Single pot value to start

R

RockinProf

New member
Hi all,

I’m putting together a no nonsense HH configuration. This one has a pair of 59’s, a three way toggle and a single volume pot. Any thoughts out there on a good value to start with on the pot. I’m thinking a 500K alone may be too harsh as it doesn’t have the pad of the tone pot. A 250K would be the load of a 500K volume + a 500K tone - I think. Thoughts?
 
500k linear. Just buy a few and use the one that is at -10% of tolerance.

The pickups don't see all 500k of the tone pot when it's at 10, which is what most people keep their tone at. The tone control is barely having any effect.
 
GuitarStv said:
YMMV, but I prefer audio pots for volume and tone. It ends up being a more usable control that way for me.
Click to expand...

I had a back and forth with David Collins on here once, and he had produced some videos the demonstrate the differences prior. Both work and which is usable depends on whether you need to do volume swells with your finger, or you need more precise volume settings with the pot. I found it counter-intuitive at first, but audio taper did not produce an even ramp in the volume. (I was thinking of audio taper as being like a fader with a logarithmic ramp that equate to an even swell of volume, but to the ear that's not how it behaves in circuit.)


 
I generally really couldn't be bothered to think too much about this, so as a rule for my own personal guitars, for strats, Humbuckers will always see the same load as 500k vol+tone, Single coils always see 250k vol+tone and superstrats always see 500k vol, no tone.

Whatever method I use to reach that is different form guitar to guitar.

With a single pot strat and a low output PAF, I would go with 250k audio.
 
I'd start with about ... well, two small or one large nug; then break it up and see wh....

oh, I understand. (olol). 500k pots are good for me, I hear 250k pots are better for very bright instruments.


I once wired a strat with no vol/tone pots, and the bridge/mid SC's in series. LOUD and rude tone, with a strong resonant frequency- and almost metallic highs.

peace! ♪
-Erl
 
You can do whatever you want depending on what sound you want. I've used almost every volume pot: 100k, 250k, 300k, 500k, 1meg. If you want a bit of dampening, go for 250k or 300k. If you like bright, 500k will be fine.

I have found it depends on your application for what type of taper for the pots. I use mostly clean so I prefer linear for the volume. If you always play dirty, then audio will clean up more effectively when you roll it back. Tone is good either way. You get a darkening effect more quickly with audio so I usually use that.
 
I prefer audio taper since I'm used to the way it behaves. As for 500K vs 250K, 500 is definitely brighter and 250 is warmer.
As for what's best, it depends on your needs and the on the tone character of the guitar.

500K is the accepted standard for humbuckers, though. I'd start there.
You can always add bridging resistors to make it sound like a lower value.
One can't make a 250K brighter. Of course they're not hard to replace.
 
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