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The development of the solidbody electric guitar in the 1950s initiated radical innovation in pickups, switches, amplifiers, and accessories that continues with ever greater technological sophistication. First there was a single volume control, then tone control then three-way switches and on and on. The designer's goal was to enhance the players' control of their sound. As each manufacturer rolled out a new feature, their competitors responded with their own.

Gibson introduced the Varitone six-way tone control in 1959 on the ES-345. Then in 1982 B.B. King and Gibson joined forces to create the one and only Lucille featuring the Varitone with a wide range of expressive sounds from a blazing humbucker to a cutting single coil pickup. And yes, there is a Varitone on the new Little Lucille.

VARITONE CIRCUIT

The Varitone circuit is a notch filter that utilizes a variety of capacitors to achieve a reduction in frequencies at set points within the overall bandwidth. As the varitone is rotated from Position 1 to Position 6 the center frequency of the filter shifts from higher to lower frequencies. Figure 1 demonstrates in general the type of frequency response that is created by the varitone.

The specific characteristics are:

Position 1: Bypass (no effect)

Position 2: -8.5dB at 1875 Hz

Position 3: -12dB at 1090 Hz

Position 4: -15dB at 650 Hz

Position 5: -16dB at 350 Hz

Position 6: -20dB at 130 Hz

Mono/Stereo Output Jacks
When using "Mono" Output Jack-1, both pickups are operational. If you want "Stereo", you MUST use both "Mono" Output Jack-1 and "Stereo" Jack-2 together.

"Stereo" Output Jack-2
When using output Jack-2 alone only the treble pickup is functional. When using both jacks together Jack-2 carries the treble pickup signal.

"Mono" Output Jack-1
When using output Jack-1 alone both pickups are functional. When using both jacks together Jack-1 carries the rhythm pickup signal.

      Gibson's former R&D Guru, J.T. Riboloff, who won an award from the Music Trades magazine in 1993 for his design of the Nighthawk, went a step further by implementing a Varitone circuit in the Blueshawk. The Varitone filters out specific, fundamental frequencies. Combined with two volume, two push-pull tone, three-way switch frequencies in it's five settings, the Varitone gives the Blueshawk enough sounds to satisfy a session player. Click here to hear the Blueshawk sing.

"The Varitone opened up the spectrum of the tone paths of that instrument quite a bit,"
               Riboloff said.

"The other nice thing with that Varitone is the push/pull tone pot which bypasses the circuit. The Varitone selector is a rotary switch, and somebody might want to change his tone in the middle of the song, but he's also thinking about keeping his timing. He doesn't want to count how many times he's clicked his Varitone knob. What this allows him to do is, for example, leave the circuit in bypass and preset his Varitone at the beginning of the song. So if you want to locate position 5 on the Varitone, for example, preset the knob so that all you have to do is push that pot down."

VARITONE CIRCUIT

          The Varitone circuit is a notch filter that utilizes a variety of capacitors to achieve a reduction in frequencies at set points within the overall bandwidth. As the varitone is rotated from Position 1 to Position 6 the center frequency(f0)of the filter shifts from higher to lower frequencies. Figure 1 demonstrates in general the type of frequency response that is created by the varitone.

*The specific characteristics are:

Position 1: Bypass (no effect)

Position 2: -5dB at 1875 Hz

Position 3: -6dB at 1090 Hz

Position 4: -7dB at 650 Hz

Position 5: -10dB at 350 Hz

Position 6: -14dB at 130 Hz

Push Pull Tone Control:
- With the push pull tone control in the down position the varitone is operational.
- With the push pull tone control in the up position the varitone is removed from from the circuit.

 

*Decibel levels based on 1000Hz : 1 Volt sinusoidal test signal