Pete Towmshend strat

[skcee]

I just found this concert www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCWzPrwBTW8 with The Who on youtube. Pete Townshend playing a red Strat with an extra potentiometer. Later in the concert he is playing another Strat, and that also has the extra potentiometer. Does anyone of you know the purpose of that extra potentiometer?

Regards,
Søren

[Charlie Hall]

There is a piezo pickup installed in the bridge. The knob is to control that pickup.
www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/guitar/fenderecstrat.html
Regards,
Charlie

[skcee]

thank you Charlie

Søren

[kipper]

nice link charlie thanks. peter

[Dave The Minion]

My mate is customising his strat to match, apparently it's what he uses to create that acoustic sound on some of his hits? I took his word for it.
It's costing him around £300

[skcee]

I am a little tempted - can I replace the normal bridge '"things" (I do not know what they er called) in a Wilkinson bridge with something to give me a sort of acustic sound?

Søren
Denmark

[Charlie Hall]

They are generally known as piezo saddles.
Looks like GraphTech do a set for a Wilkinson bridge:
www.graphtech.com/products/brands/ghost/ghost-pickups---guitar
Read carefully about additional items needed to make it work. An Acousti-Phonic may also be needed:
www.graphtech.com/products/product-categories/electronics
Regards,
Charlie

[gusstrat]

Fishman also make these bridges for Tele's and Strats, I had one in a Tele but removed it, still sitting in the box. Regards, Garry.

[scanners]

I wouldn't mind an Eric Clapton strat with the fancy electrics on it
Matthew

[DaveC]

L.R. Baggs make the X-Bridge for Strats:

www.lrbaggs.com/pickups/electric-guitar-acoustic-pickup

which has six individual pick-up saddles. The six outputs are merged into one (in the Line 6 Variax, the six outputs were kept separate) and the signal can be taken direct to a pre-amp or merged with signal from the magnetics.

If you want to merge the signals inside the guitar then be aware that the stronger output from the magnetics will overwhelm the output from the piezos and some sort of powered pre-amp will be needed to effect a balance: a simple potentiometer won't do it.

L. R. Baggs make the Control-X, which does the job and you will need to find room for this (and its battery) under the pickguard. The Control-X has its own pot and knob so the knob that's visible doesn't control the pickup directly -- it controls the pre-amp.

Regards
DaveC