500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

[axiseffects]

Earlier in the year I loaded my Telecaster with a Quarter Pound in the neck and a Little '59 in the bridge, and I've noticed that any switching combination with the neck pickup has a very pronounced "muddiness" while the Little '59 sounds fine. I rewired the guitar using 250K pots, and I'm wondering if I should've used 500K pots instead, since the output of that Quarter Pound is right up there with humbuckers. Anyone have any ideas?

Also, if I do end up switching to 500K pots, will I have to replace the 0.047uF tone capacitor with a 0.022uF capacitor?

Thanks!
Phillip

[Benjy_26]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I would go with 500k pots and perhaps keep the same value cap, but go with a higher quality component, like an Orange Drop. Also, if possible, get CTS or comparable quality pots.

[rhmcfarland]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I'd switch out the cap as well. .022 will be brighter.

[axiseffects]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I was just looking at the wiring diagrams of the Fender American Series Telecasters and I noticed that they use 250K pots, but have a 0.022uF tone cap instead of the 0.05uF that my MIM Telecaster came with. I wonder how much the smaller value capacitor would brighten up the sound. I rarely use the guitar's tone control...I usually leave it wide open, so the smaller value capacitor might help pass more of the treble range without having to order up new pots.

I have plenty of 0.047uF and 0.022uF Orange Drops around, along with the really nice Panasonic V-Series Stacked Metal Film capacitors.

Phillip

[Benjy_26]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

You need the higer value pots for a bridghter sound. The caps alone will change the sound, but not as much as changing the pots.

[ArtieToo]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

You need the higer value pots for a bridghter sound. The caps alone will change the sound, but not as much as changing the pots.

It will depend somewhat on the guitar and pickups, but generally, I would think that the cap value will have a more pronounced affect than the pot value. You just have to try it and see.

[Benjy_26]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

It will depend somewhat on the guitar and pickups, but generally, I would think that the cap value will have a more pronounced affect than the pot value. You just have to try it and see.

I always thought it was the other way around, especially when the pots are turned all the way up. Are the caps still in the circuit even when the tone controls are rolled up to 10?

[MattPete]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I found that the cap had no effect when my tone was on 10.

They way I found this out was by using a push-pull 500k pot for a tone control. Leaving it pushed in added a .047 cap to the tone circuit; pulling it out removed the cap from the circuit completely. When on 10, I could hear no difference.

[Kent S.]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I was just looking at the wiring diagrams of the Fender American Series Telecasters and I noticed that they use 250K pots, but have a 0.022uF tone cap instead of the 0.05uF that my MIM Telecaster came with. I wonder how much the smaller value capacitor would brighten up the sound. I rarely use the guitar's tone control...I usually leave it wide open, so the smaller value capacitor might help pass more of the treble range without having to order up new pots.

I have plenty of 0.047uF and 0.022uF Orange Drops around, along with the really nice Panasonic V-Series Stacked Metal Film capacitors.

Phillip

If the neck is to muddy then switching to 500k pots will brighten it up a bit, it will also brighten up the bridge as well, really until that cap starts getting large you won't notice much difference at ten. The thing is since you said that you don't use your tone control much, then maybe you want to turn the tone all the way down and see how small a value cap you can use, maybe in your cases a .01uF or less would be good for being able to warm to sound up a bit, but not mud out totally. A 500k volume will sound a bit clearer when turned down, and sound a bit brighter as well when turned up. I never tried a 1/4 lbs.er in a tele neck position, but I never ran into any muddiness with the 1/4 lbs.ers .The 500k tone pot will give you a bit more brightness, but still retain the ability to roll off some if it's gets a bit to bright on the bridge.
I'd swap for 500k pots, try the tone first, maybe with a smaller value cap, then if still not bright enough opt for the 500k volume pot.

[axiseffects]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I finally ordered some 500K pots for my Tele...I just couldn't take the muddniess of the neck pickup anymore...it just completely bogs down a bright Fender-based rig tone.

So if I'm understanding everything correct, a larger value capacitor (0.047uF) would have more of an effect on the tone sooner in the rotation of the tone pot, but the smaller values (0.022uF) wouldn't really have a big effect until farther into the pot's rotation.

Right now I'm thinking that I'll either stick with the 0.047uF capacitor with the 500K control pots, of drop the value a little down to 0.033uF.

Phillip

[Wattage]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I use .022 OD caps and 500k CTS pots in my Tele with a QP bridge. They are a great match IMO.

[axiseffects]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I have a Little '59 humbucker in the bridge and it's just about perfect when it comes to treble response. But any switching combination with the neck pickup gets very muddy, especially the neck pickup-only position, so I'm hoping that the 500K pots will remedy that.

Of course the bridge pickup is also going to get brighter with the 500K pots, so hopefully the larger tone capacitor will help to roll off some of the newly added highs sooner in the pot's rotation when I'm playing only with the Little '59.

Phillip

[Kelsey]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

If you don't need the tone pot on the neck pickup at all, then rewire the neck pickup without it. That should brighten it up, although you might have to lower the height a bit to compensate for an increase in output. A no-load pot would accomplish the same thing, but you might be twisting the tone control more than you'd like when switching pickups.

[Kent S.]

Re: 500K control pots for Quarter Pound & Little 59?

I have a Little '59 humbucker in the bridge and it's just about perfect when it comes to treble response. But any switching combination with the neck pickup gets very muddy, especially the neck pickup-only position, so I'm hoping that the 500K pots will remedy that.


Phillip

If the neck is just out and out muddy, then run a cap in series with it to trim some of the bass off of it. I mena if it's the bass and lower mid content that bugs you, but it okay everywhere else, then seems like that's a pretty economical way of tailoring it to taste. Start somewhere around the neighborhood of .01uF and then work you way larger for more bass, or smaller for less bass, just grab a hand full of cheap ceramic caps from RS (they sell assortment bags for a couple of bucks), then when you find a value you like, replace it with a Hovland or OD, or silver-mica cap (as the signal goes thru the cap, the type cap will have more of an impact on the tone).