JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

manza

New member
Hello everybody,
I'm new here and I've got my first question:
I wanna mount a JB Humbucker in the bridge position of my Strat and leave the two Texas Special singol coils in the other two positions, I know the JB would sound better (more complete) with a 500k volume pot, but I also know that the 2 singols would sound a little bit harsh with those value pot..
How can I do to solve this problem and have the best result?
Thanks
Manza
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Welcome to the forum.

Leave the 250k pots in there. With 250k, the JB sounds a lot sweeter. The upper-mid hump is gone and it matches much better with single-coils that way. Seymour Duncan himself uses the JB with 250k pots. That should tell ya something. ;)
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Welcome to the forum.

Leave the 250k pots in there. With 250k, the JB sounds a lot sweeter. The upper-mid hump is gone and it matches much better with single-coils that way. Seymour Duncan himself uses the JB with 250k pots. That should tell ya something. ;)

I'd try it Erik's way first. The JB sounds just as he says with 250K pots and Seymour does use the JB in his Tele with 250K pots. Since so many people here complain about the JB being to bright (despite the fact that it's Duncan's #1 selling humbucking pickup) try it first with 250K pots to eliminate that "upper-mid-hump" that so many people hear as being "to bright". Lew
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

i put a JB humbucker in the bridge of my highway strat and 250k is the best way to go.

it jsut sounds more natural to me.
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

I use a JB and two Texas Specials in several Strats with 500k volume pots/250k tone pots with no problem......I use the tone controls on the middle/neck if it's a little bright. This question/arguement has been bouncing around for some time...there is no right or wrong answer!
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Great, thanks to everybody for your detailed replyes!
So I'm happy to know that 250k is the way to go, that's simplify everithing..
And what about the tone Pots, I have to leave the original ones (250k too)?
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Leave the tone pots 250k too. Wire them one for the neck and one for the middle. Your choice on whether you want to share the one on the middle pickup with the bridge or not.
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Leave the tone pots 250k too. Wire them one for the neck and one for the middle. Your choice on whether you want to share the one on the middle pickup with the bridge or not.

Ok Erik, I'll try this way.
Thx
Manza
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

250 i guess would match all the pickups nicely
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Thank you all for your suggestions,
the 250K volume pot sounds great for the JB!
I didn't try the 500K but I like the warm highs of the 250K and the balance with the two single coils, so It's perfect like this..
Manza
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

great, glad all tuned out well.

i love high output buckers but jsut thought as this strat is my main strat it needs tob e farily versatile and with 250k that really is the case.

i think i will only erver use 500k if its an 'extra' guitar, and doesnt need to be particularly versatile.
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

great, glad all tuned out well.

i love high output buckers but jsut thought as this strat is my main strat it needs tob e farily versatile and with 250k that really is the case.

i think i will only erver use 500k if its an 'extra' guitar, and doesnt need to be particularly versatile.
I agree with you.
Manza
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

If you are going to use single coils then i say go with 250k just to match it better with the single coils.. I used the JB for a long time with 250k. But I recently put it on mY SA120 and love it with the 500k.. Iknow I am not going back to 250 k on that guitar. But yes if I put in on a strat with single coils I might consider 250k.

Whatever works well for you is good.
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Most likely your JB in a Strat sounds better with the 250 Kohm pot anyway.

If not you need to re-wire to have two volume controls, one for the SCs and one of the JBs.

If you don't actually use the volume control to control volume (always have it at 10), then you can also use a 500 Kohm poti and put a 500 Kohm resistor parallel to the single coils. Might screw you when you want to use both SCs together, though.
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

I use a JB and two Texas Specials in several Strats with 500k volume pots/250k tone pots with no problem......I use the tone controls on the middle/neck if it's a little bright. This question/arguement has been bouncing around for some time...there is no right or wrong answer!

I planning on doing this with my ESP (strat copy). I want the bridge to have the best output. Would the 250K tone pots be in the way of the bridge output, or do I have to change it all to 500K?
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

I planning on doing this with my ESP (strat copy). I want the bridge to have the best output. Would the 250K tone pots be in the way of the bridge output, or do I have to change it all to 500K?


In my situation I don't have a tone pot for the bridge pickup....only the neck and middle. If I recall correctly the tone pots value (250k or 500k) won't have any effect on the output of the pickup..........someone will correct me if I'm wrong, they always do! ;(
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

In my situation I don't have a tone pot for the bridge pickup....only the neck and middle. If I recall correctly the tone pots value (250k or 500k) won't have any effect on the output of the pickup..........someone will correct me if I'm wrong, they always do! ;(

I take it the neck and middle use the same tone control so basically you disconnected the tone control for the bridge only.
 
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Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

I take it the neck and middle use the same tone control so basically you disconnected the tone control for the bridge only.

Actually there's two seperate tone contols, one for the neck only and one for the middle only.....
 
Re: JB in a Strat, 500k or 250k volume pot?

Actually there's two seperate tone contols, one for the neck only and one for the middle only.....

Oh shoot, I'm just getting it mixed up here. You can tell I haven't owned a strat in a while, nor fiddled with the tone knobs as they're always rolled to the max. I just bought an ESP Vintage plus, which arrived yesterday. Still fiddling around with it.
 
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