Question Regarding Pot Values

[jd_watt]

Hi, All. Lots of great info here, I thought it would be an appropriate place to ask a question regarding tone and volume pots. I have a Fender AV Jaguar that I really love but there are a few things I'd like to change about the tone.
I'm considering changing the 1meg pots to 250k like those found in fender strats.
Will this yield a different result than merely turning the tone pot down? I'm hoping to tone down some of the harsh highs and honky mids. Again, I'm shooting for a more strat-sounding Jaguar. Thanks for any thoughts or info!

P.S. I saw the pot diagram floating around here, and it seems 250k's would produce a smoother frequency response, or am I way off base?

 

[uOpt]

Re: Question Regarding Pot Values

For the tone pots, you can always you a higher value and get the same sounds. When you turn a 1 Mohm pot to where it reads 250 Kohm on an Ohmmeter, then it behaves precisely as the 250 Kohm pot would behave at "10". Likely, turning both down to e.g. 183 Kohm does the same thing.

Of course you loose ease of adjustment because the range that is useful might be squeezed into a tighter range.

(the same is not true for volume pots. All advice subject to this being a standard wired passive guitar.)

You can emulate what a 250 Kohm volume pot would sound like at "10" by putting a resistor across a 500 Kohm or 1 Mohm pot.

 

[jd_watt]

Re: Question Regarding Pot Values

uOpt, thanks for the reply. So the same results can be achieved by replacing the resisor rather than rewiring all of the pots? Does any of this effect the midrange or will these changes strictly effect the extreme highs? I've read that the jaguR pickups are the same as those in a strat, but sound different due to the Jag's wiring.

 

[uOpt]

Re: Question Regarding Pot Values

uOpt, thanks for the reply. So the same results can be achieved by replacing the resisor rather than rewiring all of the pots? Does any of this effect the midrange or will these changes strictly effect the extreme highs? I've read that the jaguR pickups are the same as those in a strat, but sound different due to the Jag's wiring.

Dunno about the pickups and too lazy to look right now.

The volume pot value dampens the amplitude (not the frequency) of the resonance peak.

The trick with a resistor across the pot works to emulate one pot with another at "10". Of course the curve of exactly when happens when you turn down the volume pot does not get emulated perfectly by this.

You don't replace a resistor, BTW, you add one.