500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

[Greyum]

Newbie Question Here:

So 250K is for single coil and 500k is for humbuckers, I understand that.

My question is when you split a humbucker to take just one coil, wouldn't he 500K pot now be too much and you'd lose volume or tonal range? I'm just wondering what is the solution or if it's indeed a problem? or there is a workaround?

Thanks

 

[Kamanda~SD]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

SC = 250k and HB=500K is not a rule, it's more of a general guideline. It's also why you don;t usually have two volumes in a mixed config guitar (HSS - HSH etc)

You won't lose any volume or tonal range, it's just going to be brighter.

 

[Greyum]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Okay, if it's just the rule, then why not have a pot at 375K to cover both? (understandably I don't know if 375/400k pots exist... but if they do why not use them?)

Am I correct that you should then use the pot rating for the setting you are most likely going to be playing? (aka you have a p-rail but your likely to play p90 or rail single coil more than the humbucker setting so you pick 250k)?

 

[ehdwuld]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

A JB sounds fine with a 250 pot

 

[Clint 55]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Yeah, you can most definitely choose the pot value for the sound you want regardless of what pickups you have. There's 300k also.

 

[greekdude]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

250K for parallel/split work fine. You still have an audible tone at 0. With 500K at 0 all I hear is some undefined unpleasant noise.

 

[Chistopher]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

A JB sounds fine with a 250 pot

The Jazz/JB set was built around 250k pots, that makes it extra nice to split them. It prevents them from sounding thin in the split position.

 

[Jacew]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Okay, if it's just the rule, then why not have a pot at 375K to cover both? (understandably I don't know if 375/400k pots exist... but if they do why not use them?)

Am I correct that you should then use the pot rating for the setting you are most likely going to be playing? (aka you have a p-rail but your likely to play p90 or rail single coil more than the humbucker setting so you pick 250k)?

That's actually very good question. I think 400k pots would be perfect for both. spikyness/brightness/darkness etc.. would be very easy to deal with tone circuit.

I have 500k pots with single coils, and it did require some tweaking with RC circuit. I think with 400k pots, getting good tone would have been significantly easier.

I guess it's just because that's what was easily available back in the day. And it's the same thing even today because of that, I don't know if you can even find 400k or 300k pots that would fit in Fenders for instance...

 

[RorySquier]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

I think Gibson pots are around 350 K ohms? The 500 K ohm pots really let the sound out more than 250 K ohm pots. The 400 K ohm pots sounds like a good fit.



;>)/

 

[AlexR]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Okay, if it's just the rule, then why not have a pot at 375K to cover both? (understandably I don't know if 375/400k pots exist... but if they do why not use them?)

Because that most likely would give you a pot that was suited to neither. And I can't imagine any serious player out there willing to have a pickup perform poorly in every configuration.

The volume pot is like a treble choke on the pickup. The lower the value the more effect is there. Humbuckers are darker so need less, singlecoils are brighter so can do with more. You don't have pots in every value like resistors, so you pick one and see how you go. The guitar, your style, the amp/speaker and the various eq controls along the way all allow you to find your tone....or at least as close as you can.

In the case of coil splitting, the split is usually the compromised tonal option as that is what it is typically anyhow. Most people have splits as they don't want to swap guitars mid song. But splits are a search for a more strat tone more often than not. This they certainly don't do, but as an option its as close as 1 guitar will do.

 

[Greyum]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Then wouldn't the "ideal" scenario involve you having two pots? a 500k and 250k where by when you coil split it switches to the correct pot?

 

[AlexR]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Is it ideal to use the limited options on a guitar for tone shaping for a compromise most won't like the sound of anyhow???? Who knows. Not for me thats for sure.

And that assumes you are somehow even able to wire such a thing in the first place. Its not wiring a pushpull will accomplish even if you did devote the whole thing to it.

 

[Ayrton]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

You can get lower value pots, or use resistors to “fool” the pickup. However most of the time you are not going to notice the difference when split.

I went thru this with neck humbuckers in telecasters. I tried using 500k pots and a resistor but it never sounded as good as just wiring in the humbucker like a regular tele neck. Pots are cheap, try it both ways and see how you like it.

 

[Greyum]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Is it ideal to use the limited options on a guitar for tone shaping for a compromise most won't like the sound of anyhow???? Who knows. Not for me thats for sure.

And that assumes you are somehow even able to wire such a thing in the first place. Its not wiring a pushpull will accomplish even if you did devote the whole thing to it.

It’s doable if your switch is before the pots, but you’d need a dedicated volume pot for each setting which means a lot of pots or sacrificing your tone pots (in a two humbucker setup). I agree it gets complicated fast and sacrifices would need to be made.

 

[AlexR]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

Yep, there are many ways to do wiring. Of course you lose your independent volumes for pickups if you have the typical LP type setup.
And you have to think why you would want to make such sacrifices of the limited tonal influences you have in the guitar. Or indeed add in such complication as you're probably into a more complex DPDT switch.
Once you get to the amp tonal controls they interact with the timbre and the amp's whole dynamics much more.
So I find if you have different ways to influence the tone you can mix and match between the various stages of eq.

 

[Securb]

Re: 500k vs 250k when using a Humbucker Splitting?

I would suggest doing the pickup mod, giving the pickup a listen and then decide if you need to change pots/caps. I have 250K pots on plenty of humbuckers and they sound great. If I had changed the pots on speculation it would have been a waste of time and money.