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500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

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  • 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

    Hello everybody

    I am new to the forum and am hoping to get a bit of advice for my strat.

    I have a cheap strat with a lot of sentimental value so I decided to upgrade the pick-ups and replace the wires, pots etc.

    I decided to go for the Seymour Duncan SJB/SDBR/SL59 Set and went on a few forums and sites (I didn't know this one existed) looking for advice and was told that I would need 500k for the tone pots and 250k for the volume pot. I sent the guitar away the other day to get it all installed since I would set probably set my house on fire with my terrible soldering skills! After randomly finding this board yesterday, I saw a similar question about wiring one of the pick-ups and in a reply there was a wiring diagram attached which had all 250k pots.

    Do I need 250k pots or will the 500k pots be better? What difference in sound should I expect if I go with the 500k versus the 250k and should I contact the luthier straight away to stop him from installing the 500k?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. I have been really looking forward to playing this old strat again and would hate for it to sound like mud when I get it back

  • #2
    Re: 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

    Dude, that's a great question. I'd like to know since I'm planning on doing the same thing!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

      500k will give you more top-end. The volume and tone circuit is kind of like a leaky tap.....there is always a bit of your treble frequencies dripping away down the drain. The lower the value of the pots, the more the tap is 'on'. If they are true singlecoils people tend to go for 250k, as there is a brittle top end that this rating nicely removes. Humbuckers of any size/shape are better with 500k. Remember, the tone pot can always dial out highs if needed, you can't add them back.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

        Originally posted by CityofDawros View Post
        Do I need 250k pots or will the 500k pots be better? What difference in sound should I expect if I go with the 500k versus the 250k and should I contact the luthier straight away to stop him from installing the 500k?
        The science behind it is that when you leak away signal to ground, high frequencies go first, while bass frequencies get left behind, so a 250K pot will allow more signal, and hence more high end, to leak away to ground while a 500K pot will allow less treble to escape.

        So it really doesn't matter that much, it merely determines how much treble you want to retain by default. If you are a "lead guitarists" type or play clean and like clarity, you can do 500K pots for both the volume and tone and get a maximum of clarity without bumping up to 1M or "no load" pots. If you do more rhythm and want more mids, go for 250K.

        If your Strat is wired stock, an interesting scheme might be to have a 500K pot for the neck tone pot and a 250K tone pot for the Duckbucker in the middle, to darker it and brighten the series neck and bridge humbuckers.

        Personally, I like high end so I just do 500K or 1M all around.

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        • #5
          Re: 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

          So 250 will be darker and 500 will be brighter?

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          • #6
            Re: 500k or 250k pots with SJB/SDBR/SL59 set?

            Thanks for the replies guys. I'm going to go with the 500k pots and see ho wit turns out. I can always change it if I am not happy with the sound

            Comment


            • #7
              Ok, I have had the same question, have a lil59´in the bridge position of a strat w two single coils for middle and neck.

              The guitar previously had a hot - way too strong - humbucker wired with the fender american standard wiring - a double pot is used for the volume w the singlecoils wired to the 250 k side/pot and the humbucker to the 500k side, also the tone controls have separate values - 500k for the hb, 250k for the sc:s -
              So I tried the lil59 - with that wiring. Didn´t work for me. too bright and too big a difference in tone between the lil59 and the other two pups.

              rewired it to

              a normal stratocaster wiring for the switch, 250 k master vol, 250 k master tone, and a blender pot to mix the neck with the bridge .. works great!

              The Seymour Duncan wiring diagram that came with the lil 59 also shows 250k pots for all positions.

              It seems to me the pickup is made to fit into a strat and to sound "right" with a 250k pot.

              Been thinking about re-wiring at least one Strat with a blender pot. Currently have a CV60 with a set of Rose Mariposa pickups. Really like the classic Strat tones from these pups and having the bridge pup wired to the tone pot really opens up the bridge pup (and eliminates a little ice pick)...
              Last edited by ppolfeldt; 10-20-2021, 06:01 PM. Reason: ADDED A LINK TO THE WIRING DIAGRAM USED

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by ppolfeldt View Post
                Ok, I have had the same question, have a lil59´in the bridge position of a strat w two single coils for middle and neck.

                The guitar previously had a hot - way too strong - humbucker wired with the fender american standard wiring - a double pot is used for the volume w the singlecoils wired to the 250 k side/pot and the humbucker to the 500k side, also the tone controls have separate values - 500k for the hb, 250k for the sc:s -
                So I tried the lil59 - with that wiring. Didn´t work for me. too bright and too big a difference in tone between the lil59 and the other two pups.

                rewired it to

                a normal stratocaster wiring for the switch, 250 k master vol, 250 k master tone, and a blender pot to mix the neck with the bridge .. works great!

                The Seymour Duncan wiring diagram that came with the lil 59 also shows 250k pots for all positions.

                It seems to me the pickup is made to fit into a strat and to sound "right" with a 250k pot.

                https://www.strat-talk.com/threads/s...wiring.505671/
                Welcome to the forum!

                To me, the Little 59 is absolutely the best with 250k pots. It was designed to drop in a Strat with no other modifications.
                Administrator of the SDUGF

                Comment


                • #9
                  It's all a matter of personal preference. I personally think the Lil 59 is pretty dark sounding and needs a 500k or even a 1meg vol pot. (Actually, my preference would be to not even use the Lil 59, ha). Dave is not alone in liking the 250k pots. Many like the smoother, less treble tone of the 250k pots, but I feel that if the 500k pot sounds too bright I can just turn my tone knob down some. Like Alex said, you can always dial out too much treble, but if your tone is too dark (from using 250k pots), you CAN"T dial in any more treble.
                  Originally Posted by IanBallard
                  Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by GuitarDoc View Post
                    It's all a matter of personal preference. I personally think the Lil 59 is pretty dark sounding and needs a 500k or even a 1meg vol pot. (Actually, my preference would be to not even use the Lil 59, ha). Dave is not alone in liking the 250k pots. Many like the smoother, less treble tone of the 250k pots, but I feel that if the 500k pot sounds too bright I can just turn my tone knob down some. Like Alex said, you can always dial out too much treble, but if your tone is too dark (from using 250k pots), you CAN"T dial in any more treble.
                    Totally true. Good thing it is one of the cheapest experiments you can do.
                    Administrator of the SDUGF

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      ^+1
                      Originally Posted by IanBallard
                      Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Easiest thing to do is use 500K's and add a resistor if the high end is too much. A 470k resistor makes a 500K pot sound similar to a 250K. Much cheaper and easier to experiment that way.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Personally i think the JB jr sounds to flat and held back with a 250k.
                          Hope you found a good solution
                          Guitars; MIJ Fender Stratocaster E-series and Ibanez RG2570E MIJ 2003

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