Description
Treble Bleed Circuit options: Simple (0.001mF ceramic cap), "Kinman" (1200pf ceramic cap and 130k resistor), Duncan (2200pf ceramic cap and 100k resistor).
The Kinman and Duncan variants have ceramic or styrene cap options.
A treble-bleed (high-pass) circuit allows the highs to “bleed” (or pass) through the volume pot even as it is turned down.
"There are basically three different types of treble-bleed networks, and we'll examine each of them.
SIMPLE: One is "cap only," which isn't a true network because it's a capacitor without a resistor. Fender made this version popular in the '60s when they started installing a 1000 pF cap on Telecaster volume controls. Together with the 1M pots they used at this time, the sonic result was kind of creepy ... thin and bright.
This value is still popular today in many one-size-fits-all solutions. This circuit has one problem: As the volume is turned lower, more of the higher frequencies will predominate—even to the point where the guitar starts to sound very "tinny" as the volume approaches zero. Depending on what you're after sonically, this can be a good thing or not. If you want to experiment with this cap-only configuration, good working values are from 220 pF up to 1500 pF.
DUNCAN: Our second type of treble-bleed consists of a cap with a resistor in parallel. This is the version you'll find in most treble-bleed networks. A very popular combination is a 1000 pF cap with a 150k-ohm resistor in parallel. This works for almost any guitar, when it comes to a one-size-fits-all solution.
The cap-with-resistor-in-parallel version can be superior to the cap-only method because, as you turn the volume lower, the higher frequencies don't dominate. The problem with this circuit is that it affects the taper of the volume pot in a negative way when the two values are not carefully matched to each other. Good working values to try are from 220 pF up to 1500 pF for the cap, and 100k-ohm up to 330k-ohm for the resistor.
KINMAN: Our third treble-bleed network, consists of a cap with a resistor in series. This configuration became popular in the '90s when Australian luthier Chris Kinman started to use a 1200 pF cap and a 130k-ohm resistor in series for his guitars. This scheme is regarded by many to be the best of the three versions, because it seems to solve the problem of the volume pot taper and the tinny sound. Even Fender uses it now. Their system employs a 1000 pF cap and a 130k-ohm resistor, and is dubbed the Fender Tone Saver. Values you should try are 470 pF up to 1500 pF for the cap, and 100k-ohm up to 330k-ohm for the resistor." - From Premier Guitar, Author: Dirk Wacker