P90 Pot Value Les Paul

K

ksms

New member
I just put a GFS Mean 90 in the neck of one of my Les Pauls. I love it. It replaced a Jazz.

What pot values do you use or recommend using with a P90 (it's my first)? I have a 500k in there right now, from when I had the Jazz in there. But it seems like it is a little bright compared to the '59 I have in the bridge (with stock 300k pot), and I'd like a little bit more balance. I'm considering switching the neck p90 pot back to 300k. What do you think?
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

Get a 500k resistor and wire it from the middle lug of the pot to the ground of the pot. This mimicks a 250k pot. With 1 meg resistor you can mimick a 333k pot.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

I have 500k pots in my Les Paul too; I like P90s to be bright, especially in neck position. I'd keep the 500k.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

if you dont have resistors on hand you could swap the pots around? 500k for the 59, 300k for the p90?
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

I would leave the pots alone and get an American-made P90-style pickup.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

The Mean 90 is a great sounding pup. No need to replace it.

It's hard to imagine that it's brighter sounding than a '59, even with the 300k pot. Like Arrigus, I also like my P-90's to be on the bright side. But...

I would try what Hamerfan suggested and put a 1 meg resistor in there to see what that does to your balance. That may be all you need to get to where you want to go. If you find that that messes with your taper, but the tone is good, then you at least know what value pot to replace it with.

Switching the pots (300k to the Mean 90 and 500k to the '59) would be too drastic, imho. I think you'd end up with a very bright sounding '59 and dull P-90 by comparison.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

Thanks, guys. I'll keep fiddling with it. I'm going to keep the 300k on the '59 either way. Just thinking about swapping the 500k pot on the Mean 90 to 300k. I have the original 300k pot from the guitar around.

The pickup sounds really good, I just run the tone pot way lower than I'm used to, but maybe I'll get used to that and end up leaving it...
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

That's what I do with my pups that are a bit on the bright side. That way, if I ever want it to be slightly brighter for a particular song, all I have to do is turn the tone knob. If I had a 250k or 300k pot I'd be stuck with the duller tone. I always use 500k pots for the versatility it offers.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

Anytime I have a bright neck P-90, I put in an A4, so I have an A5/A4 pair. Gives it more body and a bit less treble. In the neck slot it doesn't matter which side the A4 is on. Remember, the mags in a P-90 sit repelling each other.
 
Re: P90 Pot Value Les Paul

the stock value for both on a gibson is 300k tone 500k vol. For a humbucker they should both be 500k

I'd start there-- 500k vol on both, 300k tone neck, 500k tone bridge
 
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