Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

[Dr. Lo]

I have a guitar with one volume pot and one tone pot. Both are now 500k. I am considering replacing one of them with a 250k pot to reduce the treble response of the pickup a bit. Which pot's value is most likley to affect the treble response, the volume pot or the tone pot?

[ArtieToo]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

Definitely the tone pot, however, you don't need to change it to try it. If its a linear pot, put it on "5". If its a log pot, put it on about 7 or 8. That will give the 250k "sound". If you like that, change the tone pot.

[jeremy]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

artie, you are the man but i must disagree with you on this. i think changing the volume control has more effect than changing the tone control. i have no hard evidence of this but what ive heard with my ears. lowering the volume controls value warmed up the sound more than lowering the tone controls value

[uOpt]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

To my ears the volume pot change is more noticeable than a tone pot change, when all are on "10", and if it is a 22nF capacitor then it's an even smaller difference.

Having said that, with most pickups you only get an audible difference that is useful to "fix" a guitar when you change all three, from 500/500/22 to 250/250/47. There are more sensitive pickups, such as my Antiquity buckers, that react to smaller difference, so YMMV.

[KeeperOS]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

I think (without being all that sure) that, depending on how the tone pot is wired (a-la strat i.e. directly to the pu or universal, directly to the volume pot) the tone pot when on 10 can (or not) kinda be transparent. That doesn't sound too reassuring, huh?

[Dr. Lo]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

Ok - I'm now just as confused as before.

[uOpt]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

How you wire the capacitor, exactly, should matter here. It's a capacitor and a resistor in series. Changing the order, or connecting it to different hot point in the guitar, doesn't change anything, and the tone pot at "10" is still different from having no tone pot.

The first thing you do is what Artie said: take an Ohmmeter and turn the tone pot to where it is 250 Kohm. That's good enough for testing. Post here whether you have a 22 or 47 nF tone capacitor.

Then, use crocodile clips to put a 500 Kohm resistor parallel to the bases of the volume poti, that's your 250 Kohm poti at "10".

[Dr. Lo]

Re: Which pot's value has biggest effect on tone? The volume pot or the tone pot?

Guys,

I just got an email response back from Steve Blucher at DiMarzio who said that changing the volume pot would have more of an effect than changing the tone pot. However, this effect is rather subtle. He therefore recommends that both pots be changed to 250k to hear a clearly noticeable difference in the treble response of the pickup.