Different pot values...

S

scarabunga

New member
How much difference is there in practice between the tone of a 250k volume pot and a 500k pot? My tech is convinced that once the pot's turned up full it makes near as no difference. What's your experience? I've never had two different pots in one guitar, so I can't really say.
 
Re: Different pot values...

Find a new tech. There is a huge difference. Try it yourself. I've done with singles and humbuckers.

What I find is that the 250k tames a lot of the harshness down and closes things up a bit so to speak, this works great for singles and is why it's recommended. A 500k allows more signal from the pickup to flow to the output jack so you hear more of the pickup. Go from 500k to 1Meg and it *really* opens up.

Example: That high-mid harshness of the JB that everyone talks about...that's there when using a 500k volume pot. Change it to 250k and that harshness goes away.
 
Re: Different pot values...

Hmmm...

Well my Strat's currently at his getting a Fast Track 2 fitted in the bridge position. It's already an extremely bright guitar, and he's fitting a 500k push-pull volume pot for coil tap. As it's master volume, does that mean the remaining stock single coils will now sound horribly harsh?

I realise it's an awkward compromise putting such a ridiculously loud humbucker alongside stock single coils, but I'm not sure that a 250k put would be better... wouldn't that just make the humbucker sound muddy?

if I back off the tone control, will that compensate for the new brightness?
 
Re: Different pot values...

If your guitar is already bright, putting a 500k volume pot will only make it brighter, especially with the singles. You don't want 500k with the singles, trust me. Backing off the tone can help.

There is a way to use a 500k pot with singles but see a 250k value. Put a 500k resistor from where each of the 2 stock singles connect to the switch to ground. That'll put the resistor in parallel with the 500k volume pot (which is a variable resistor itself) and when 2 resistors of the same value are in parallel, the value is cut in half, so you would get 250k in positions 1,2,3, and maybe 4, but position 5 would be 500k. Does that make sense?
 
Re: Different pot values...

scarabunga said:
Hmmm...

Well my Strat's currently at his getting a Fast Track 2 fitted in the bridge position. It's already an extremely bright guitar, and he's fitting a 500k push-pull volume pot for coil tap. As it's master volume, does that mean the remaining stock single coils will now sound horribly harsh?

I realise it's an awkward compromise putting such a ridiculously loud humbucker alongside stock single coils, but I'm not sure that a 250k put would be better... wouldn't that just make the humbucker sound muddy?

if I back off the tone control, will that compensate for the new brightness?
Click to expand...

If I were you, I would suggest an alt. wiring setup for your guitar. Having a 500k master volume on them stock singles could "unleash the fury" and not in a good way.

I'd suggest a Vol. Vol. tone setup. w/ the tone being a push pull dual mode 250k/500k pot. That way you have a master volume and tones for your singles, and a master volume and tone for your bridge.
 
Re: Different pot values...

ErikH said:
Find a new tech. There is a huge difference. Try it yourself. I've done with singles and humbuckers.

What I find is that the 250k tames a lot of the harshness down and closes things up a bit so to speak, this works great for singles and is why it's recommended. A 500k allows more signal from the pickup to flow to the output jack so you hear more of the pickup. Go from 500k to 1Meg and it *really* opens up.

Example: That high-mid harshness of the JB that everyone talks about...that's there when using a 500k volume pot. Change it to 250k and that harshness goes away.
Click to expand...

+1
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top