filters out low frequencies from signal out (jag strangle cap). The same cap parallel to the signal path filters out low frequencies from bleed-to-ground, leaving only those low frequencies for the signal (tone cap).

Have you checked whether the caps' out is really going to signal out (instead of going to ground)?

[oid]

Pretty sure my description of the varitone was wrong, think it is flat to the notch with a peak of a few decibels before the notch and a good peak after the notch then going into a lowpass, something like that anyways, google will clear it up for those who are curious, certainly not a highpass though.

Just a thought: A cap within the signal path filters out low frequencies from signal out (jag strangle cap). The same cap parallel to the signal path filters out low frequencies from bleed-to-ground, leaving only those low frequencies for the signal (tone cap).

Have you checked whether the caps' out is really going to signal out (instead of going to ground)?

Your logic is correct but that is for a Highpass or Lowpass filter, the varitone is a notch filter.

Thanks for your replies guys
I'd be pretty happy just to have some caps that do different hi pass filtering just like a jaguar - but I have the chance to have 5 caps of different values
I'm not trying to create an authentic replica of a 60's Varitone
Paspallum

You can just switch between five different caps in the standard jag strangle circuit, I assume since you paid someone to wire it up for you a quick description of what to do will not help you much. Starting a new thread asking for help switching caps in the strangle circuit should get you some assistance quicker then I can offer right now, or search the forum abit, someone may have done it already. A browse through this thread may prove fruitful and be a good starting point.

[novamax]

Just putting a switch into signal path between PUP selector and tone/vol circuit should be fine, usually something like:
PUP selector out -> x5-switch -> cap {1/2/3/4/5} -> vol pot in.