Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

O

OnFire5210

New member
I want to use a Fender S-1 switch for my tone control in a rear routed body, but Fender only makes long shaft S-1 switches in 500k. The 250k version's shaft is too short for my guitar.

Are there any resistor/cap tricks can I perform to make a 500k tone pot have the same tone and sweep/taper of a 250k tone pot?
 
Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

Bridge a 500k (or close, like 480k) resistor across the two outside terminals.

500k + 500k in parallel is 250k.

The sweep is more about the taper of the pot, audio vs. linear. But this will get you a 250k pot.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

That's what I was gonna say

With the caveat

Wouldn't a linear pot with a resistor
More closely resemble an audio tape

A resistor on an audio taper would skew the taper wildly

Is this not so?
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

A linear pot with a resistor is still linear. Turn it half way and you get 50% of the resistance.

I would think you want a linear taper for a tone control. Audio taper (which is made for smooth fades) bunches everything up between 8-10.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

Get the 250K S1 switch, swap the wafers. Actually, try with a regular CTS 250K if you have one handy, but I'm not sure they're compatible.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

If you are insistent on a 250k tone ( I prefer 500k tone in most applications) then I recommend using the 500k s-1 barring modification to your route depth as 1 of your volumes and placing a 1 meg trim pot as opposed to a fixed 500k resistor across the outer lugs. This will allow you to fine tune and alter the taper of the volume to your liking while altering the sum pot resistance from 333k on down.
Then just use a 250k tone pot.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

Thanks for all the responses, guys!

DavidRavenMoon said:
Bridge a 500k (or close, like 480k) resistor across the two outside terminals.

500k + 500k in parallel is 250k.

The sweep is more about the taper of the pot, audio vs. linear. But this will get you a 250k pot.
Click to expand...

This was the simple solution I was looking for. Thank you!

akio said:
Get the 250K S1 switch, swap the wafers. Actually, try with a regular CTS 250K if you have one handy, but I'm not sure they're compatible.
Click to expand...

While the resistor trick is simpler, this is really interesting to me. I have the 250k S-1 switch already and now I've got he 500k S-1 on order as well. I may pop the 250k open to see if I can make that swap. And if I ruin it I still have the 500k to modify with a resistor, or worst case scenario use as my volume.

Driverfrown said:
If you are insistent on a 250k tone ( I prefer 500k tone in most applications) then I recommend using the 500k s-1 barring modification to your route depth as 1 of your volumes and placing a 1 meg trim pot as opposed to a fixed 500k resistor across the outer lugs. This will allow you to fine tune and alter the taper of the volume to your liking while altering the sum pot resistance from 333k on down.
Then just use a 250k tone pot.
Click to expand...

While I do want a 500k volume pot I simply prefer Bourns pots for volume due to low-friction. I also ride my volume knob like crazy, so I'd rather have a simple and inexpensive pot taking that abuse rather than the more expensive and complicated S-1. So I'm trying to maintain my usual volume pot while using some sort of modification to adapt an S-1 to 250k for the tone position.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

OnFire5210 said:
Thanks for all the responses, guys!



This was the simple solution I was looking for. Thank you!



While the resistor trick is simpler, this is really interesting to me. I have the 250k S-1 switch already and now I've got he 500k S-1 on order as well. I may pop the 250k open to see if I can make that swap. And if I ruin it I still have the 500k to modify with a resistor, or worst case scenario use as my volume.



While I do want a 500k volume pot I simply prefer Bourns pots for volume due to low-friction. I also ride my volume knob like crazy, so I'd rather have a simple and inexpensive pot taking that abuse rather than the more expensive and complicated S-1. So I'm trying to maintain my usual volume pot while using some sort of modification to adapt an S-1 to 250k for the tone position.
Click to expand...

If they don't make an s-1 250k with a longer shaft maybe you can simply shorten the distance in your cavity route with a flat drill or something, I'm not sure why a rear route strat style guitar would have been set up to use archtop long bushing pots.
good luck
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

Well, short and shorter. One is for rear-route flat top, the other is pickguard only. But you're right, there is no carved top long shaft style of that pot.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

akio said:
Well, short and shorter. One is for rear-route flat top, the other is pickguard only. But you're right, there is no carved top long shaft style of that pot.
Click to expand...

That is not correct. All four have the same length threads. The differences between them are resistance value (250K or 500K) and type of shaft (solid and split).

There have been other variants made, but that retailer only carries those four.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

ItsaBass said:
That is not correct. All four have the same length threads. The differences between them are resistance value (250K or 500K) and type of shaft (solid and split).

There have been other variants made, but that retailer only carries those four.
Click to expand...

No, there was a 500k "long shaft" made for the rear routed Cabronita Telecaster. That is the new pot I've ordered. See here.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

OnFire5210 said:
No, there was a 500k "long shaft" made for the rear routed Cabronita Telecaster. That is the new pot I've ordered. See here.
Click to expand...

I am aware that this exists and that this is what you have. My exchange with that other guy is solely in regards to what is carried by the place to which he linked.

I stated, "There have been other variants made, but that retailer only carries those four."
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

Keep in mind that adding a resistor, in parallel, to a tone pot will have a different affect than adding one to a volume pot. That's because a tone pot is wired as a rheostat, while a volume pot is wired as a potentiometer. You will dramatically impact the resistance "curve". You may end up with a hyper-log taper. Which may, or may not, be a good thing. I've never tried it. Report back with your results. :)
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

My mistake, I haven't had the pots in hand for a while. I knew which one he was talking about, I use one on my LTD. What I would really like to see is a split-shaft version in that bushing length, though.
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

ArtieToo said:
Keep in mind that adding a resistor, in parallel, to a tone pot will have a different affect than adding one to a volume pot. That's because a tone pot is wired as a rheostat, while a volume pot is wired as a potentiometer. You will dramatically impact the resistance "curve". You may end up with a hyper-log taper. Which may, or may not, be a good thing. I've never tried it. Report back with your results. :)
Click to expand...

This is what I was thinking earlier
 
Re: Forced to use a 500k tone pot, but want tone/sweep of a 250k

ehdwuld said:
Wouldn't a linear pot with a resistor
More closely resemble an audio tape

A resistor on an audio taper would skew the taper wildly

Is this not so?
Click to expand...

DavidRavenMoon said:
A linear pot with a resistor is still linear. Turn it half way and you get 50% of the resistance.

I would think you want a linear taper for a tone control. Audio taper (which is made for smooth fades) bunches everything up between 8-10.
Click to expand...

ArtieToo said:
Keep in mind that adding a resistor, in parallel, to a tone pot will have a different affect than adding one to a volume pot. That's because a tone pot is wired as a rheostat, while a volume pot is wired as a potentiometer. You will dramatically impact the resistance "curve". You may end up with a hyper-log taper. Which may, or may not, be a good thing. I've never tried it. Report back with your results. :)
Click to expand...

Reporting back to the three of you since you were interested...

DavidRavenMoon nailed it, the 500k resistor across the 500k tone pot works flawlessly. Sweep is pretty much identical to how it used to be and the affect of the pot value on the overall tone is identical to the standard 250k pot, at least to my ears.

Thanks again everybody!
 
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