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Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

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  • Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

    Hello!

    So I currently play an HSS Ibanez AZ 2204. I'm looking to switch out the neck pick-up as the single coil neck pickup alone is the only pickup configuration that doesn't quite impress me.

    Looking for something like a warm vintage strat tone. Problem is, the guitar is using 500K pots, and I want to keep those pots as they perform perfectly in the neck+middle in series configuration (neck humbucker type thing).

    Do you know of any single coil pickups that can achieve a stratty tone on 500K pots?

    Any help highly appreciated!

    Kind regards,

    Christian.

  • #2
    Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

    Originally posted by contiContiCONTI View Post
    Hello!

    So I currently play an HSS Ibanez AZ 2204. I'm looking to switch out the neck pick-up as the single coil neck pickup alone is the only pickup configuration that doesn't quite impress me.

    Looking for something like a warm vintage strat tone. Problem is, the guitar is using 500K pots, and I want to keep those pots as they perform perfectly in the neck+middle in series configuration (neck humbucker type thing).

    Do you know of any single coil pickups that can achieve a stratty tone on 500K pots?

    Any help highly appreciated!

    Kind regards,

    Christian.
    All you have to do is to wire the Strat single coil of your choice in parallel with a resistor to ground. The single coil will "see" the load of your pots + the resistor in parallel. Try values like 220k, 330k and 470k and keep what sounds good to you.
    Duncan user since the 80's...

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

      Originally posted by freefrog View Post
      All you have to do is to wire the Strat single coil of your choice in parallel with a resistor to ground. The single coil will "see" the load of your pots + the resistor in parallel. Try values like 220k, 330k and 470k and keep what sounds good to you.
      Ah so only that pickup gets a lower resistance? I didn't know of this technique but sounds perfect. Do you have any wiring diagrams? I've never done much modded wiring myself.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

        Originally posted by contiContiCONTI View Post
        Ah so only that pickup gets a lower resistance? I didn't know of this technique but sounds perfect. Do you have any wiring diagrams? I've never done much modded wiring myself.
        Here we go:



        EDIT - It's not a schematic for Ibanez but "you'll get the picture" about the way to wire those resistors. :-)
        Duncan user since the 80's...

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

          Originally posted by freefrog View Post
          Here we go:



          EDIT - It's not a schematic for Ibanez but "you'll get the picture" about the way to wire those resistors. :-)
          Thank you for that!

          And would you have any tips for doing the same but with the 500K volume pot aswell?

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

            Originally posted by contiContiCONTI View Post
            Thank you for that!

            And would you have any tips for doing the same but with the 500K volume pot aswell?
            If I understand your question correctly: you don't need a parallel resistor dedicated to the tone pot and another one for the volume pot. What counts is the global resistance between pickups and ground.

            If you have a 500k volume and a 500k tone, it gives 250k of overall resistance from hot to ground. That's what pickups "see".

            If you have a 250k volume and a 250k tone, your pickups "see" 125k between them and the ground.

            If you keep two 500k pots then put a 250k resistor between the "hot" wire of a single coil and the ground, this single coil will "see" 125k exactly as if the pots were twice 250k.

            Note that it might change a bit the "taper" of your controls... but it will give the "correct" resistance to ground between single coil(s) and ground.

            Note also that resistors are usually 220k or 270k and not 250k precisely. But it's not really a problem.

            In one of my Strats, I've put 440k (= two 220k in series) from hot to ground in parallel with two 500k pots and it gives me the sound that I want from my single coils.

            Now, don't forbid yourself to try a single coil with 500k pots and without parallel resistance: in most cases it's too bright but not always...

            Hope it's clear - and helpful. :-)
            Duncan user since the 80's...

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

              Originally posted by freefrog View Post
              If I understand your question correctly: you don't need a parallel resistor dedicated to the tone pot and another one for the volume pot. What counts is the global resistance between pickups and ground.

              If you have a 500k volume and a 500k tone, it gives 250k of overall resistance from hot to ground. That's what pickups "see".

              If you have a 250k volume and a 250k tone, your pickups "see" 125k between them and the ground.

              If you keep two 500k pots then put a 250k resistor between the "hot" wire of a single coil and the ground, this single coil will "see" 125k exactly as if the pots were twice 250k.

              Note that it might change a bit the "taper" of your controls... but it will give the "correct" resistance to ground between single coil(s) and ground.

              Note also that resistors are usually 220k or 270k and not 250k precisely. But it's not really a problem.

              In one of my Strats, I've put 440k (= two 220k in series) from hot to ground in parallel with two 500k pots and it gives me the sound that I want from my single coils.

              Now, don't forbid yourself to try a single coil with 500k pots and without parallel resistance: in most cases it's too bright but not always...

              Hope it's clear - and helpful. :-)
              Wow. Thank you so much for this clear explanation. It's exactly what I was needing!

              Think I'll follow your advice word for word, will buy a stratty neck pickup (probably fat 50 or suhr ML), try it with 500K and then potentially add the resistor.

              Im guessing you have experience with this sort of thing, could you share any pickup configurations you have where you added resistors to singlecoils?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                Originally posted by contiContiCONTI View Post
                Wow. Thank you so much for this clear explanation. It's exactly what I was needing!

                Think I'll follow your advice word for word, will buy a stratty neck pickup (probably fat 50 or suhr ML), try it with 500K and then potentially add the resistor.

                Im guessing you have experience with this sort of thing, could you share any pickup configurations you have where you added resistors to singlecoils?
                ALL my guitars hosting fancy wirings, it's not easy to reply...

                Let's expand the example of my Strat number 2: 500k controls, 440k of added resistance between neck PU and ground, another additional 440k between mid PU and ground...
                Why this value? Because it was the best sounding to me when I've tuned my wiring by ear - the pickups being hand wound single coils, with an on/off switch enabling a noise cancelling dummy coil in series.

                I've also put a resistor in parallel with a home made mid single coil, in a guitar whose neck and bridge PU's are two Bill Lawrence L500 humbuckers.

                And so on...

                Anyway: let us know if/how the mod works for you. Good luck and see ya! :-)
                Duncan user since the 80's...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                  The Dimarzio DP402 Virtual Vintage Blues was designed to work with 500k pots and has a great, slightly warmer, strat tone.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                    I think an Alnico II Strat pickup would sound good with 500k pots. Usually it is a less glassy variation of the SSL-1, but with 500k pots it really gets brighter and more open. Perfect for glassy, quacky sounds of a great Strat.
                    Administrator of the SDUGF

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                      Thank you guys. The Virtual Vintage Blues is definitely a cool shout although I've heard others say that it almost sounds like a P90 for how fat it really is. However, they were potentially using it with 250K pots.

                      I've never heard of the Alnico II strat. Sounds ideal though, do you have first hand experience with using one with 500K pots Mincer?

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                        I'm thinking that if you change the neck pickup its going to completely change the functions of the wiring scheme. Instead, I wonder if you could only change the wiring, such as adding a parallel resistor to make a simple fix to improve the tone of the neck pickup.

                        You haven't really explained what it is you don't like about the standard neck pickup tone. If you just want to make it warmer, maybe you can simply add a 1 Meg or 510k resistor resistor across the pickup using the schematic that Freefrog suggested. In reality that is just a tweak that makes the chosen pickup sound as though the tone control is rolled off to 7 or 8. Specifically 1 Meg resistor in parallel is like rolling off the tone to 8/10, while 510k resistor is like rolling off the tone to 7/10.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                          Originally posted by Teleplayer View Post
                          I'm thinking that if you change the neck pickup its going to completely change the functions of the wiring scheme. Instead, I wonder if you could only change the wiring, such as adding a parallel resistor to make a simple fix to improve the tone of the neck pickup.

                          You haven't really explained what it is you don't like about the standard neck pickup tone. If you just want to make it warmer, maybe you can simply add a 1 Meg or 510k resistor resistor across the pickup using the schematic that Freefrog suggested. In reality that is just a tweak that makes the chosen pickup sound as though the tone control is rolled off to 7 or 8. Specifically 1 Meg resistor in parallel is like rolling off the tone to 8/10, while 510k resistor is like rolling off the tone to 7/10.
                          Thank you for the reply!

                          Yeah I think I will end up doing this but eith a different pickup. The pickup thats in now sounds pretty compressed and potent. Not like a P90 or humbucker, jist like an overwound singlecoil. For some this is a great sound, and I do like it. But I prefer to have a softer and sweeter neck pickup sound. I think this pickup was made for the 500K pot so if i put a resistor in parallel with this it will just be really muddy.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                            I suppose you have already tried lowering the height of the neck pickup. Even a 1/2 turn of the mounting screws is enough to make a difference.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Single Coil for 500K tone and volume pots.

                              Originally posted by contiContiCONTI View Post
                              Thank you guys. The Virtual Vintage Blues is definitely a cool shout although I've heard others say that it almost sounds like a P90 for how fat it really is. However, they were potentially using it with 250K pots.

                              I've never heard of the Alnico II strat. Sounds ideal though, do you have first hand experience with using one with 500K pots Mincer?
                              Yes, as it was matched to a humbucker (a 59). To me it opened the strat pickup nicely.
                              Administrator of the SDUGF

                              Comment

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