250k pots with duncan custom?

Dills

New member
Im finding the Custom to bright will 250k pots do the trick and tame the brightness. Will it affect other frequencies like the bass and mids? I only want it to bleed some treble off without affecting the other frequencies.
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Change them both to 250K to ruin the highs of your guitar... :smack:

Sorry. :) I just feel that most younger players who complain about humbuckers being to bright are simply wrong.

When you get onstage and have a rock band roaring like a jet plane all around you, you're gonna need those highs. :)

Until then, that's what the treble control on an amp is for: turn it down until you're comfortable. :) And turn your mids up while you're at it. :)

Lew
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

I'll get killed for saying this but I found using a .047 cap made a difference and darkened the tone even with the tone/volume on ten.
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

papersoul said:
I'll get killed for saying this but I found using a .047 cap made a difference and darkened the tone even with the tone/volume on ten.

You're probably right. Some treble bleeds through to ground even with pots on 10. .047 would allow some of the upper mids/lower treble to leak through and if your ears are young and undamaged I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear that extremely subtle loss.

Lew
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Picking technique (or lack of it) is often responsible for a harsh or ice picky tone. My buddy AJ is a fine guitarist...but when I first met him 20 years ago his picking technique left alot to be desired.

He played everything in a blunt, kind of choppy and abrupt style. And he had to keep his treble rolled down low to eliminate the rough sharp edge to his tone...but it was because his picking technique lacked refinement.

When you watch a really good guitarist play, they shape the tones with both hands...

Learning to up-pick and squeeze and shape the notes so you're producing a pleasing tone is useful for blues and even hard rock styles.

Personally, I think alot of the blame that certain pickups get for being harsh or overly trebley is really misdirected and often the problem is one of not producing a nice tone right at the strings of the guitar in the first place.

I mean: a Strat or Tele has much brighter pickups than any humbucker guitar...but dedicated and accomplished Fender players have learned to pick in such a way that the tone doesn't sound overly harsh or scrapey...

I dunno...it's just a pet peeve of mine I guess and maybe it doesn't even apply here...

But a player has got to learn to caress the strings and produce a nice tone even if the guitar isn't plugged in...good tone starts at the point of contact with the strings.

Lew
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Lewguitar said:
You're probably right. Some treble bleeds through to ground even with pots on 10. .047 would allow some of the upper mids/lower treble to leak through and if your ears are young and undamaged I wouldn't be surprised if you could hear that extremely subtle loss.

Lew

I am interested to try a .022 cap in one of my darker guitars that have always had the .047s to sdee the difference. I only tried the .022 to .047 on another guitar in which I noticed a little difference.

I usually mention that to people who can tell the difference. If you install 500k pots and think it is a tad too bright, swap the caps for .047. Might just work.

Currently my Gibson Les Paul has stock 300k linear volume pots with the Burstbucker Pros and I find it sounding pretty nice but sometimes I am looking for a little more of a tighter sound. I flop back and forth. I'd be interested to see what would happen if I only changed the volumes to 500k audio.

Lew, good points on picking technique. I find that for some clean tunes I have to watch my picking technique around the E and B strings to avoid ics pick highs. Makes all the difference. It really does start at the fingers. I think many people are quick to swap pickups and even pots without first addressing technique, natural voice of the instrument, and amp EQ. I am guilty of this but am learning.
 
Last edited:
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Dills said:
Im finding the Custom to bright will 250k pots do the trick and tame the brightness. Will it affect other frequencies like the bass and mids? I only want it to bleed some treble off without affecting the other frequencies.

go with a 300K
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Lewguitar said:
Change them both to 250K to ruin the highs of your guitar... :smack:

Sorry. :) I just feel that most younger players who complain about humbuckers being to bright are simply wrong.

When you get onstage and have a rock band roaring like a jet plane all around you, you're gonna need those highs. :)

Until then, that's what the treble control on an amp is for: turn it down until you're comfortable. :) And turn your mids up while you're at it. :)

Lew


yup....what he said
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Lewguitar said:
Picking technique (or lack of it) is often responsible for a harsh or ice picky tone. My buddy AJ is a fine guitarist...but when I first met him 20 years ago his picking technique left alot to be desired.

He played everything in a blunt, kind of choppy and abrupt style. And he had to keep his treble rolled down low to eliminate the rough sharp edge to his tone...but it was because his picking technique lacked refinement.

When you watch a really good guitarist play, they shape the tones with both hands...

Learning to up-pick and squeeze and shape the notes so you're producing a pleasing tone is useful for blues and even hard rock styles.

Personally, I think alot of the blame that certain pickups get for being harsh or overly trebley is really misdirected and often the problem is one of not producing a nice tone right at the strings of the guitar in the first place.

I mean: a Strat or Tele has much brighter pickups than any humbucker guitar...but dedicated and accomplished Fender players have learned to pick in such a way that the tone doesn't sound overly harsh or scrapey...

I dunno...it's just a pet peeve of mine I guess and maybe it doesn't even apply here...

But a player has got to learn to caress the strings and produce a nice tone even if the guitar isn't plugged in...good tone starts at the point of contact with the strings.

Lew


Some excellent points Lew....Not only the picking and hand techniques,but I'll also actually pick and mute strings in varying places between the bridge and the neck pickup as a purposefull change in tone...Along with pinch harmonics etc...Some of these players you're talking about use their fingers...Players like Jeff Beck and Knopfler come to mind...These guys have great tone and not at all harsh...Great post as usual.. :) You're 100% right about highend..Everytime I feel like I'm not cutting through right,it's either the highs or more mids I need to cut through if the band is cranked up pretty loud...I never seem to have to much highend though..The amp's controls help that out in a pinch..

John
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

I still hold strong that certain guitars and pickup combos work very well with 300k pots and I asume 250k. My LP has 300k volumes and sounds killer.
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

Lewguitar said:
Picking technique (or lack of it) is often responsible for a harsh or ice picky tone. My buddy AJ is a fine guitarist...but when I first met him 20 years ago his picking technique left alot to be desired.

He played everything in a blunt, kind of choppy and abrupt style. And he had to keep his treble rolled down low to eliminate the rough sharp edge to his tone...but it was because his picking technique lacked refinement.

When you watch a really good guitarist play, they shape the tones with both hands...

Learning to up-pick and squeeze and shape the notes so you're producing a pleasing tone is useful for blues and even hard rock styles.

Personally, I think alot of the blame that certain pickups get for being harsh or overly trebley is really misdirected and often the problem is one of not producing a nice tone right at the strings of the guitar in the first place.

I mean: a Strat or Tele has much brighter pickups than any humbucker guitar...but dedicated and accomplished Fender players have learned to pick in such a way that the tone doesn't sound overly harsh or scrapey...

I dunno...it's just a pet peeve of mine I guess and maybe it doesn't even apply here...

But a player has got to learn to caress the strings and produce a nice tone even if the guitar isn't plugged in...good tone starts at the point of contact with the strings.

Lew

soooo true
 
Re: 250k pots with duncan custom?

i found the Custom too bright (and a bit harsh) thru my rig but the JB not -it's just perfect - much warmer imo
though much people tell the opposite about the brightness....
 
Back
Top