
The active boost circuit favored by Eric Clapton and how to install it
In our previous two installments, we explored the Fender TBX tone control and ways to modify it. This month, let's take a closer look at the Fender active mid-boost, aka the "Eric Clapton mid-boost" circuit.
Originally called the "MDX mid-boost circuit," this device is a 12 dB active boost circuit that first showed up in the 1983 Fender Elite Stratocaster. The MDX circuit was developed by James Demeter and John Carruthers to make single-coil pickups sound like humbuckersāa typical '80s thing. The Elite Strat concept only survived for two years before it was discontinued because of massive problems with Fender's Freeflyte Tremolo System.
For me, the Elite Strat is the archetypal '80s Strat, and I always smile when I get one on the workbench. The Fender Elite Strat served as a template for the Eric Clapton Stratocaster, a model that made its debut in 1988. Clapton liked the MDX boost circuit (which he called a "compressor") and told Fender to keep it for his signature Strat. He also asked for more "compression," which prompted Fender to replace the Elite Strat's standard pickups with Lace Sensor Gold pickups and an updated MDX circuit that had been tweaked to deliver a midrange boost of up to 25 dB at around 500 Hz.
Fender's Stratocaster Mid Boost Kit
The EC Strat's features have changed several times over the years, but the updated MDX mid-boost remains unchanged, and you can buy it for about $80 through a Fender dealer to install in your own Strat. Fender officially changed the name to "Stratocaster Mid Boost Kit" (part #005757000). The set comes with a prewired mid-boost PCB, a TBX tone control, two pots, a stereo output jack, and all the small parts you need to connect it to your guitar.
Here's how Fender describes it:
The Stratocaster Mid Boost Kit includes all the parts needed to upgrade your guitar with the Mid Boost Preamp used on the Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy Strats. The system replaces one of the original tone controls with a variable "Midrange Boost" control. The Mid Boost knob adjusts gain from 0 dB (no boost) to 25 dB (for killer mids). Great for clean and distortion tones. The TBX tone control is neutral in the middle position, cuts treble in one direction and cuts bass in the other direction.
Retrofitting Tips
If you want to install a mid-boost system in your guitar, keep in mind that not only do you have to install the PCB somewhere, you also need space for a 9-volt battery to power the preamp. There are many ways to place these two components inside a Strat, and naturally the ideal location depends on a particular instrument and its routings.
The easiest way is to place the PCB on the bottom of the Strat's electronics compartment (below the pots) and the battery in the trem-spring cavity. While this is the quick-and-dirty way, a more elegant solution is to route an additional compartment for the PCB below the neck and middle pickups. This area is completely covered by the pickguard, so you won't see it. There are many variations out there, though, so do a Google search to find the one you like best.
The component list and layout for Fender's mid-boost preamp circuit.
The DIY Approach
A lot of players want to install an active boost device in their guitars but complain about the high price of the Fender kit. If you're willing to roll up your sleeves, check out this very cool DIY project that I got from Australian guitarist Ritchie Laird (reverbnation.com/ritchielaird). He developed a mod for an active, EC-style mid booster that's even more flexible than the Fender kit. Best of all, it won't break the bank.
For this project, Laird uses an inexpensive, onboard acoustic-guitar preamp called the Belcat EQ-505R (belcat.com). You can often find the Belcat preamp on eBay for less than $10. And you can download Laird's super-detailed, step-by-step instructions from my site (singlecoil.com/docs/active_strat.pdf). I've had feedback from players all over the world who've tried this project, and they all loved it.
Next month, we'll talk about how you can make your own version of the Fender Delta Tone. So stay tuned for more Strat modsāand in the meantime, keep on modding!
[Updated 10/12/21]
Jack White's 2025 No Name Tour features live tracks from his album No Name, with shows across North America, Europe, the UK, and Japan.
The EP is a 5-song collection of live tracks taken from Whiteās 2024 edition of the tour, which was characterized by surprise shows in historic clubs around the world to support the 2024 album No Name.
No Name is available now via Third Man Records. The acclaimed collection was recently honored with a 2025 GRAMMYĀ® Award nomination for āBest Rock Albumā ā Whiteās 34th solo career nomination and 46th overall along with 16 total GRAMMYĀ® Award wins. The No Name Tour began, February 6, with a sold-out show at Toronto, ONās HISTORY and then travels North America, Europe, the United Kingdom, and Japan through late May. For complete details and remaining ticket availability, please visit jackwhiteiii.com/tour-dates.
Whiteās sixth studio album, No Name officially arrived on Friday, August 2 following its clandestine white-label appearance at Third Man Records locations that saw customers slipped, guerilla-style, free unmarked vinyl copies in their shopping bags. True to his DIY roots, the record was recorded at Whiteās Third Man Studio throughout 2023 and 2024, pressed to vinyl at Third Man Pressing, and released by Third Man Records.
For more information, please visit jackwhiteiii.com.
JACK WHITE - NO NAME TOUR 2025
FEBRUARY
11 ā Brooklyn, NY ā Kings Theatre
12 ā Brooklyn, NY ā Brooklyn Paramount
17 ā Boston, MA ā Roadrunner
18 ā Boston, MA ā Roadrunner
21 ā Paris, France ā La Cigale
22 ā Paris, France ā La Trianon
23 ā Paris, France ā La Trianon
25 ā Utrecht, Netherlands ā TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
26 ā Utrecht, Netherlands ā TivoliVredenburg (Ronda)
28 ā London, UK ā Troxy
MARCH
1 ā London, UK ā Troxy
2 ā Birmingham, UK ā O2 Academy Birmingham
3 ā Glasgow, UK ā Barrowland Ballroom
10 ā Hiroshima, Japan ā Blue Live Hiroshima
12 ā Osaka, Japan ā Gorilla Hall
13 ā Nagoya, Japan ā Diamond Hall
15 ā Tokyo, Japan ā Toyosu PIT
17 ā Tokyo, Japan ā Toyosu PIT
APRIL
3 ā St. Louis, MO ā The Factory
4 ā Kansas City, MO ā Uptown Theater
5 ā Omaha, NE ā Steelhouse Omaha
7 ā Saint Paul, MN ā Palace Theatre
8 ā Saint Paul, MN ā Palace Theatre
10 ā Chicago, IL ā The Salt Shed (Indoors)
11 ā Chicago, IL ā The Salt Shed (Indoors)
12 ā Detroit, MI ā Masonic Temple Theatre
13 ā Detroit, MI ā Masonic Temple Theatre
15 ā Grand Rapids, MI ā GLC Live at 20 Monroe
16 ā Cleveland, OH ā Agora Theatre
18 ā Nashville, TN ā The Pinnacle
19 ā Nashville, TN ā The Pinnacle
MAY
4 ā Austin, TX ā ACL Live at the Moody Theater
5 ā Austin, TX ā ACL Live at the Moody Theater
6 ā Dallas, TX ā South Side Ballroom
8 ā Denver, CO ā Mission Ballroom
9 ā Denver, CO ā Mission Ballroom
10 ā Salt Lake City, UT ā The Union Event Center
12 ā Los Angeles, CA ā Hollywood Palladium
13 ā Los Angeles, CA ā Hollywood Palladium
15 ā Santa Barbara, CA ā Santa Barbara Bowl
16 ā Oakland, CA ā Fox Theater
17 ā San Francisco, CA ā The Masonic
19 ā Seattle, WA ā The Paramount Theatre
20 ā Seattle, WA ā The Paramount Theatre
22 ā Vancouver, BC ā Commodore Ballroom
23 ā Vancouver, BC ā Commodore Ballroom
24 ā Troutdale, OR ā Edgefield Concerts on the Lawn
A dose of magic gain potion.
Works like a little vial of magic gain potion. Fattens without obscuring individual frequency bands.
None.
$129
Solodallas SVDS Boost
solodallas.com
The Schaeffer-Vega Diversity Systemāan early and very successful wireless systemāexcelled at the tasks it was designed for. But there was more magic than met the eye. Though designed to sound as transparent as possible, it nonetheless colored the signal in a way that people like Angus Young and Eddie Van Halen found essential.
SoloDallas explored the possibilities of this circuit before in pedals like theSchaeffer Replica, but the new SVDS Boost strips the formula to essentials. Minimalist controlsāone knob, thatās itāmake this boost no less delicious. Iām not surprised Angus Young was smitten with the original SVDS. An SG and Marshall 18-watt amp sound fantastic naked, but the SVDS Boost has the rare talent for fattening everything without seeming to favor or obscure any frequency band too much. And as zest to the PAF/Marshall style formula, it makes the kind of rowdy, organic, airy, large, and punch-packing Marshall sound you would dream of getting in a studio or hearing on the radio. There are many shades of this basic awesome color in spite of the single knob. Unity gain lives in the earliest third of its range. From there you certainly get more volume, but mostly you bathe in various hues of compressed, saturated, thick, and dynamite growl. You donāt need a Gibson and a Marshall to use it to devastating effect, either. A Telecaster and Vibrolux snap with attitude and whip-crack energy with the SVDS in the line. And with both guitar/amp combos, the SVDSā wide dynamic responsiveness to volume and tone attenuation assures that things stay cracking when you need more control.
Learn about this iconic guitar's journey, its mods done by Frank, and hear how it sounds in the hands of his son Dweezil.
Neil Youngās ā70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neilās guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Neil Youngās ā70s hits are some of the most recognizable radio rock jams of all time. But Neilās guitar playing continued to grow over the ensuing decades, as he traversed styles from blues to country to electronic to rockabilly and beyond, eventually developing one of the most tonally decadent, fully formed improvisational voices in the entire guitar universe.
Like any discography thatās been growing over the course of more than half a century, it can be hard to decode Youngās work. And with such an adventurous spirit, it could be easy to make some missteps and miss out on his best guitar works. In this episode, Nick guides Jason through some of his heroās finest moments.
More news from Neil always seems to be on the horizon, so hereās your chance to catch up.