The Bright Switch

The Bright Switch is a simple mod that you can add to any guitar that will make you go “woah!” as soon as you engage it. All you need is some basic soldering skills and a Push-Pull Pot that is the correct value (250K/500K) for your guitar. (More on Pots and Pot values here.)

What it does: 

On the technical end, the Bright Switch removes the added Load from your Volume Pot and Tone Pot. We define “load” as anything that is consuming electricity. Your Volume Pot, even on 10, is sucking up some of your signal. By removing the load, the pot does not consume your signal anymore. It’s like connecting your pickups direct to your output jack and bypassing the electronics.

When pushed down, your guitar is working as normal. When you pull up, you remove the Ground off of your volume pot and tone pot. This is the same as sending your guitar’s signal straight to the output jack.

Tonally speaking, when you pull up, your guitar’s tone will get brighter, fuller, more aggressive, and beefier. It’s like a boost pedal wired in to your guitar. You’ll get more definition, pick attack, and more growl.

I’m sold. How do I do this Mod? Here’s how you wire this mod up. Please note that the pot on the left is volume pot, and the Push Pull pot takes the place of your tone pot.

When your Push-Pull pot is down, all the wiring is the exact same as a Strat or a Tele. The Signal enters Lug 1 of the Volume Pot. Lug 2 connects to the input of the Tone Pot and the Output Jack. When the switch is down, your signal goes through the Cap on Lug 3 and your highs get grounded, like a normal volume pot.

Note: Look at Lug 3 of the Volume Pot: you don’t ground that to the casing like you would a normal Volume Pot. Instead, a jumper goes to the Push-Pull, with the Grounded leg of the Cap.

When you pull up, the Load (ground) eliminates off of the Cap, the Push-Pull Tone Pot, and the Volume Pot. Essentially, your pickups connect to the output jack, with no load.

Version 2:

What happens if you don’t have a tone circuit in your guitar? You can use the Bright Switch on your Volume Pot only. Keep in mind that this won’t be as noticeable as removing your Volume Pot and your Tone Pot as well. Here’s how to wire it up: