Pot value used with NYC Bass pickups

[akroach1]

Hello All
New here but have been gleaning info for quite some time. I'm a tone deaf dad who bonds with my musical kids by hot rodding all the instruments they play. (haha More Power). Anyway, have had some fun with the guitars and now my youngest (12) has been jamming in a jazz band on bass.

So we are swapping out the emg hz pickups and active electronics with a set of NYC's, passive electronics, and 2 on-on-on switches. series/parralel/split.
With our experience with guitar humbuckers we have normally utilized 500k pots, the wiring sheet that came with the pickups shows 250k pots.

I called SD and am a bit stumped that they couldn't give me an explination, he just said, "yes the diagram shows 250k" lol i knew that. So for my own curiousity can someone here enlighten me? If they are design based as humbuckers is it just because they are for bass and want to roll off highs? With the les pauls we used 500k's to brighten. Do you folks follow with the 250k choice? Feel it would be muddy? To bright with 500k's?

I'll leave it at that to get some discussion / feedback thanks for any and all facts and/or opinions
Patrick

 

[GilmourD]

Re: Pot value used with NYC Bass pickups

Just because it's a humbucker doesn't necessarily mean you MUST use 500K pots.

For instance, Andy Timmons used to use JBs with 250K pots, which a lot of people do.

My guess is that they are brighter than what you think the average guitar humbucker is and a 250K pot sounded best to them.

Here's the thing, though. You can use a 500K if you like, and if you don't like it you can swap it out.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: Pot value used with NYC Bass pickups

Traditional Fender Jazz and Precision Bass circuits employ A250k pots throughout.

Think of the NYC pickups as double Jazz Bass pickups rather than as humbuckers in the Gibson tradition.

 

[Snake Aces]

Re: Pot value used with NYC Bass pickups

I use Duncan's Basslines Stacked Jazz bass pickups in my J-bass and I use 250k pots even though they are "humbuckers". They sound great.

Welcome to the forum.

 

[akroach1]

Re: Pot value used with NYC Bass pickups

Thanks to all for the input and welcome.