Guitar Gear Forum

Ahh the old HM Strat. I guess if you know you know. Those who’ve had a good one, really do swear by em. The first one I had, which was the one that turned me into em of course, was all original and I found it for $200 used around 2003 or sumthin. Best deal on a guitar I ever got. So foolishly sold it..

I’ve scored a couple others since. It’s never quite been the same but the one I have now is close. I’ll break it out still. I even put back in what would have been stock, a Dimarzio Super 3 again. And it’s killer. But was a bit dark in the guitar overall. Not bad enough for me to change it again. But I’ve often made note of how physically the humbucker route is simply further from the bridge than most guitars. I’m fact it’s the biggest of any guitar I own. Which means it’s physically in a place where it’ll pick up more warm tone..

The OG Hm Strat shipped with the TBX tone control. Some hate it, some have modded it to be better. Which I used the modded wiring. Anyway, my first one was all stock. TBX and all. I have an original TBX control from my current HM I just never used cause I heard all the negative complaints about how “it shouldn’t be In a guitar circuit “ etc etc cause of the resistor. Fuck it, I was converting it back to stock anyway!!
Man’s I truly DONT know exactly how it works but it does cut some bass as well. I think. It certainly sounds like it does when turned all the way up. Which if I have a bit too bassy bridge pickup, then turn that up and it’ll even it out some. And damnit , if that’s not exactly what it did! It’s literally perfect! Haha. It’s like they knew that pickup was a little too bassy for the guitar but with the TBX it balances it out!

Plus I only use a master vol and master tone, instead of 2 tones, cause I can’t stand a standard placement of the Strat vol. so on the 2 single coils, it’s real easy to just roll the TBX down to the center “detent ”, which is just a 250k pot at that point. Which works better for those of course…

Yep
I just wrote all that out. Boredom I suppose

I do like the TBX on my HMT Tele, I think putting it up to 10 and splitting the pickup get it a little closer to sounding like a tele.

I'm also a fan of the TBX. Fender started making it in the very late 80s and soon after, the music scene shifted towards a more traditional approach to guitars, so I don't think it was given a fair shot by players. But I like it a lot more than a regular tone control. I rarely use a tone control on my guitars, but I had a Clapton strat with the TBX and a mid boost, and I used both controls quite a bit, it added a lot of versatility to that guitar.

I should probably search, but what is the tbx? Is it a passive eq?

broslinger wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:18 am I should probably search, but what is the tbx? Is it a passive eq?

Yes. It's basically a 1M/250k diual potentiometer a with center detent that's wired for either bass or treble cut.

At the center detent it's off. Turning it down activates the 250k side and it cuts treble, sort of like a regular 250k tone control.

Turning it up activates the 1M side and it cuts bass. It's a cool circuit, easy to install and inexpensive.

I love nerd shit. Haha

I’m just waiting for the day that somebody asks my why the Floyd nut on my main guitar is black when the rest of the hardware is chrome so I can go into a whole thing about how the chrome nut is too bright, but the plating on the black one is just enough to take the “zing” off.

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:44 am

broslinger wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 1:18 am I should probably search, but what is the tbx? Is it a passive eq?

Yes. It's basically a 1M/250k diual potentiometer a with center detent that's wired for either bass or treble cut.

At the center detent it's off. Turning it down activates the 250k side and it cuts treble, sort of like a regular 250k tone control.

Turning it up activates the 1M side and it cuts bass. It's a cool circuit, easy to install and inexpensive.

I LOVE passive guitar tone tricks. Sounds like the leo fender g&l two band.

broslinger wrote: ↑Fri Oct 18, 2024 2:17 am I LOVE passive guitar tone tricks. Sounds like the leo fender g&l two band.

It's actually pretty much the same circuit, only difference is the TBX is 1M bass cut/250k treble cut and the G&L PTB is 500k bass/250k treble
So the Fender can cut a lot more bass.

Yeah the current version of the TBX sells after market is a 250/500k dual pot. I have an old Made in Japan Alpha from I guess would be 1987. It’s the 250/1k version. And I tried the current one a few years aback and maybe it’ll be good for single coils but I definitely didn’t feel it did what the original did and I can basically confirm the 250/1k is pretty much the only one for a humbucker.

And couples with that Super 3 in that HM Strat. You want some 80s era tone?? Obviously I run it Thru a bit heavier amps, but I can hear that 80s vibe 100%. And that simply wasn’t there without that TBX doing whatever it does to the Super 3. Like I said it has a resistor in the circuit. And a capacitor. Most love to say that resistor has “no place in a guitar circuit” why idk. Maybe schematically it’s not a great thing. But it certainly changed the character enough to where I completely see why it was used for that specific guitar and era