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Notes on Installation
The Black Ice is a proprietary design passive distortion circuit that simulates
the warm overdrive of a tube amp. This passive circuit will not add gain, but
it is a variable distortion circuit that gives you added warmth and smoothness
to your tone. The distortion is voiced for tube overdrive, not the heavy saturated
distortion of high-gain amplifiers.
In order for this passive circuit to work, the pickups must have a DC resistance
of at least 10K ohms. Guitars with pickups with a lower DC resistance will not
"drive" the Black Ice to properly clip the signal. The Black Ice must be used
with high-impedance pickups only. Active and/or low-impedance systems cannot be
used with the Christian Black Ice.
Standard installation for the Black Ice is to wire it to the guitar's tone pot,
thus defeating the pot's use as a standard tone control (see the first two diagrams
on this page). Depending upon the instrument, its controls, and the player's needs,
there are many wiring options. Guitars with more than one tone control (Stratocasters®,
Les Pauls®, 335s, etc.) can be rewired so that there is a master
tone and a master overdrive/Black Ice control. Other options include wiring the
Black Ice to a push/pull pot; a standard tone control in one position, or an overdrive
control in the other (refer to the sample diagrams).
Special Notes on Tone Controls & Wiring
The manufacturer recommends a 250K ohm audio taper potentiometer for the Black
Ice. A standard tone control works by bleeding treble frequencies to ground as
the potentiometer is rotated toward zero. In other words, at ten, the tone control
is not affecting the guitar's tone in any way. At zero, the capacitor is allowing
treble frequencies to bleed to ground. When wiring the Black Ice to a tone pot
by simply replacing the capacitor with the Black Ice (EZ Install Version 1), the
overdrive circuit will work backwards (10 = zero overdrive; 0 = full overdrive).
Most of the diagrams on this sheet are designed so that 0 = zero distortion and
10 = full-on.
If you need extra wire to complete your customization, we offer a "Basic Wiring
Package" (part #4575), which includes non-shielded wire for connections between
pots, switches, and other jumpers. Generally, the white wire is used for "hot"
connections and the black is for "ground" wires. For long runs of wire (i.e. from
the volume pot to the jack), shielded or coaxial wire is included. The outer braid
is ground, and it shields the inner "hot" wire. A .050 microfarad capacitor is
also included for wiring a standard tone control.
Many production guitars and custom-built instruments are utilizing shielding foil
and/or paint to reduce radio frequency (RF) interference and 60-cycle hum. The
diagrams here assume that there is some type of foil, paint, or ground jumper
connecting the pot housings to one another, and to the bridge or tailpiece.
NOTE: If the guitar you're working on doesn't have shielding foil or paint, be
sure to solder a jumper wire connecting the housings of the pots. Otherwise, the
wirings in these diagrams will not function correctly.
Wiring Diagrams
Master Volume & Black Ice: Useful for Telecasters, Les Paul Juniors, and
other 2-control instruments
Optional Master Volume & Black Ice Wiring: Useful for Telecasters, Les
Paul Juniors, and other 2-control instruments
NOTE: This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise--10 on the control will equal full overdrive. Use a 250K ohm pot for the Black Ice control.
Master Volume, Master Tone, & Black Ice: Useful for Stratocasters and other
3-control instruments
NOTE: This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise — 10 on the control will equal full overdrive.
Push/Pull Pot Custom Wiring Options #1: Use our #1215 250K Push/Pull pot
or an on/on mini-toggle for this wiring.
NOTE: This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise — 10 on the control equals full overdrive. The tone operates in the normal direction. When the push/pull pot is in the "tone" mode, the Black Ice will be at zero. When the push/pull pot is pulled up, the tone will revert to full on — 10 — and the Black Ice will be variable.
Push/Pull Pot Custom Wiring Options #2: Use Push/Pull pots and/or mini-toggle
switches for this wiring.
NOTE: This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise — 10 on the control equals full overdrive. The tone operates in the normal direction. When the push/pull pot is in the "tone" mode, the Black Ice will be at zero — unless the mini-toggle switch is activated. When the push/pull pot is pulled up, the tone will revert to full on "10" and the Black Ice will be variable — unless the mini-toggle is activated.
Typical Fender Stratocaster Wiring: using our #3192 Gold Contact 5-way
Switch
NOTE: All pots are 250K Ohm, audio taper. Run a grounding jumper connecting the casing of the three pots if they're not connected via shielding or conductive paint.
Typical Gibson Les Paul Wiring #1: use #1217 or #1218 Toggle Switches
NOTE: All pots are audio taper. Use a 250K ohm pot for the Black Ice — volume and tone pots can be 250K or 500K depending upon personal preference. This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise — 10 on the control equals full overdrive. The tone operates in the normal direction.
Gibson Les Paul Wiring #2: allows for independent volume control of each
pickup when toggle is in middle "both" setting
NOTE: All pots are audio taper. Use a 250K ohm pot for the Black Ice — volume and tone pots can be 250K or 500K depending upon personal preference. This wiring will add overdrive as the pot is rotated clockwise — 10 on the control equals full overdrive. The tone operates in the normal direction.
We hope that the information contained in this instruction sheet has been helpful.
If you have any further questions, please contact our Technical Department at
800-848-2273 between 9-5 Eastern time. They will be glad to assist you.
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Black Ice Overdrive
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