Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

A

adam.2043

New member
I have a SSl-1 that's going in the neck position of an S/H strat I'm putting together. For this guitar, I'd ideally have two volumes, a 250k for the SSL-1 and a 500k for the Humbucker, but I can't find a wiring diagram for that. So, I'll be using this: http://http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=tele_1hum_1sing
(The volume will be 500k and the tone will be 250k, as I'm more concerned with the sound of the bridge humbucker...)

Will the SSL-1 be too bright/piercing with the 500k pot? If so, is it tameable with the tone control?

The guitar is Alder with a maple/maple neck and a vintage trem. I'm looking for mainly Hendrix and SRV style tones out of the SSL-1.

Thanks.
 
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Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

It should be ok; I have a pair of SSL2s in a guitar, and with the 500k vol/tone, it sounds fine.

What humbucker are you going to use?

Sometimes it depends on the guitar, but having a 250k tone and 500k volume should help. You can also wire a resistor between the neck pu and its position on the switch so when it's engaged, it sees a 250k volume.

Wiring diagram. So, pretend that the neck is a single coil with a black and white wire going to its 250k volume (white goes to the pot lug, black to ground).
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_2v_3w
 
Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

Ashurbanipal said:
It should be ok; I have a pair of SSL2s in a guitar, and with the 500k vol/tone, it sounds fine.

What humbucker are you going to use?

Sometimes it depends on the guitar, but having a 250k tone and 500k volume should help. You can also wire a resistor between the neck pu and its position on the switch so when it's engaged, it sees a 250k volume.

Wiring diagram. So, pretend that the neck is a single coil with a black and white wire going to its 250k volume (white goes to the pot lug, black to ground).
http://www.seymourduncan.com/support/wiring-diagrams/schematics.php?schematic=2h_2v_3w
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response. Can you expand on the resistor thing? I've heard about it before but only have a very vague understanding of it... Sounds interesting...

The humbucker will be an SH-5, btw.
 
Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

So, you wire one end of the resistor to the lug where the hot wire of the pu goes on the switch, and the other end to ground. As a guide, a 500k resistor will have the single coil seeing a 250k pot; this is because you're wiring the resistor in parallel, so the 500k resistor, combined with the 500k pot, will yield an overall parallel resistance of 250k.

Here's an example: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=243438. You can see the resistor here is 470k, with a 5% +/- tolerance.

I haven't tried this mod myself as I'm happy with my sound but would if I wanted to tweak. I let my ears guide me, rather than nutting out the theory.

SH5... You might find it tricky balancing the output of the pups if you're using a hot bridge bucker and vintage neck single.
 
Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

Ashurbanipal said:
So, you wire one end of the resistor to the lug where the hot wire of the pu goes on the switch, and the other end to ground. As a guide, a 500k resistor will have the single coil seeing a 250k pot; this is because you're wiring the resistor in parallel, so the 500k resistor, combined with the 500k pot, will yield an overall parallel resistance of 250k.

Here's an example: https://forum.seymourduncan.com/showthread.php?t=243438. You can see the resistor here is 470k, with a 5% +/- tolerance.

I haven't tried this mod myself as I'm happy with my sound but would if I wanted to tweak. I let my ears guide me, rather than nutting out the theory.

SH5... You might find it tricky balancing the output of the pups if you're using a hot bridge bucker and vintage neck single.
Click to expand...
Thanks man! I think I'm gonna give this a shot.

And yeah, I've thought about balancing the two... Maybe it would help if I threw an A2 in the Custom and made it an Sh-11... That would be a step down from the ceramic, no?

Again, thanks for the help!
 
Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

Would you like a diagram for two volumes and a master tone in a Strat?

Or would you prefer the 250k/500k resistor mod?
 
Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

Here's what it would look like. It would be largely the same for a strat schematic. You are just attaching a resistor in parallel between the neck switch lug and the pot ground.
 
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Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

Strat pickups with 500K pots are fine, if you have a useful tone control with which it rein them in if needed – much better than a dark pickup with a 250K pot. I think you will be good to go with a master volume, and a tone control for each pickup. I'd be more concerned about pickups sharing a tone control than sharing a volume control. Having an independent tone control for each pickup allows you much more versatility than a master tone setup, especially when using two very different types of pickup.
 
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Re: Duncan SSl-1 with 500k pot?

adam.2043 said:
Thanks man! I think I'm gonna give this a shot.

And yeah, I've thought about balancing the two... Maybe it would help if I threw an A2 in the Custom and made it an Sh-11... That would be a step down from the ceramic, no?

Again, thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

You're welcome :).

Yes, installing an A2 will knock the output off some, but the tone will change too. Have a read of the recent thread about HSS setups, where we've discussed the issues having a balanced setup between the single coils and the humbucker.
 
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