Splitting the Tone Controls into Different Ranges

This modification does not alter the appearance of your guitar.

Consider the stock shielded Strat schematic below:

Shielded Stratocaster -- Stock Tone Controls

Note that both of the tone pots (R2 and R3) share a common tone capacitor. Both pots are also of the same value. This means that each of the tone "controls" has the same frequency response curve. You can easily change this by snipping one wire and adding a capacitor.

Let's say, for example, that you are happy with the neck-only tone control but would like to get more treble out of the middle/bridge combination. You can split the circuit as shown below, putting a smaller capacitor on R2 for more treble in the middle and middle/bridge positions. This is strongly recommended, by the way, if you perform the "bridge tone control" modification.

Shielded Stratocaster -- Split Tone Controls
C1 sets tone for middle and middle/bridge. C2 sets tone for neck. Both affect neck/middle

The schematic below shows both this "tone split" modification and the "bridge tone" modification -- this is the configuration I recommend and use on Strats when I don't go to a more "exotic" pickup select mechanism .

Shielded Stratocaster -- Bridge Tone with Split Controls
C1/R3 sets tone for neck and middle/neck. C2/R2 sets tone for bridge and bridge/middle.