I've been playiny my '03 standard as my main axe for a while. I've put 500K CTS pots in it along with the CS APH1's. I have starting to play a couple of other guitars lately tho'. A new Fender DLX strat with the samarium cobalt pu's and my old wolfgang with dimarzio air norton and air zone. The thing i don't get is that my les paul is way brighter than both of these guitars. I was wondering if putting the 300k gibson pots back in may help tame this sum. Thanks for any help.
Les Paul too bright!
- Thread starter bognerboy
- Start date
papersoul
New member
Re: Les Paul too bright!
I also have a 2003 LP Standard and after trial and error found that the stock pots/caps do the job and keep the highs in check. My LP sounds deeper and fatter than my McCarty, but brighter. Well, it sounds good now that I installed the stock pots and set the pickups to 3/32 bridge and 4/32 neck. Try this and let me know! Lower those pickups and they open up, plus smooth out! You could also replace the 500k pots with an R/S treble tamer kit which uses better quality 300k pots than the stock jobs. :burnout:
I also have a 2003 LP Standard and after trial and error found that the stock pots/caps do the job and keep the highs in check. My LP sounds deeper and fatter than my McCarty, but brighter. Well, it sounds good now that I installed the stock pots and set the pickups to 3/32 bridge and 4/32 neck. Try this and let me know! Lower those pickups and they open up, plus smooth out! You could also replace the 500k pots with an R/S treble tamer kit which uses better quality 300k pots than the stock jobs. :burnout:
korovamilkdud
WhoDatologist
Re: Les Paul too bright!
lower pot values will warm up your tone. My guitar is about right with the 500k but yours may not be.
lower pot values will warm up your tone. My guitar is about right with the 500k but yours may not be.
Simon_F
Super Moderator
Re: Les Paul too bright!
I find the extra brightness of 500k pots is great for making the neck position clearer and more sparkly, and I also like it for clean sounds on the bridge position. However, it can be a bit much for bridge distorted sounds. I often find myself rolling back the bridge tone control to fatten up the tone. Also, if you don't have 50s wiring, taking the volume down a touch to 9 or 8 warms up the sound. I used to be an "everything on 10" guy, but the last few years I've really been working at squeezing all the tones I can out of an LP. I find that with 500k pots a Les Paul is a lot more versatile than many people think, if you learn to work those knobs. Playing with the volume and tone down a bit really fattens up the tone, and you get a treble boost when you slip the volume up to 10 for the solo.
I find the extra brightness of 500k pots is great for making the neck position clearer and more sparkly, and I also like it for clean sounds on the bridge position. However, it can be a bit much for bridge distorted sounds. I often find myself rolling back the bridge tone control to fatten up the tone. Also, if you don't have 50s wiring, taking the volume down a touch to 9 or 8 warms up the sound. I used to be an "everything on 10" guy, but the last few years I've really been working at squeezing all the tones I can out of an LP. I find that with 500k pots a Les Paul is a lot more versatile than many people think, if you learn to work those knobs. Playing with the volume and tone down a bit really fattens up the tone, and you get a treble boost when you slip the volume up to 10 for the solo.
Re: Les Paul too bright!
thanks for the replies, i think i'm going to try to put the 300k's back in when i get a chance. hopefully that will help. when i first got the guitar the first thing i did was take the pots out, i never even gave them a chance. i'm not really looking for a whole lot of versatility because i'm trying to incorporate some other guitars for that. i really love the character of the cs aph1's tho'.
is it my understanding that the 300k pots can work ok with lower output humbuckers rather than high output hb's. to me, that would make sense that a higher output hb like the jb or whatever would benefit from a 500k pot because hotter pickups "usually" will have less sparkle to them. with the lower output of the aph1's maybe i'd be better off with the 300k's. i'll try install them in the next day or so and see what happens.
thanks for the replies, i think i'm going to try to put the 300k's back in when i get a chance. hopefully that will help. when i first got the guitar the first thing i did was take the pots out, i never even gave them a chance. i'm not really looking for a whole lot of versatility because i'm trying to incorporate some other guitars for that. i really love the character of the cs aph1's tho'.
is it my understanding that the 300k pots can work ok with lower output humbuckers rather than high output hb's. to me, that would make sense that a higher output hb like the jb or whatever would benefit from a 500k pot because hotter pickups "usually" will have less sparkle to them. with the lower output of the aph1's maybe i'd be better off with the 300k's. i'll try install them in the next day or so and see what happens.
Illini1330
New member
Re: Les Paul too bright!
mmm...roll back the tone knob? :duh:
bognerboy said:
mmm...roll back the tone knob? :duh:
papersoul
New member
Re: Les Paul too bright!
I agree as I said in my post above and no matter what I did the 500k pots brought out too much in the way of high mids and some highs. The tone was not to my liking although the darker Rio grande BBQ/Texas set worked well....still too much of a bright edge. I find that many LPs work well with 300k pots. I also find that the stock pots work okay but seem to fair well at high volumes when things start to open up. I say re-install the stock pots/caps. I use the 300k volumes for neck and bridge and the 500k tones.
But, as someone above mentioned....you could keep all 500 for neck.
I agree as I said in my post above and no matter what I did the 500k pots brought out too much in the way of high mids and some highs. The tone was not to my liking although the darker Rio grande BBQ/Texas set worked well....still too much of a bright edge. I find that many LPs work well with 300k pots. I also find that the stock pots work okay but seem to fair well at high volumes when things start to open up. I say re-install the stock pots/caps. I use the 300k volumes for neck and bridge and the 500k tones.
But, as someone above mentioned....you could keep all 500 for neck.
bryvincent
New member
Re: Les Paul too bright!
did you try changing your amp settings? all guitars are different and requires different amp/effects settings to sound their best.the same is true with pickups, some people are telling this pickup sounds like crap or whatever without even trying to change their settings.bognerboy said:
Re: Les Paul too bright!
i realize that sometimes you need to change amp settings to optimize certain guitars but i am using the 3 different guitars in a live setting where i hardly have enough time to switch guitars let alone change amp settings.
i put the 300k's back in and i think i like it. i haven't had a chance to try it on my rig yet but i will tomorrow night at practice. i was able to try it on a coupld of mesa's at the store i work at and the extended highs were tamed and it just seemed fatter and more round sounding. i think i'm going to like it. it seems like the sound isn't as spread out as the 500k's and it's a little more compressed sounding. i will hopefully know for sure tomorrow at practice and i'll let you know how it sounds.
thanks again for all the replies
i realize that sometimes you need to change amp settings to optimize certain guitars but i am using the 3 different guitars in a live setting where i hardly have enough time to switch guitars let alone change amp settings.
i put the 300k's back in and i think i like it. i haven't had a chance to try it on my rig yet but i will tomorrow night at practice. i was able to try it on a coupld of mesa's at the store i work at and the extended highs were tamed and it just seemed fatter and more round sounding. i think i'm going to like it. it seems like the sound isn't as spread out as the 500k's and it's a little more compressed sounding. i will hopefully know for sure tomorrow at practice and i'll let you know how it sounds.
thanks again for all the replies
Aceman
I am your doctor of love!
Re: Les Paul too bright!
Can anyone summarize this? Lots of good info. I think I got a few great general rules:
*500k is brighter / 250k is darker.
*500k works better for high output.
*Check picjup tone - 500K can make a trebly bucker too bright.
*Gibson 300k's are maybe best for bright high output buckers.
S0 maybe a 500k in a Paul w/ Invader, but not a DD...or maybe a 500K w/ PAul 490 neck and stock 300k with a DD in bridge.
Can anyone summarize this? Lots of good info. I think I got a few great general rules:
*500k is brighter / 250k is darker.
*500k works better for high output.
*Check picjup tone - 500K can make a trebly bucker too bright.
*Gibson 300k's are maybe best for bright high output buckers.
S0 maybe a 500k in a Paul w/ Invader, but not a DD...or maybe a 500K w/ PAul 490 neck and stock 300k with a DD in bridge.
