New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

[jeremy]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

good discussion guys!

to the op, do you want more high end from your dimarzios as well as the pg? if so, id suggest a 500k volume pot. if not, keep the 250k and take the tone control off the bridge pup.

 

[MJL721]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

good discussion guys!

to the op, do you want more high end from your dimarzios as well as the pg? if so, id suggest a 500k volume pot. if not, keep the 250k and take the tone control off the bridge pup.

The more I learn from discussions like the one in this thread, the more I will be able to decide what it is I would like to do. I'm not sure whether or not I would want or need more high end out of my single coils, but someone earlier in this thread mentioned the idea that a 500k volume pot gives you "more of everything", not just treble, and part of me is intrigued by that because I've found the DiMarzio Area's to be a little bit dull sounding compared to real single coils (in my humble opinion of course). So the idea of having 'more of everything' is interesting to me. Maybe a 300k pot in the volume pot could be a good compromise as well?

I have also read about a certain kind of wiring that I believe John Suhr came up with, or is at least known for. The idea of using a 500k volume pot, but putting a certain resistor somewhere so that the single coils would be able to only "see" 250k coming from the volume pot. That seems like the best idea I've heard for an HSS setup thus far.

The only reason I am considering just removing the bridge tone pot right now is because simply snipping a wire seems very easy...and free. :beerchug:

 

[jeremy]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

you wont hear much difference going from 250k to 300k but it wont hurt anything. the resister thing is fine and does work but as someone that rides my volume control all the time, i dont like what it does to the taper. in your situation, id remove the wire and see what ya think before doing anything else. like ya said, easy and free

 

[MJL721]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

The bare wire I wrote about is just a shiny piece of wire that is linking across the two adjacent lugs of the 5-way blade. Its is underneath the two red wires and one of the white wires.

It should be a lot easier to spot when looking at the actual pickguard wiring, than it is in the pic!

Just about to go through with taking the Pearly Gates out of the circuit. Just coming back to confirm that I'm doing the right thing. Here is a better picture of the 5-way switch. The silver bare wire is the correct wire to take the bridge humbucker out of the circuit, correct?

 

[MJL721]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

::Update::

I went through with it and cut the wire. Worked like a charm. I've only played for a couple of minutes while the strings are stretching out but the difference wasn't nearly as drastic as most people make it out to be. It is definitely brighter, but not ridiculously so, and now the brightness is more comparable to the other single coils, so i don't have to compromise between the single coils and humbucker as much when I am EQing my amp.

I may still switch to a 500k vol pot in the future, and possibly try the Suhr wiring trick but for now everything seems to be pretty cool.

Thanks for all the info everyone.

 

[jeremy]

Re: New here! Question about pot values for Pearly Gates in HSS Strat

glad it worked out!