500k or 550k Volume pot?

[NICO]

Your right, that is an annoying question, mainly because it makes most people 2nd guess if they actually have a true 500k pot and should upgrade. The more k the better for humbuckers Im told, but-would it actually make a damn difference(noticeable to human ears) from one pot to the other?

 

[idsnowdog]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

Be aware that the 50k difference can be attributed to 10% tolerance. Resistance can also vary according to ambient temperature.

 

[LtKojak]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

Resistance can also vary according to ambient temperature.

While this is true in copper-wound coils, it doesn't apply to a pot as it employs carbon, which characteristics are not affected by temperature.

HTH,

 

[LtKojak]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

Your right, that is an annoying question, mainly because it makes most people 2nd guess if they actually have a true 500k pot and should upgrade. The more k the better for humbuckers Im told, but-would it actually make a damn difference(noticeable to human ears) from one pot to the other?

Generally speaking, 550K pots are usually used in the neck p'up of a two-hum guitar, and the difference IS noticeable, specially in A2, A3 and UOA5 PAF-like neck p'ups.

Many prefer a lower-reading pot in the bridge position, like a 300K or even 250K for both volume and tone.

In my case, as I wire all my guitars with Master Volume and Master Tone, I hand-pick pots which measure the closest to 500K, with a tolerance of max 2%.

The new Duncan YJM pots fit these specs like a glove, and have the nicest taper to boot.

HTH,

 

[Grindspine]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

I use a 551k pot with my Duncan Distortion and Alnico II Pro neck. That guitar has a rosewood fingerboard and 24.75" length, so the higher reistance pot helps retain a hair more high end than the stock 500k pot did. Your mileage may vary depending on your gear.

 

[lemonman]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

I have 550-560k pots in the neck of most of my humbucker guitars. It's a small, but noticeable difference.

 

[papersoul]

Re: 500k or 550k Volume pot?

Your ear won't hear a difference from 500K to 550K....just like 250k and 300k sound exactly the same to the ear. Don't worry bout it!