Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

[Aceman]

In the spirit of full disclosure, growth, and general sonic development...I am changing a long-time believed/perceived/deceived bit of tonal advice.

I am NO LONGER recommending 300k pots with ceramic Screamer type pickups!


I have been a bit dissatisfied with my Les Paul #1 for a little while. It has a maple neck, stock 1979 bridge electronics, and a Duncan Distortion in the bridge. I thought this to be sonic Nirvana for a good number of years. It was a definite massive improvement from the T-Top.

But right now, I have all mahogany Cadillacs that I'm playing all the time. One with Distortions, one with a JB and one with a Custom. They all have all 500k pots. And guess what? I like the sound better than my #1 that should arguably be a tad brighter. Now, maybe those 300k pots are actually 240k. Or maybe I'm just loosing my high end hearing at 53 and a metal band. Or possibly the LP in question is just a Norlin Dark Horse of a Les Paul.

Either way - I took her into the shop for 500 CTS pots and 50's wiring all around! (not just 500k and 50's on the neck).

Can't wait to get it back!!! Although, not in a hurry. Between the maple neck, 41 years of lacquer curing and sonic settling, that Distortion should SLAY in that guitar. Yet it does not.

We live, we learn, we change....and then we ROCK!

 

[Mincer]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

It is ok that your taste changes, or that your hearing evolves. I certainly don't like what I did 10 or 15 years ago.

 

[Dave Locher]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

If it makes you feel any better, Aceman, I ignored your advice and used 500k on everything all along. (Disclaimer: never tried a DD though. Just JB, Custom, and my beloved Super D's.)

 

[zizyphus]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

I use 1M volume pots, and often use no-load tone pots ����*

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

My bass is wired straight to the jack mofo!

 

[DavidRavenMoon]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

I don’t use the same value pots in all my guitars. They all sound different. Same with pickups. The same pickup might sound great in one guitar, and not very good in another.

I don’t try to make all my guitars sound alike, and I try to find the right pickups and electronics for each one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chistopher]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

I just put whatever pot I have laying around of the proper taper and if it's too dark, I turn my tone knob up or pick a little closer to the bridge.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

^ And you always presume that I don't know what I'm doing. Lol!

 

[Aceman]

Re: Announcement: Long Time Recommendation has changed!

I really think the Distortion isn't gonna sound that different in any guitar, since I have 103's in a Superstrat, a V, and a Caddy. One of these things is not like the others....

I still think for some a 300k pot may be the right approach to tame the top of a Ceramic Screamer. But not me any more. Take the blanket off I say!!!

Like I said - for hard rock, think about a Distortion vs a T-Top in an LP bridge. Just "Wow." But I have too many 500k bridge guitars to not notice the difference. It's the pots. They gotta go!!!!