
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]
The ā60s Were Weird and So Were the ā90sāThanks, Santana
Was Supernatural his ultimate gift to the world?
Carlos Santanaās career arc has been a journey. From blowing minds at the far edges of psychedelia at Woodstock to incendiary jazz experimentalism with the likes of John McLaughlin and Alice Coltrane to later becoming a chart-topping star with some of the biggest collaborators in pop and rock, his guitar playing has covered a lot of ground.
On this episode of 100 Guitarists, weāre covering everything about Santanaās playing we can fit in one neat package: How did Santanaās sound evolve? Has any other rock star mentioned John Coltraneās A Love Supreme on morning network television? Was Supernatural his ultimate gift to the world?
In our new current listening segment, weāre talking about a Bruce Hornsby live record and a recent release from guitarist Stash Wyslouch.
This episode is sponsored by PRS Guitars.
Learn more: https://prsguitars.com.
Lollar Pickups introduces the Deluxe Foil humbucker, a medium-output pickup with a bright, punchy tone and wide frequency range. Featuring a unique retro design and 4-conductor lead wires for versatile wiring options, the Deluxe Foil is a drop-in replacement for Wide Range Humbuckers.
Based on Lollarās popular single-coil Gold Foil design, the new Deluxe Foil has the same footprint as Lollarās Regal humbucker - as well as the Fender Wide Range Humbucker ā and itās a drop-in replacement for any guitar routed for Wide Range Humbuckers such as the Telecaster Deluxe/Custom, ā72-style Tele Thinline and Starcaster.
Lollarās Deluxe Foil is a medium-output humbucker that delivers a bright and punchy tone, with a glassy top end, plenty of shimmer, rich harmonic content, and expressive dynamic touch-sensitivity. Its larger dual-coil design allows the Deluxe Foil to capture a wider frequency range than many other pickup types, giving the pickup a full yet well-balanced voice with plenty of clarity and articulation.
The pickup comes with 4-conductor lead wires, so you can utilize split-coil wiring in addition to humbucker configuration. Its split-coil sound is a true representation of Lollarās single-coil Gold Foil, giving players a huge variety of inspiring and musical sounds.
The Deluxe Foilās great tone is mirrored by its evocative retro look: the cover design is based around mirror images of the āLā in the Lollar logo. Since the gold foil pickup design doesnāt require visible polepieces, Lollartook advantage of the opportunity to create a humbucker that looks as memorable as it sounds.
Deluxe Foil humbucker features include:
- 4-conductor lead wire for maximum flexibility in wiring/switching
- Medium output suited to a vast range of music styles
- Average DC resistance: Bridge 11.9k, Neck 10.5k
- Recommended Potentiometers: 500k
- Recommended Capacitor: 0.022μF
The Lollar Deluxe Foil is available for bridge and neck positions, in nickel, chrome, or gold cover finishes. Pricing is $225 per pickup ($235 for gold cover option).
For more information visit lollarguitars.com.
The legendary string-glider shows Chris Shiflett how he orchestrated one of his most powerful leads.
Break out your glass, steel, or beer bottle: This time on Shred With Shifty, weāre sliding into glory with southern-rock great Derek Trucks, leader of the Derek Trucks Band, co-leader (along with wife Susan Tedeschi) of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, and, from 1999 to 2014, member of the Allman Brothers Band.
Reared in Jacksonville, Florida, Trucks was born into rock ānā roll: His uncle, Butch Trucks, was a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, and from the time he was nine years old, Derek was playing and touring with blues and rock royalty, from Buddy Guy to Bob Dylan. Early on, he established himself as a prodigy on slide guitar, and in this interview from backstage in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Trucks explains why heās always stuck with his trusty Gibson SGs, and how he sets them up for both slide and regular playing. (He also details his custom string gauges.)
Trucks analyzes and demonstrates his subtle but scorching solo on āMidnight in Harlem,ā off of Tedeschi Trucks Bandās acclaimed 2011 record, Revelator. In it, he highlights the influence of Indian classical music, and particularly sarod player Ali Akbar Khan, on his own playing. The lead is āmelodic but with Indian-classical inflections,ā flourishes that Trucks says are integral to his playing: Itās a jazz and jam-band mentality of ādangling your feet over the edge of the cliff,ā says Trucks, and going outside whatever mode youāre playing in.
Throughout the episode, Trucks details his live and studio set ups (āAs direct as I can get itā), shares advice for learning slide and why he never uses a pick, and ponders what the future holds for collaborations with Warren Haynes.
Credits
Producer: Jason Shadrick
Executive Producers: Brady Sadler and Jake Brennan for Double Elvis
Engineering Support by Matt Tahaney and Matt Beaudion
Video Editor: Addison Sauvan
Graphic Design: Megan Pralle
Special thanks to Chris Peterson, Greg Nacron, and the entire Volume.com crew.
A 6L6 power section, tube-driven spring reverb, and a versatile array of line outs make this 1x10 combo an appealing and unique 15-watt alternative.