Varitone advice?

[zigmondo]

I realise several of you have had these fitted, either short-term or more permanently. I don't have one but have been toying with the idea.
I'm aware of its switching/capacitor options, but my question is:
Have any of you experienced any added noise with these things?
Any shielding/earthing hums and buzzes introduced that weren't there in your original control plate config?

My understanding is that the standard "tone roll off" is replaced by the Varitone's engagement of the caps. In your experience, do its usable features far outweigh its less useful ones?

[geoffbyrne]

It's not just the caps, it's also the inductor. If it doesn't have the inductor then it's only a glorified tone control. With the inductor it keeps some of the highs & becomes a mids-notch filter.

[url="http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/varitone.html"]http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/varitone.html[/url]

G.

[henry norton]

Mine's never added any noise - it's totally subtractive and pretty much independent from the rest of the electronics as it's wired direct to the output jack. It's moderately useful but some of the sounds (mine's got 5 settings plus a 6th 'off' setting) are too woolly or too thin, but it does give more variety than a bog standard passive tone will.

[Mr. Foxen]

The bunch of caps on a rotary switch thing does make some noise when you turn it as the caps discharge, dunno if the inductor ones do that. If you turn it all the way back and forth first, they are all good to go for a fair while after.

[zigmondo]

Thanks chaps, most useful(ta for the link, Geoff); yes, I'd guessed that several settings might be a bit thinner, also that there are different flavours around. The notch filter sounds workable. I should have really specified the control plate on a jazz bass(duh) but I guess the same applies.
Methinks I'll stick with the "normal" thang of relying on the right pots, caps, pickups and good old right-hand attack..plenty of "varitone" enough given a single-coil jazzer, right folks!