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Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

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  • Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

    Exactly how does this work......does the blend work when you have either the bridge or neck p/u on, then the 'other' p/u can be blended in as wanted? My initial thought was that I would have 2 Vol. pots, & 1 Master Tone, and blend accordingly..... Is there any benefit or ease of use to one method over the other? I'm trying to load the schematic from Fralins site, but I dunno. It would be 2 P90's, 3 way switch, & Master Vol, Master Tone, & Blender pot....OR the scenario mentioned up top. Thanks for thoughts, opinions, & advise.
    Kenny ��
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  • #2
    Re: Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

    The Fralin Blender pot is just a 250K no-load pot. If you wire it according to the diagram on his site, it'll gradually blend in the bridge when you have the neck selected and vice versa. With the blend pot fully up, it's out of the circuit and you'll get more of the 'other' pickup as you roll the pot down. Contrary to popular opinion it work with more than vintage output singles; I've used them with both an SSL-6 and Lace Sensor Red with great results.
    Originally posted by crusty philtrum
    And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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    • #3
      ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

      Thanks....AND if I'm using 2 500k pots for the P90's, should I be also be using a 500k value for the Blender Pot or a 250k? Kenny 🕉

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      • #4
        Re: Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

        I would use 500K in that case. I've only ever used a blender in a 3-pickup guitar though; I'm not sure how it would behave with two, especially in the middle switch position.
        Originally posted by crusty philtrum
        And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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        • #5
          Re: ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

          Originally posted by zozoe View Post
          Thanks....AND if I'm using 2 500k pots for the P90's, should I be also be using a 500k value for the Blender Pot or a 250k? Kenny ��
          At first glance, I've thought that the blender was not connected to ground and that it wouldn't affect the tone but that's not true finally: in fact, the blender creates a parallel resistive path to ground for each pickup, passing through the pot... and through the other pickup. So, if you use a 250k blender, it's as if you added 250k + the DCR of a P90 in parallel with each pickup. With 500k control, the effect will be less noticeable... but still there (like a third 500k pot added to the circuit).
          That's why Fralin uses a "no load" pot. Fortunately, changing any pot in a "no load" one is relatively easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQ8gS1PEO8

          FWIW. Good luck! :-)
          Last edited by freefrog; 04-21-2019, 12:22 AM.
          Duncan user since the 80's...

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          • #6
            Re: ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

            Originally posted by freefrog View Post
            That's why Fralin uses a "no load" pot. Fortunately, changing any pot in a "no load" one is relatively easy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IQ8gS1PEO8

            FWIW. Good luck! :-)
            The reason you need to use a no load pot is so the blender is "off" when the pot is fully up. A standard pot will work, but you'd always have a little bit of blend.
            Originally posted by crusty philtrum
            And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

              Originally posted by dystrust View Post
              The reason you need to use a no load pot is so the blender is "off" when the pot is fully up. A standard pot will work, but you'd always have a little bit of blend.
              I was basically explaining the same thing than you... The difference is that I've described the influence of the blend in terms of load to ground due to the pot + second pickup while you implicitly see the blend in terms of contribution of the second pickup to the reading of the strings.

              The reason why I've opted for the first explanation is this one: with a 250k or 500k pot as a "wall", the contribution of a second pickup is not more noticeable than a different cap when a tone pot is full up (IOW: it slighty "colors" the tone but not much). Conversely, the parallel path to ground due to an added pot + pickup to ground is damping the "resonant peak" as much as a third pot added to the circuit (I had experimental notes about that in my archives but had forgotten it initially).


              FWIW: some hasty precision in the name of clarity, and that's all. :-)


              EDIT, in order to clarify a bit more my point. Below is a pic comparing some experimental screenshots that I've adapted. The red curve is the raw resonant peak of a P90 alone. The green and blue pics show the same Rz with a 500k then a 250k blender going to a second P90. The resonance looses 1dB each time. That's what I was trying to share.

              Click image for larger version

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              That said, I insist on the solution evoked because it was my main reason to post initially: a no load pot is easy to build and to use as a blender. My Strat number one includes one of these where was the neck tone control and it works like a charm (the only difference is that my blender is a push pull putting the mid PU in series with the two other ones).
              Last edited by freefrog; 04-22-2019, 01:35 AM.
              Duncan user since the 80's...

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              • #8
                Re: ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

                So, freefrog, in layman's terms, with 2 500k pots, & 2 P90 pups, what value Blender pot is a better bet? Thnx

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                • #9
                  Re: ONE MORE. Question about Blender Pot from Fralin....~~

                  Originally posted by moto View Post
                  So, freefrog, in layman's terms, with 2 500k pots, & 2 P90 pups, what value Blender pot is a better bet? Thnx
                  With regular pots, we have to face a dilemma: the highest possible value is required if we want to keep the tone intact... but the lowest resistance is better to obtain a progressive blending (a 1M pot tending to act like an on/off switch).

                  So, the best choice IMHO is still a no load pot. Then a 1M one if we accept a on/off behavior. Or a 250k if we care about blending but not about the original sound.

                  Among regular values, the best compromise is probably 500k, like dystrust said :-)
                  Duncan user since the 80's...

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