Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

[Jermo3178]

Kinda a random question for my own curiosity... I know the JB/Jazz work well with 250 pots. Do other humbuckers work as well? Or is it just these two?

[El Supremo]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

Screamin' Demon and Steve's Special sounded good to me with 250K.

[blueman335]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

Depends on how warm you like your bridge PU's. Most guys use 500K's and dial down the tone pot. I use 250K's on most of my bridge HB's and leave the tone pot on '10.' I like warm, full-sounding bridge PU's. I also use 9 gauge strings and picks with sharp, beveled edges, both of which add some high-end.

[Securb]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

I have a P-Rails, Holy Grail and a Hot Rails all on 250s and they sound great. My DiMarzio SD is also on 250's.

[Steve R.]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

It really depends on the particular guitar, too. While 250k pots might work fine in a bright strat, they probably wouldn't work out as well in a warm sounding guitar.

[blueman335]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

It really depends on the particular guitar, too. While 250k pots might work fine in a bright strat, they probably wouldn't work out as well in a warm sounding guitar.

Most of my guitars are warm-toned woods and/or designs, and I use 250K's with their bridge PU's. But, there's other factors in the EQ chain besides pots. Personally, I see no point in using 500K's and then having to dial down the bridge tone pot every time I plug in. Other guys like to do that. That's fine. And still other players EQ their amp to one PU and only using that one PU.

There are different schools of thought on relative EQ's : some like the contrast of a bright bridge and a warm neck. I've always found that frustrating for my entire life, and use pots and magnets to bring their EQ's closer together. The same guys that think that my bridge PU's are too warm, usually have neck PU's that I think are too warm. I use 1 meg pots on most of my neck HB's that are in LP's! As much anger and insults as my views have stirred up over the years (God forbid anyone should have a different opinion), it all comes down to a matter of taste and philosophies. Some players consider tone pots as something to be adjusted regularly. Great if that works for them. I look at them as something that shapes the tone by their inherent resistence (250K, 500K or 1 meg), and don't want to be fiddling with them when I plug in. I tweak my PU EQ's up front, individually and together, and don't have to constantly revisit that.

[Lake Placid Blues]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

The speakers you use can matter to this question as well. Through V30s some pickups in some guitars seem to need 250k, but everything the same through broken in GBs and 500k pots works fine.

[Jermo3178]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

So technically a 250 pot can typically work with any humbucker, it's more or less up to your ears..

[Bodeanicus]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

Depends on the guitar.

[tc]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

It's more or less up to your ears..

A lot of gear related situations come down to this.

[Lewguitar]

Re: Humbuckes... 250 vs 500

IMO, every electric guitarist should do some experimenting with pots, tone capacitors, and modern wiring vs. 50's wiring to see what you like.

And be prepared to change your mind about what's best for you at any time.

What I like best seems to change every 10 or 15 years for me!

Personally, I can't see myself ever using anything other than 500K with any of my favorite humbuckers. Switching to 250K pots throws away treble and once that treble is gone it's gone...there's no way to get it back.

I used to think Jazz neck pickups were inherently to bright and to zingy because my Hamers came with them and that's how the Jazz sounded in my Hamers. Turns out that most Hamers have the tone controls attached to the output jack: the 50's mod. And that's why they were so bright and zingy.

If you're using 50's wiring and your guitar sounds to bright and zingy to you with 500K pots, switch to modern wiring to fatten it up and get a thicker warmer tone that way. Your guitar will sound like you put different pickups in it.

There's simple things you can do to change the tone of your guitar for the better without swapping magnets, swapping pickups or swapping pots.

You can brighten up a muddy guitar that needs more treble simply by putting your tone control after the volume control. Attach it to the output jack or the output of the volume control: the middle terminal. That's the 50's mod.

You can warm up a bright sounding guitar by doing the opposite: attach your tone control to the input of the your volume control - the same terminal your pickups are soldered to. That's Modern wiring.

And if you play a Les Paul with two volume controls and two tone controls you can make your neck pickup brighter and clearer by doing the 50's mod to it...and fatten up your bridge pickup by doing modern wiring to it.

And it's as simple as just moving the connection to your tone controls.