Varitone - What Is It & What Does It Do?

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[@glaucosouza1971]

I dont know if it is "forgotten", but an episode about the e-bow will be really cool.

[@antioche6276]

Knowing that Joey Santiago of the Pixies and B.B. King often used the variatone, I've always been a de facto fan of it, in spite of it never being popular among the guitar community. Thanks for giving it some love.

[@LeonTodd]

Necessary? Probably not. Hours of fun? You bet!

[@LeonTodd]

What forgotten piece of guitar gadgetry should I look at next?

[@bartnettle]

The bazar new ideas in pedals and or plugins for guitars or not

[@dan_perry]

Hmmm, Digitech Talker?

[@slayjwood]

50's style wiring?

[@sheatanner9935]

Hey Leon, off-topic question here. I'm going to be having surgery on my fret hand wrist soon. Could you do a lesson episode on exercises to help rebuild dexterity after a trauma like that? Right-hand practice techniques to do while I'm laid up would be killer too but I feel like I'm asking a lot already.

[@michaeltoren]

How about a B-Bender?

[@georgepelekoudis]

I would’ve never guessed that opening line came from a hollow-body 😂 Sounded cool. I always loved that red finish Gibson used on those guitars. Have a good day :)

[@LeonTodd]

Yeah the cherry red is THE 335 finish isn't it

[@georgepelekoudis]

@@LeonTodd right, cherry red. That’s what it’s called. Beautiful finish!

[@rodolfomisao123]

I am studying to be Eletroelectronics Technician. I will study RC and RLC circuits. Great video as always. Greetings from🇧🇷🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@castleanthrax1833]

Is that Brazil?

[@rodolfomisao123]

@@castleanthrax1833 yes

[@dan_perry]

A buddy of mine had a Washburn about 15 years ago that came with a varitone circuit...interesting gutar.

[@bartnettle]

The next big thing has mostly been a new sound. I enjoy your quest

[@kjchicago1]

That Varitone on that Gibson ES guitar sounds mighty nice

[@donewithmodernlife]

Joe Gore has some interesting Varitone experiments on his channel. He puts all sorts of different value caps in them & gets some great (& very useable) sounds. Lots of other great content as well, if you’ve never checked him out you totally should.

[@LeonTodd]

I've read Joe's articles before but never checked out his channel! Time to fix that.

[@MarkPritchardGuitar]

I remember watching Phil X demo this guitar years ago and it certainly does some cool tones.

[@LeonTodd]

I know the vid! So good

[@Tonetwisters]

Blessed to have a 355 for many years, and love the Varitone.

[@billybat5790]

I got a varitone knob on my bass with 2 volumes for the pickups I connected it to the output jack and still kinda works if I roll the volume(s) a bit

[@williamhurrelbrink3324]

Best demo of the varitone on KZbin. Thanks

[@Nellil]

A friend of mine changed the capacitor so when the tone was rolled off it sounded like a cocked wha pedal... Not sure about the cap value thou..

[@seventhsealhere]

I am and always have been an “all the way up” kind of tone control guy. If I wasn’t lazy, I’d rewire all my guitars to essentially remove the tone knob. Just me, I never use it. If anything, when my tone sounds off that’s the first knob I look at to see if I hit it. Cool video! 👍

[@SnappyJCM800]

It kinda sounds like a mix between a tone control and a cocked wah pedal

[@SnappyJCM800]

I like how the second I type this out and send it you literally say the same thing in the video haha

[@danthrax7407]

Oh Leon, when I saw that guitar instantly reminded me Marty McFly!!! don´t know if it´s the same model but sounds astounding!

[@RulgertGhostalker]

second inductor option for my no tone suck Modern Varitone Search the used market for a " TRIAD EC 200-A " I found one !!! and mine tested out to 189mH and 23 ohm DCR

[@sabbster1157]

I put Stellertones in every guitar. Best mod you can do to a good guitar

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

I played a Gibson LP recorder I think it was that had one. To me it sounded like a wah in certain positions. It for sure gives lots of different sounds / tones. I hate normal tone pots. I either hit them by accident strumming and running around, or I don't use them and it's just one more thing I don't want in the signal path. I usually wire my pickups or one pickup directly to the volume pot and I use it with a treble bleed circuit and I'm good. I use a wah for tone stuff because I just think of a wah as a big ole tone control on the floor. 😉 Great demo sir, and for recording this thing is killer. Love that guitar. Did your father build it? You said it was a copy or something? Very cool stuff. Oh. Another question for Fridays Q and A. Have you ever used a rocktron ganiac preamp??? Would love to try one. I've heard good and bad about them... Very cool sir. Hope you and your's are well.

[@LeonTodd]

He did! I think he copied a 50's RI for it, really sweet ride

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

@@LeonTodd very cool. Your dad is the man!

[@jixxxxer17]

when you said Replica I thought it was a copy but I guess it's a genuine Gibson, great Demo !

[@fedboy21]

How cool is this!!!!! I just bought myself a 2007 G 335 fat neck and now im seeing this vid 😲😲😲😲😲🍻🍻🍻🍻🍻 Btw what pups in it?

[@LeonTodd]

Nice! These are PAF clones

[@Jettblack_]

I like

[@typenjw]

I really didn’t dig the varitone options on my Epiphone Lucille. Gutted that guitar and dropped in a guitar sauce 335 harness and Seth Lover pu’s. It’s one of my favourite axes now, just have the varitone knob for aesthetics

[@LeonTodd]

Seth's are SO good

[@Dave-qy1fn]

What would happen if I flipped the magnets on the neck pickup to make the Peter green like mod and the used a varitone switch ? Would this be possible? Great video here and clear

[@jimjams808]

And the question on everyone's minds.. what number do I have to set it to for instantaneous grindcore?

[@maxroyle6750]

Would have liked to hear the Varitone clean. Anyone tell you you look like Emmett Kelly ?

[@LeonTodd]

No but I have been called a clown plenty of times!

[@emericanmx188]

So is it true that to have a varitone the guitar has to be wired for stereo?

[@LeonTodd]

Nope

[@SexyplexiGT]

its a 355

[@erickleefeld4883]

How about a guitar that just has a Varitone, instead of a typical tone control, plus the volume knob? (Maybe even one pickup, as well.)

[@tonyevans9999]

like say... an Esquire

[@erickleefeld4883]

@@tonyevans9999 Not exactly. An Esquire has a regular tone knob.

[@VinnieAxlRose]

Amazing guitar, where did u get it?

[@ac1232]

Where did you get that guitar?

[@pg123ab]

Than you for your video, I was wondering, is that a real Gibson?

[@LeonTodd]

It's a one off handmade replica

[@pg123ab]

Chibson?

[@jurgengosch3915]

Replica? Who built it? Also, it resembles a 355, not a 345.

[@LeonTodd]

My Dad built it

[@jurgengosch3915]

@@LeonTodd Damn!

[@RulgertGhostalker]

that would be the ultimate "could you turn down the guitar a little" Fix. ( give them a custom frequency hole ..." is that better?" and then you don't have to turn down ) EDIT: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHa8foZ4lp6CmqM EDIT#2: even though the notch is narrower in my filter, it will still make for a noticeable tonal change; because it's an analog filter which creates a phase shift either side of the notch.

[@LeonTodd]

Instant 3k-4k "ducker"

[@RulgertGhostalker]

@@LeonTodd you would have to make that filter custom, position 2 is about 1K875, ( looking up the circuit on the web ) .... I think I am going to whip up a few notch circuits, but I am going parallel LCR notch filter ( in series with the output )... because I just want two frequencies, ( probably 1K090hz and 650hz ) ... then my bypass is true bypass.

[@RulgertGhostalker]

@@LeonTodd you tone knobs can knock that range down ... the varitone is more about mids.

[@RulgertGhostalker]

@@LeonTodd mine won't sound exactly like a varitone though, because I just want more narrow notch filters.

[@RulgertGhostalker]

@@LeonTodd I found my inductor...it's a Gowanda 927T2006 ... 200mH Toroidal with a low 13Ohm DCR....difficult to source one piece though.

[@anthonyroach7974]

Brill demonstrated sounds fabricated..I’m thinking of one having fitted to my Eastman ....great for my-style to .saves buying new pick ups .got P90s fitted ..love the sound to ..great with that mod ..perfect ..thins a lot ..great tasty playing to .

[@GK-rw2op]

I hear no difference

[@DavidGossettMusic]

0:46 licc spotting

[@LeonTodd]

You got me!

[@seerattan]

What about doing another demo but clean, stop shredding, stop the constant overdrive, people here didnt even here a difference in tone.

[@LeonTodd]

I never sat the test for my clean tone license unfortunately

[@seerattan]

@@LeonTodd well your training is incomplete.