Guitar Pots value

[CarlosG]

Hi!
I have Fender Strat with humbuckers. With single volume pot 500k sound a little too bright. With single volume pot 250k sound little too dark.
So I need something between - 300-400k pot. But now I want volume and tone pot (not single volume).
I heard that 500k Volume and 500k Tone (22nf cap?) is like single volume pot 250k (no tone), is this true?
If so, I need 1m volume and 500k tone? R=r1*r2/r1+r2, R=1000*500/100+500=333K?

 

[jeremy]

Re: Guitar Pots value

id start with two 500k pots. if you need a little more, a 1meg tone will help. if you need more than a little then a 1meg volume is a good place to start

 

[Mr. B]

Re: Guitar Pots value

If both pots are turned up on full, then no, a 500k volume and 500k tone is not like a 250k volume. If you turn the tone down on the tone pot it would be. You are getting way to complex in trying to work this out. Get a 300k Volume pot and a 500k tone pot. The 300k volume will knock some of the brightness off the overall tone, which you said was too bright. You don't really need to drop the value of the 500k tone pot if you are using humbuckers.

 

[Downrazor11]

Re: Guitar Pots value

Many pots used in guitars are +/-20% tolerance so make sure you check the outer lugs with a multimeter (ohms setting) to know what the pot is actually giving you. If this particular line of potentiometer has a +/-20% tolerance then that means one '500k'-rated pot could be 400k and another could be 600k and they would both still be within spec..

You might also want to change the pickup heights a little and see if that helps, as that can also have an effect on the perceived tone..

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Guitar Pots value

I recommend a 500k volume and 250k no load tone.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Guitar Pots value

You are getting way to complex in trying to work this out. Get a 300k Volume pot and a 500k tone pot. The 300k volume will knock some of the brightness off the overall tone, which you said was too bright. You don't really need to drop the value of the 500k tone pot if you are using humbuckers.

I have had good luck Myself running similar to this ~ more often I have had to yank too high of Vol. pots . I like 1 Meg in a 1 Humbucker , Volume Only Ax - Solely

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Guitar Pots value

Downrazor11 hit the nail on the head.
Measure your pots. If your 500k pot is too bright and your 250k pot is too dark, you could theoretically be comparing a 575K pot with a 210k pot even at only 15% tolerance.

But...if you are planning on having a vol pot AND a tone pot, I'd use 500k for both. Then if you still feel that it's too bright you can turn the tone pot down a hair.

Also you can play with your pup heights and screw heights. If it sounds a bit bright, you can raise your pup and lower your screws.

 

[Gtrjunior]

Re: Guitar Pots value

Guitarelectronics.com sells a +\-10% CTS pot. I’ve been using them for a while and I haven’t had any problems.

 

[KNUCKLHEAD]

Re: Guitar Pots value

I like the old U.S. made pots like Allen Bradley , Ohmite , etc. last forever . I agree with Doc on 2 x 500k on most 2-knob guitars

 

[blueman335]

Re: Guitar Pots value

An easier alternative is to use a resistor between the two outside lugs of a pot. A 470K resistor makes a 500K pot sound like a 250K. You can try different resistor values to dial in what you want. Resistors are cheap and you can use alligator clips to try them thru an amp before soldering.