HS Tele, Little 59 bridge, WRHB neck, need help on resistance values to match...

[HappyChicken]

Hi again, thanks for reading!

So here is my setup which is a bit offset from the regular and so I struggle a bit with total resistance the pup sees as well as output volume.

I'm using a vintage Maxon WRHB on the neck that clocks in at 11Khz.( Its way louder right now than the 59)
I have a 1Meg volume pot(888Khz real value), it's what I need for the Maxon.
I have a 500Khz Tone pot.

So I want first to use a resistor in parallel on the 59 so it sees 250Hz- 500Hz, I'm not too concerned about the 59 being too bright on 500K.
I would like the middle position not too dark!
I guess I would want a compromise on the 59 to have a brighter middle position...

Can anybody help me find a ballpark start value on the parallel resistor on the 59?

I hope this makes sense!

thanks

[jeremy]

using a 1M resistor will get you just under 500k. lowering the resistance the pup sees will give it a darker tone and maybe seemingly a bit less output. is that what you want?

[HappyChicken]

using a 1M resistor will get you just under 500k. lowering the resistance the pup sees will give it a darker tone and maybe seemingly a bit less output. is that what you want?

Thanks for the reply.
I would say that I want to max the output of the 59 to counter the Maxon.
As for frequency response, trying to stay within normal specs as much as possible when the pup sees a 250k pot .

[jeremy]

a 1.2M or 1.1M resistor will get you just over, or just under 500k when in parallel with the 888k volume pot. it will push the resonant peak down a bit which is my it might seem to lose a touch of output, and sound fatter.

[HappyChicken]

thanks.
For some reason the parallel resistance calculator I used showed a 350K to bring down the final value to 250k.
I like that the resonant frequency is lowered and sounds fatter, sort of like a woman tone without the woman......lol
will also help the Maxon in position 2.
So I will do that, thanks.

[jeremy]

if you want a "250k" volume control for the 59, a 500k resistor would get you around 320k, and a 350k would indeed get you around 250k. but then you also have the tone pot which will load things down a bit as well

[HappyChicken]

OK aso that means its 3 resistors in parallel?
The detail is that I would need to play some time with a setup and see if it works, but I can't really as the thing is in open surgery.
Im trying to ballpark a figure that will be a compromise where the I don't loose brightness on the maxon, I put a 1meg pot to get the clarity.
Maybe my two pups are not compatible as far as volume, not sure yet.
Anyhow, thanks I will try a 350k resistor..

[Rex_Rocker]

Whole Rotta Humbucker?

[eclecticsynergy]

Whole Rotta Humbucker?

Ruh-roh, I think he means a Maxon copy of the 70s-Fender-style Wide Range Humbucker.
They were spec'd for use with a 1Meg pot. Wasn't aware Maxon ever made those though.

A Scooby humbucker would rule though...

~

OP, if you have enough space you could use a "half-Superswitch" and engage the parallel resistor only in position 1.
That way you'd retain a nice bright tone in middle position.
I believe the single wafer half-Superswitch can fit in a Tele control cavity, while a full-sized dual-wafer Superswitch will not.
Others will have to advise on this, but I could swear I've heard of people using them in Teles.

Since the Superswitch is a five position switch, you could also have the Lil 59 without resistor in position 2.
And maybe half-out-of-phase wiring in position 4.

[HappyChicken]

Here is a picture of the pup. I took this from a Japanese copy of a Tele Custom.
That pup is amazing, "Hi-Fi", articulate, clean, amazing low end.
Im not a traditional player in the sense that I like to create atmospheres and soundscapes and this pickup is perfect for that.
So this is the challenge as I am keeping the Maxon in there and now bought the 59 thinking I can match them...
I like the super switch idea for the options, but for now I will ride the thing with this setup and see how it goes.

If anyone is interested , these pickups meant to copy the Fender wide range but they seem to not use the magnetic screw poles and just use a bar magnet like a humbucker. I did not open it to confirm....
Still it sounds very much like a wide range. I think the Henries numbers got boosted by a different wire gage and winding numbers. This is an early 1973 potted version, before they got going with it and changed the winglet to bigger ones like the PAF.