Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

I'm surprised to see so much love for this set up...

The point of using 500k's then rolling the tone back a bit is to yield a greater range of tones plus a pickup loads differently with a 500k than it does with a 250k pot and to me for 99.999% of pickups, guitars, amps and situations a humbucker with 250k pots just sounds and feels "wrong" to me.

This 300k business is the same to me...the first thing I do with newer Gibsons that have the 300k pots is to rip that junk out and go 500k...sure there is more top end but that's what tone controls are for and while we're at it it's a guitar after all...clarity and top end detail is a good thing...

Totally agree!

 

[PRSfan nym 1985]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

idk I tend to prefer 500k pots on my les pauls/humbucker equipped guitars and I usually like 250k pots on my teles/strats/other single coil wielding axes.

to each their own.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

idk I tend to prefer 500k pots on my les pauls/humbucker equipped guitars and I usually like 250k pots on my teles/strats/other single coil wielding axes.

to each their own.

Its mainly because we are used to that and it's politically correct! ;o)

 

[75lespaul]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

idk I tend to prefer 500k pots on my les pauls/humbucker equipped guitars and I usually like 250k pots on my teles/strats/other single coil wielding axes.

to each their own.

I may have just gotten two LPs that like 250K pots with the pickups in them. I had a 73 Deluxe that the 500K pots were perfect. IDK either, and like I said, all my other bucker guitars have 500K pots, but on these two, the 250K volumes did the trick. Still have 500K tone pots. Again, these are just resistors soldered across the lugs, so if I find it not working, I can always just pop'em off.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

I may have just gotten two LPs that like 250K pots with the pickups in them. I had a 73 Deluxe that the 500K pots were perfect. IDK either, and like I said, all my other bucker guitars have 500K pots, but on these two, the 250K volumes did the trick. Still have 500K tone pots. Again, these are just resistors soldered across the lugs, so if I find it not working, I can always just pop'em off.

Did the resistors change the taper of the pots?

 

[PRSfan nym 1985]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Its mainly because we are used to that and it's politically correct! ;o)

or bc it's what sounds best to me, I've tried 250, 300, 500, and 1 meg on all mine I pretty much just stick to the 250 for single coils were a darker creamier tone is desired and 500 on the humbuckers where a brighter sound is desired.

I'd rather start with brightness and take it away on a humbucker, my fralin pure paf set sounds pretty much perfect when I play out and it has 500 for vol and tone pots.

idk my rig doesn't really get too bright.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

or bc it's what sounds best to me, I've tried 250, 300, 500, and 1 meg on all mine I pretty much just stick to the 250 for single coils were a darker creamier tone is desired and 500 on the humbuckers where a brighter sound is desired.

I'd rather start with brightness and take it away on a humbucker, my fralin pure paf set sounds pretty much perfect when I play out and it has 500 for vol and tone pots.

idk my rig doesn't really get too bright.

Agreed and thats where I'm at...Didn't think you'd take my post literally...

 

[blueman335]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

I don't understand all this obsession with treble. Is it some fad with you kids these days, like swallowing goldfish or cramming a bunch of you into a phone booth or a VW?

Midrange + low end = muscle

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

I don't understand all this obsession with treble. Is it some fad with you kids these days, like swallowing goldfish or cramming a bunch of you into a phone booth or a VW?

Midrange + low end = muscle

What do you mean obsession with treble...

You say I'm obsessed with it and I think you're scared of it!

My sound is far form bright, it's a nice fat sound with a good bite and clarity

I just think that most humbucking pickup sound dull and muffled with 250k pots but unlike a lot of people on this and other forums I made up my mind about tone playing guitar in bands in bars night after night and I never, ever judge tone in my house playing by myself... that's just a terrible idea.

If you dial in a guitar and amp combo in your bedroom/living room and then take it live you'll likely never cut through a mix not to mention more often not sound like poop and on the flip side if you do a gig and have a great tone and take those settings home and play by yourself you'll likely hate the way it sounds but I'd rather sound good in a band in front of a crowd than I would sound good to myself for nobody...

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

...or mud to some people's ears. Most people's guitar tones are too muddy to my ears, especially with humbuckers and Pauls. Factory neck pickups are always unusable for me, unless talking about a vintage-wind Strat type thing, or playing at bedroom volumes. And factory tone pots are always nearly completely useless to me. I might use down to 8, or 7 if I am lucky.

I am not saying that midrange and low end should be discarded; they should not. Just that I prefer to have the treble there and to tone it down to suit than to have to try to dig it out when I want it. Since passive tone controls cut frequencies starting at the high end, it is pretty logical to want too much treble for most things as a base point, and then craft a tone control that gives you full use of it's entire sweep, with a "normal" tone somewhere in the middle. It makes more sense to have something there to use, and be able to finely control when and when not to use it, than to not have it at all.

It also has something to do with playing loud and crunchy, and for many people, with effects (though not in my case), I think. Having that extra treble on tap can be a great thing when you step on your fuzz tone. I play my amps at 7-10 when playing live. Having treble on tap can help keep that from becoming too creamy.

Blueman, I don't get it. You readily say it is all subjective, which it is, and then you give people trouble for not liking what you like. It is so passive/aggressive. It makes it seem as if the "it's all subjective" statements are just there to smooth over the edges of your feelings about anything that doesn't suit you. Do you really believe that it is subjective, or do you just say that to keep yourself from getting flamed? Because you will say something like that, and then turn around and talk down to others in a later statement.

I will admit that it may all be in good fun on your part, and I am just missing the joke. if so, sorry. But if not, I just don't get it. people like different things, and we can pool our knowledge peacefully to help each person arrive at their destination. That is the point here, not making people feel inferior for wanting certain things from their guitars. That's great that you have strong opinions. So do I and many others. But they don't mean that you need to be condescending.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

What do you mean obsession with treble...

You say I'm obsessed with it and I think you're scared of it!

Too much treble hurts my ears, gives me a headache. Maybe it's me.

I have a video of me playing with one of the better local blues bands down here at an outdoor concert. I had a Sheraton with a C8/'59N thru a Marshall DSL40. The other guitarist had a SSS Strat thru a Fender amp. Both of us were mic'd thru the PA with a 'pro' on the board. I was heavy on mids and cut thru the mix big time. He was bright and thin, like a mosquito. Though I didn't intend to, I dominated him. He's a good player, but his tone was top heavy and his playing got lost. I'll take a warm tone anyday. As long as the rest of the band isn't all midrange, it projects much better than a trebley tone. But that's my approach. You guys do whatever you want.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Hamer custom taper 500k pots.

Problem solved.

 

[blueman335]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

I may have just gotten two LPs that like 250K pots with the pickups in them. I had a 73 Deluxe that the 500K pots were perfect. IDK either, and like I said, all my other bucker guitars have 500K pots, but on these two, the 250K volumes did the trick. Still have 500K tone pots. Again, these are just resistors soldered across the lugs, so if I find it not working, I can always just pop'em off.

Didn't think you'd get browbeaten for liking 250K's, did you? It's a tough crowd here, I tell ya. :14:

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Too much treble hurts my ears, gives me a headache. Maybe it's me.

I have a video of me playing with one of the better local blues bands down here at an outdoor concert. I had a Sheraton with a C8/'59N thru a Marshall DSL40. The other guitarist had a SSS Strat thru a Fender amp. Both of us were mic'd thru the PA with a 'pro' on the board. I was heavy on mids and cut thru the mix big time. He was bright and thin, like a mosquito. Though I didn't intend to, I dominated him. He's a good player, but his tone was top heavy and his playing got lost. I'll take a warm tone anyday. As long as the rest of the band isn't all midrange, it projects much better than a trebley tone. But that's my approach. You guys do whatever you want.

I'm not talking Strat/Fender vs Gibson/Humbucker...

All I'm saying is that I've only ever heard a bucker with 250k pots have and real clarity a few times ever.

I mean you area all the time talking British Blues players and how great their fat Gibson + Marshall tones were/are yet none of those guys have 250k pots.

Bottom line is this: With a tone control I can get any guitar as fat and muddy as I want it to be but with a 250k volume pot in a humbucker loaded guitar I can never get as clear and toppy as I sometimes need to be...

FWIW, I almost never run the tone controls on my guitars full up but those rare times I need to I'm sure glad I can...

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Opinions are like a$$holes....Everyone has one!

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Opinions are like a$$holes....Everyone has one!

...and everyone thinks their own don't stink!

But that don't mean you have to be an arshole in order to have an opinion.

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Blueman, I don't get it. You readily say it is all subjective, which it is, and then you give people trouble for not liking what you like. It is so passive/aggressive. It makes it seem as if the "it's all subjective" statements are just there to smooth over the edges of your feelings about anything that doesn't suit you. Do you really believe that it is subjective, or do you just say that to keep yourself from getting flamed? Because you will say something like that, and then turn around and talk down to others in a later statement.

This is why I have chosen to ignore a very select few of people on the forums....

 

[STRATDELUXER97]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

...and everyone thinks their own don't stink!

That's right! ;o)

 

[ErikH]

I used a 250k volume with only 2 humbuckers before, the JB and Brobucker. While I liked the tone, it took away some of the bite that I like.

The Brobucker had the better response though. Sounded great. This was in a Strat both times. I would never run 250k in an all mahogany guitar.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Blueman has converted me! I love the 250k volume pots on my Les Pauls.

Too much treble hurts my ears, gives me a headache. Maybe it's me.

I have a video of me playing with one of the better local blues bands down here at an outdoor concert. I had a Sheraton with a C8/'59N thru a Marshall DSL40. The other guitarist had a SSS Strat thru a Fender amp. Both of us were mic'd thru the PA with a 'pro' on the board. I was heavy on mids and cut thru the mix big time. He was bright and thin, like a mosquito. Though I didn't intend to, I dominated him. He's a good player, but his tone was top heavy and his playing got lost. I'll take a warm tone anyday. As long as the rest of the band isn't all midrange, it projects much better than a trebley tone. But that's my approach. You guys do whatever you want.

I would love to see and hear the video...Could you share?