1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
- Thread starter focusbob
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STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
"Usually" if you go with a higher value pot for volume,the guitar has more overall highend..
I pretty much stick with using 500k pots for both tone and volume controls on my humbucking guitars..
250k for tone and volume with single coils...
I Like using .022 most of the time on the bridge pickups and also the neck,but I also use a .01 or .015 at the neck so it doesn't rolloff as dark as you roll towards 0 on the tone control..
Some guys use a 250k pot in the bridge postion as it tames a brighter humbucker back a bit...
Best to experiment and see what your ears tell you...No harm and no hard rules..Just resistance differences that the circuit sees as far as the pots..
I've made my own 500k No Load Tone pots...This takes the cap and the tone pot out of the circuit when the tone control is on 10..Gives you that little bit of extra highend(if needed) and slightly more percieved output.I don't do this with my single coil guitars though..
"Usually" if you go with a higher value pot for volume,the guitar has more overall highend..
I pretty much stick with using 500k pots for both tone and volume controls on my humbucking guitars..
250k for tone and volume with single coils...
I Like using .022 most of the time on the bridge pickups and also the neck,but I also use a .01 or .015 at the neck so it doesn't rolloff as dark as you roll towards 0 on the tone control..
Some guys use a 250k pot in the bridge postion as it tames a brighter humbucker back a bit...
Best to experiment and see what your ears tell you...No harm and no hard rules..Just resistance differences that the circuit sees as far as the pots..
I've made my own 500k No Load Tone pots...This takes the cap and the tone pot out of the circuit when the tone control is on 10..Gives you that little bit of extra highend(if needed) and slightly more percieved output.I don't do this with my single coil guitars though..
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ItsaBass
New member
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
Putting the 1M pot in the volume spot instead of the tone spot will have a larger effect.
What cap you use will depend on what you want your tone knob to do when it is turned way down (into the bottom 1/4 of it's resistance range). Do you want a quiet and muffled sound that is all bass? Use a .022 or .047 uF cap. Do you want a less bassy sound, with a mild cocked wah snarl to it? Try .01 uF. If you want a heavy cocked wah sound that retains volume (caused by just the top end being rolled off) try .0047, .0033, or .0022 uF (AKA 4700, 3300, or 2200 pF).
Putting the 1M pot in the volume spot instead of the tone spot will have a larger effect.
What cap you use will depend on what you want your tone knob to do when it is turned way down (into the bottom 1/4 of it's resistance range). Do you want a quiet and muffled sound that is all bass? Use a .022 or .047 uF cap. Do you want a less bassy sound, with a mild cocked wah snarl to it? Try .01 uF. If you want a heavy cocked wah sound that retains volume (caused by just the top end being rolled off) try .0047, .0033, or .0022 uF (AKA 4700, 3300, or 2200 pF).
ItsaBass
New member
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
That's exactly what I'd say. But I'd add that the overall effect in either case is a pretty subtle change over 500K. It's helpful and worthwhile if you need a slightly crisper top end, but it's not a dramatic change. That's why I like changing the tone pots too.
That's exactly what I'd say. But I'd add that the overall effect in either case is a pretty subtle change over 500K. It's helpful and worthwhile if you need a slightly crisper top end, but it's not a dramatic change. That's why I like changing the tone pots too.
STRATDELUXER97
Stratoblaster Tone Meister
idsnowdog
Imperator of Indignation
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
In general more wraps of copper around a coil gives higher resistance and higher output in milivolts. As the resistance and output increases, so does the proportion of bass to treble response. So pickups with higher resistance readings will often be darker sounding, while lower resistance readings will be brighter.
If your goal is to brighten a guitar, using a 1 meg pot for the tone does very little. However using a 1 meg pot for volume gives you more treble and dynamic range. I find that a 500k pot sometimes robs too much treble and dynamics from powerful humbuckers, so I use 1 meg pot. So a lower value pot not only reduces the treble, but it also smooths out the dynamic range of the pickup.
My rule of thumb for pot values:
< 6K resistance (lipstick tubes) = 100K volume pot.
> 7-9K resistance (vintage single coils, vintage humbuckers) = 250k volume pot for singles, 500k volume for humbuckers.
> 10-14K resistance (hot single coils, medium output humbuckers) = 500k volume pot.
> 16-20K resistance (hot humbuckers) = 1 meg volume.
In general more wraps of copper around a coil gives higher resistance and higher output in milivolts. As the resistance and output increases, so does the proportion of bass to treble response. So pickups with higher resistance readings will often be darker sounding, while lower resistance readings will be brighter.
If your goal is to brighten a guitar, using a 1 meg pot for the tone does very little. However using a 1 meg pot for volume gives you more treble and dynamic range. I find that a 500k pot sometimes robs too much treble and dynamics from powerful humbuckers, so I use 1 meg pot. So a lower value pot not only reduces the treble, but it also smooths out the dynamic range of the pickup.
My rule of thumb for pot values:
< 6K resistance (lipstick tubes) = 100K volume pot.
> 7-9K resistance (vintage single coils, vintage humbuckers) = 250k volume pot for singles, 500k volume for humbuckers.
> 10-14K resistance (hot single coils, medium output humbuckers) = 500k volume pot.
> 16-20K resistance (hot humbuckers) = 1 meg volume.
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Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
Try a jb with a 1meg ohm pot in a tele. According to your scheme it should work but let me tell you: thats bright and skreechy. Really unpleasant. Why not judge with your ears?
bop/fusion freak
New member
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
am a Jazz Brazil Funk player. I just changed the cap on the tone put a orange drop .022, it added power, but interestingly
seems that now, I get an edge of power and mediums at 0, why?
thank you
am a Jazz Brazil Funk player. I just changed the cap on the tone put a orange drop .022, it added power, but interestingly
seems that now, I get an edge of power and mediums at 0, why?
thank you
freefrog
Well-known member
Re: 1 mohm vol, 500k tone VS 500k vol, 1 mohm tone pots?
Hi,
Firstly, let's exorcise the question of the capacitive material involved: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.car...pening_a_can_of_worms-opening-jfa2492_low.jpg
Secondly, let's recall a few things true with any tone capacitor:
-a guitar tone pot doesn't exactly kills the high range. It "relocates" the "resonant peak" of a pickup @ a lower frequency. See the figure 8 here: https://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lemme/
-If your "22nF" (same thing than 0.022µF) Orange Drop actually measures less than its official value, it will shift the resonant peak @ a higher frequency in the audio range than a true 22nF (or than a supposed 22nF measuring actually more). Higher frequencies require less power to be amplified (and/or a broader frequency range will necessarily seem louder than a narrowed one), so a cap with a lower value should let pass more perceived volume when the pot is @ 0/10.
Now and as this difference should be subtle with a 0.022µF cap, let's question the actual value of your tone capacitor: are you sure that you haven't mounted a 2,2nF cap (or 0.0022µF)? Because this value would do exactly what you say: it would promote the mids.
That's a pretty useful value for some sounds, BTW.
FWIW.
Hi,
Firstly, let's exorcise the question of the capacitive material involved: https://s3.amazonaws.com/lowres.car...pening_a_can_of_worms-opening-jfa2492_low.jpg
Secondly, let's recall a few things true with any tone capacitor:
-a guitar tone pot doesn't exactly kills the high range. It "relocates" the "resonant peak" of a pickup @ a lower frequency. See the figure 8 here: https://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/lemme/
-If your "22nF" (same thing than 0.022µF) Orange Drop actually measures less than its official value, it will shift the resonant peak @ a higher frequency in the audio range than a true 22nF (or than a supposed 22nF measuring actually more). Higher frequencies require less power to be amplified (and/or a broader frequency range will necessarily seem louder than a narrowed one), so a cap with a lower value should let pass more perceived volume when the pot is @ 0/10.
Now and as this difference should be subtle with a 0.022µF cap, let's question the actual value of your tone capacitor: are you sure that you haven't mounted a 2,2nF cap (or 0.0022µF)? Because this value would do exactly what you say: it would promote the mids.
That's a pretty useful value for some sounds, BTW.
FWIW.
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