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