Question about loading pickups with resistors

[Rex_Rocker]

Hello!

I have a kind of specific question about adding resistors to load pickups down.

I have 500K pots on all my guitars. However, on my Les Pauls, I have 1M resitors soldered to the outer lugs of the pot connected to the bridge pickup for a total load of 333K-ish Ohms.

I kinda want to do the same to my Strat. I currently only have a 500K volume pot, and that's it. However, I don't really want to take the strings off, then remove the pickguard, then put the pickguard back on, then the strings back on to find out I may not like it.

I wonder if it's possible to just add the resistor soldered to the two lugs on the output jack as a temporary solution to see if I like it. Is that doable? Would I have the same effect?

Thank you

 

[freefrog]

it should slightly change how the volume pot behaves once lowered but with all controls full up, the effect should be the same.

That said, if the guitar has a master tone pot, lowering it should have largely the same effect than putting a resistor in parallel with the output (knowing that a typical tone pot is mostly resistive during 2/3 of its curve).

FWIW. Do what you want and be hapy.

 

[Sam SG]

Seems it that the resistor accross the jack should work the same. As if you were to just move a down the hot and ground from the strats vol..they end up at the jack.
Question tho. On your gibson if it makes 333k.....doesnt it judt react like a 300k volume pot?

 

[Rex_Rocker]

it should slightly change how the volume pot behaves once lowered but with all controls full up, the effect should be the same.

That said, if the guitar has a master tone pot, lowering it should have largely the same effect than putting a resistor in parallel with the output (knowing that a typical tone pot is mostly resistive during 2/3 of its curve).

FWIW. Do what you want and be hapy.

Oh, yeah. I almost always have the pots on full.

The guitar has no tone control.

Thank you!

 

[Rex_Rocker]

Seems it that the resistor accross the jack should work the same. As if you were to just move a down the hot and ground from the strats vol..they end up at the jack.
Question tho. On your gibson if it makes 333k.....doesnt it judt react like a 300k volume pot?

Thank you.

Yeah, pretty much. Except 300K pots are kinda harder to find locally, and even moreso long shaft ones.

 

[AdrianSD]

Good question. Tempted to do the same on one of my Ibbys to tame it a bit, with the Distortion in the bridge it feels too shrill, but maybe it's just in my head?