Quarter Pound with 1Meg volume?

[Rex_Rocker]

I just restrung my Esquire, and I REALLY like the sound of the Quarter Pound.

However, I compared it to my Gibson with the Fishman Classics. At first, I actually like that the QP has more or less the same output level as the Classics in Voice 1 (PAF). However, I found it kinda funny that the Classics are actually brighter. I was expecting scoopier, but not actually more sizzly. I guess it makes sense since the QP is mega overwound and has a ton of metal in it, but it almost throws me off that my Esquire is actually darker than my Les Paul.

Well... maybe "darker" is not the right word, because it still has a hint of the twangy quality in the high-mids, but the sizzle is not very... detailed. At least compared to the Fishmans.

I wonder if I can get some of that top-end detail back by using a 1Meg volume pot. Right now, it's running a single 500K volume pot.

Thoughts?

[Clint 55]

A 1 meg volume will make it a bit brighter but there will still be the inherent compression and mids from it being mega over wound. It can't hurt to try.

[Mincer]

QPs are sort of dark sounding pickups. As you add power, they get dark sounding.

[freefrog]

A QP has twice the inductance of a regular SC but a high Q factor focusing its resonant frequency in the high mids so the effect evoked is expected.

A way to give more sizzle and less "compression" to such a pickup is to put it in parallel with a dummy coil + a resistor to ground (ideal inductance of the dummy: 4H to 6H. Ideal resistance of the whole circuit around 15k). It will shift up the resonant peak and lower a bit the output level.
If properly sized and positioned, the dummy coil will have a noise cancelling effect, BTW.

Or put a Statoblaster preamp set @ unity gain directly at the output of the guitar: it will change the QP in the equivalent of an active pickup and will also shift up its resonant peak for more sizzle (because it will deny cable capacitance, this time).

A useable dummy coil can be obtained from cheapo single coils with bar magnets : Squier type SC with ceramic underneath or P90, which would be the right choice for a decent inductivity in this case. Just keep a coil alone. Put back its inert magnetic poles if it makes the sound too thin.

A Stratoblaster preamp can be built in 5mn on a tiny breadboard since it involves a handful of components.

FWIW : two recipes that I've applied / used more than once these last decades.

[Rex_Rocker]

OK... so technical question... does going for a 1Meg raise the resonant peak higher up the freqs or does it leave it at the same freq, just makes it stronger?

[freefrog]

Any pot with higher resistance basically leaves the resonant peak at the same frequency and makes it stronger. Changing the frequency itself requires a change in stray capacitance or in inductance.

[Chistopher]

If I broke into your house and replaced your 500k pot with a 1meg pot you would not notice.

[freefrog]

I'd say that with a typical input impedance of 1M, a 1M pot compared to a 500k makes a difference of 1,5dB to 2dB @ resonance.

Is it noticeable? I'd say that it depends... How resonant peaks of guitar pickups align themselves on peaks or dips of guitar loudspeakers is never evoked while it's IME a critical parameter. YMMV.

[jeremy]

If I broke into your house and replaced your 500k pot with a 1meg pot you would not notice.

i disagree, i would 100% notice

[ToneFiddler]

QP for tele with 250k Vol + 250k tone was too dark for me. 250k vol, no tone was OK.
500k vol not tone is plenty bright, depending on the guitar of course.
I eventually sold it because it was too compressed and congested for me, but i still kinda liked it. But i never really liked the 500T, 498T and i am also pretty sure the black winter isn't for me, so YMMV.

[Rex_Rocker]

QP for tele with 250k Vol + 250k tone was too dark for me. 250k vol, no tone was OK.
500k vol not tone is plenty bright, depending on the guitar of course.
I eventually sold it because it was too compressed and congested for me, but i still kinda liked it. But i never really liked the 500T, 498T and i am also pretty sure the black winter isn't for me, so YMMV.

I do like it. A lot, actually. Especially since it's pretty generous in output (for a single coil) without sounding mega dark like the Hot Rails (which IME is all output and no tone).

I don't mind it being compressed. I like compressed. But you're right. It's certainly even less open EQ-wise than some full humbuckers.

[ToneFiddler]

well, on some days i like high output pickups with a lot of compression and on some days i don't.
as said, i kind of liked it, but it was over the top, for what i bought it for. if i would still have it laying around, i sure would give it another spin.

[Rex_Rocker]

well, on some days i like high output pickups with a lot of compression and on some days i don't.
as said, i kind of liked it, but it was over the top, for what i bought it for. if i would still have it laying around, i sure would give it another spin.

I don't think it's THAT over the top, though. Certainly not Black Winter kind of levels.

Or maybe it is, and I'm just used to disseminating the nuances between over-the-top pickups, LOL.

Which I guess is kinda the reason why Voice 1 on the Fishman Classics sounded so alien to me. But I'm warming up to them.

[Clint 55]

I like how mega overwound pups get those metallic mids. I think it's a cool effect of all that wire. I'm definitely a fan of compressed pups.