Talk to me about pots

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nightwing122087

New member
I understand the general rules of thumb about pots. 250k for single coils and 500k for humbuckers. However, there are a few things that I don't understand. Bear with me...

Can a guitar work without a tone pot? Does a No-Load tone pot work? Where can I buy pots? Are there pots, like a no load pot that can change the value (example, 250k at 5 on the control, 500k at 10). I like the idea of the no load pot. Are there other types of pots like that? I'm not the most knowledgeable when it comes to talking about everything inside a guitar so excuse any stupid questions.
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

You can use 250K pots with humbuckers (JB) and 500K Tones.

A guitar can work fine without any pots at all - see my avatar.

No-Load Tone pots work fine, which is why they're still made.

Parts houses are all over the place - Stewart-MacDonald, Wymore, AllParts, Warmoth, DiMarzio, Guitar Parts Resource, Guitar Parts Depot, etc etc.

Never heard of a pot that changed value as you turned it, and given how pots are designed, it probably wouldn't work.
A Push/Pull or Push/Push will let you wire a resistor so that it's switchable between 500/250K.
You can also get dual-concentric 500/250K stacked pots and select between them (with a switch).

I'm not sure if there's a 500K no-load pot. Should be.
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

Another question...I understand what the different values of the tone pots do for the tone as far as making it brighter or warmer, but what does it do for the volume control? What is the difference tonally between a 250k volume pot or a 500k volume pot?
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

I use two 250K's on the bridge for warmth & mids, whether HB or P-90; still enough treble for bite. I need the signal going thru both pots to shave off excess treble. A bridge with no-load pots will be bright, maybe brighter than you want. This is a naturally bright position, where adding treble can easily work against you.

500K's on the neck for definition, treble, and mud prevention. That's where I'm thinking of using a no-load tone pot myself. HB's can be dark in the neck, and where a no-load makes sense.
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

nightwing122087 said:
Another question...I understand what the different values of the tone pots do for the tone as far as making it brighter or warmer, but what does it do for the volume control?
Click to expand...

Basically the same. A pickup can be modeled electrically as a 2nd order lowpass filter with a resonance top prior to where the treble frequencies start to roll off. A major factor of a pickup's "sound" and character is the center frequency and height (amplitude) of this resonance peak - defined by the pickup itself, the guitar electronics and your guitar cable.

Adding a load to the pickup, as you do with a volume or tone pot will alter the resonance peak by lowering its amplitude. And since the resonance peak typically is in the upper mid or treble frequencies, the effect of a lowered peak is a less bright tone. Lowering it too much though and you will loose the character of the pickup making it dull and bland.
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

Is using a 1meg pot set on '10' the same as a tone pot that is taken out of the circuit?
I'm going to be modding my strat soon and I wanted to try using my bridge humbucker without the tone circuit hooked up, but if I can get the same effect with a 1 meg pot, I would rather have the option to role some tone off, if the sound is the same
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

nightwing122087 said:
Is using a 1meg pot set on '10' the same as a tone pot that is taken out of the circuit?
I'm going to be modding my strat soon and I wanted to try using my bridge humbucker without the tone circuit hooked up, but if I can get the same effect with a 1 meg pot, I would rather have the option to role some tone off, if the sound is the same
Click to expand...

Does your Strat have a SC or HB at the bridge? Problem many guys have with a Strat bridge SC is all the treble, and a 250K tone pot is considered mandatory by most to make it usable. With a bridge HB, it might be okay without a tone pot if its a warm PU (like a CC).
 
Re: Talk to me about pots

Right now I've got a JB Jr in the bridge of my strat with the other two stock singles. I want to put a full sized humbucker in the back, and and I've been deciding on which one to use. But being that I'm on a fairly low budget, and I already have a Custom Custom laying around that I've never installed, I'm just going to throw that in there.

I've also been thinking about getting a no-load tone pot. Most of the time my bridge pickups tone is always on 10, but if the no-load tone can give me an option, I'd rather do that, even if I'm not sure how well a CC with a 250k pot would sound.

Do they make 500k no load tone pots?
 
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