turn your guitar’s tone control into a battery-free on
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Turn Your Guitar’s Tone Control Into a Battery-Free On-Board Overdrive
The easy to install Black Ice module provides fingertip access to a variety of overdriven and distorted sounds when installed in your guitar or bass. Its passive design means that it will last a lifetime... NO BATTERIES REQUIRED! Black Ice is compatible with just about any passive humbucking, P90/soap-bar or single coil pickups.For guitars with a single tone control, simply choose the wiring option below that best suits your playing style (visit our website for audio samples of each), and replace the capacitor connected to your tone control with the leads marked “to guitar.” That’s it – you’re done! Prefer separate tone and Black Ice controls? A push/pull pot or mini-switch? Consider one of the other wiring options enclosed.
General notes: Ifyou’dliketotestdriveBlackIcebeforepermanently
installingit,temporarilyconnectitbetweenthehotandgroundofyourguitars’outputjack.
Ifyousimplyreplacethetonecontrol’scapacitorwithBlackIce(EZInstall),turningdownthecontrol(counterclockwise)willincreasedistortion.
Usea250kohmpotfortheBlackIcecontrol.
BlackIcehasnopolarity.Either“toguitar”leadcanbeconnectedtohotandground.
InsulateanyunusedBlackIceleadswithelectricaltape,etc.sotheydon’ttouchothercomponents/wires.
It’s also worth pointing out: BlackIceisforfolkswho’dlikeaconvenientwaytodialin
alittlefunandgrit.It’snotareplacementforyourfavoriteboutiquepedal,norwillitturnyouramplifierintoafire-breathingstack.BlackIcewillnotboostthevolumeorsustainofyourguitar.(Asubtlevolumedropmayalsobedetected,particularlywiththeHotandIndustrialStrengthwiringoptions.)
EZ Install Master Volume & Black Ice(forTelecasters*,LesPaulJuniors*andother2-controlinstruments):SimplyreplacethetonecontrolcapacitorwithBlackIce.Note:TurningthecontrolDOWN(counterclockwise)increasesdistortion.
Optional Master Volume & Black Ice (forTelecasters*,LesPaulJuniors*andother2-controlinstruments):SimilartoabovebutturningthecontrolUP(clockwise)increasesdistortion.
To GuitarTo Guitar
Not Used Not Used
Not Used Not UsedTo Guitar
To Guitar
Not Used Not Used
To Guitar
To Guitar
center left connected to top right
top left connected to bottom right
bottom left connected to center right
Polite: Slightly gritty with single coils. Mildly distorted with humbuckers and P90/soapbars.
Industrial Strength: Spitty, nasty and rude with hotter pickups. Slightly more aggressive 60’s style growl with bass. Best option for bass or guitars with weak, low-output pickups.
Warm: Mildly distorted with single coils. Medium distortion with humbuckers and P90/soapbars. Good all-around choice.
Hot: Medium distortion with single coils. Aggressive raw distortion with humbuckers and P90/soapbars. Subtle 60’s style growl with bass.
Not Used Not Used
To GuitarTo Guitar
BLACKICE
BLACKICEVolume
Ground from Pickups
Hot from Pickup or Switch
String Ground:Connect to Bridge or Tremelo Claw
Tip
BLACKICE
BLACKICEVolume
Ground from Pickups
Hot from Pickup or Switch
String Ground:Connect to Bridge or Tremolo Claw
Tip
BLACKICE
BLACKICEVolume
Ground from Pickups
Hot from Pickup Selector Switch
String Ground:Connect to Bridge or Tremolo Claw
Tip
.02-.05µf capacitor
Tone
Master Volume, Master Tone & Black Ice (forStratocasters*andother3-controlinstruments)
BlackIceEnterpriseswww.blackiceoverdrive.com
8 51974 00400 2
Volume
Ground from Neck Pickup
Hot from Neck Pickup
Tip
.02-.05µf capacitor
Volume BLACKICE
Ground from Bridge Pickup
Hot from Bridge Pickup
BLACKICE
Tone
BLACK ICE IN A BOX:BlackIcedoesn’thavetogoinyourgui-tar. It can be installed in a stomp boxstyle enclosure, a Radio Shack projectbox(part#270-1801orsimilar)orevensomething fun like an old Altoids tin.The diagrams to the right and belowshow four ways to wire it: a simple“al-wayson”box,aboxwithaswitchtoturnBlack Ice on/off, a box with a potenti-ometertodial in justtherightamountofBlackIceoverdriveandaboxthatin-cludesbothaswitchandapot.
To use, connect your guitar to eitherjack; it doesn’t matter which. Use theotherjackastheoutputjack.
TROUBLESHOOTING:I don’t hear any distortion. Makesurevolumecontrolisturnedallthewayup MakesureBlackIcecontrolissettomaximum(fullyclockwiseorcounter-
clockwisedependingonwiringconfiguration) Makesurepickupsareadjustedtoproperheightasperguitarmanufactur-
ersrecommendations. Setamplifierforcleansound.BlackIceoverdrivemaybemaskedbydis-
tortedsoundgeneratedbyamplifier. GentlyplayedpassagesandsinglenotesmaynotcausetheBlackIce
circuittodistort.
The volume drops slightly when I dial in maximum Black Ice. Highoutputpickupsmaycausethistohappen,especiallywithIndustrial
StrengthandHotwiringoptions.TurndownBlackIcecontrolslightly,makesurepickupsaren’ttooclosetostringsorchooselessaggressivewir-ingoption(PoliteorWarm).
WarrantyBlack Ice is warranted to the original purchaser to be free from defects in material andworkmanshipforaperiodof3yearsfromtheoriginaldateofpurchase.Thiswarrantydoesnotcoverdamagecausedbyaccident,misuseorimproperinstallation,nordoesitcoverincidentalorconsequentialdamages.
Toobtainwarrantyservice,U.Scustomersshouldcontactusviathecontactpageofthewebsitelistedbelowandincludeapdfcopyoftheirbillofsale.DONOTsendproductbackwithoutcontactingusfirst.
WarrantyisvalidonlyintheUSA.CustomersoutsidetheUSshouldcontacttheirlocaldis-tributorforservice.
BLACK ICE ENTERPRISESWestBabylon,NY11704
www.blackiceoverdrive.com
ProudlymadeintheUSA.
*TrademarksofFenderMusicalInstrumentsandGibsonGuitarCorporation
Volume
Ground from Neck Pickup
Hot from Neck Pickup
Tip
.02-.05µf capacitor
Volume BLACKICE
Ground from Bridge Pickup
Hot from Bridge Pickup
BLACKICE
Tone
Hot from Pickup, Switch, or Volume Pot
.02-.05µf capacitor
BLACKICE
BLACKICE
TONE
Pull
Push
Bottom of Push/Pull Pot or Separate On/On Mini-Switch
Push/Pull Pot or On/On Mini-Switch Wiring Option
Optional Les Paul* Wiring(allowsforindependentvol-umecontrolwhenbothpickupsareselected)
NOTE: Whenthepush/pullpotispulledupBlackIceisactivated.Clockwiserotationwillincreasedistortion.Whenpotispusheddown,tonecontroloperatesnormally.
Typical Gibson Les Paul* Wiring
TipTip
BLACKICE
black ice “always on”
Black Ice “Always On”
BLACKICE
TipTip
black ice with drive control
Black Ice with Drive Control
TipTip
BLACKICE
black ice with switch
Black Ice with Switch
BLACKICE
TipTip
black ice with switch and drive control
Black Ice with Switch and Drive Control