Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Remember...I am not a professional musician and don't claim to be. I enjoy playing guitar and wanted to video tape me trying some new gear.

I modded my Yamaha Pacifica 112J with two Seymour Duncan YJM Fury pickups in the neck/middle and put a Duncan APH-1B (AlNiCo Pro II) humbucker in the bridge. I wired the two YJM pickups to bypass the tone control so it's only the 500k volume pot hooked up to them. The APH-1B is the only pickup wired to the 250k tone pot.

I play the YJM pickups clean at the start of the video and then go thru the different patches I set up on the amp using built-in boost and also my Biyang X-Drive to boost in different places. The 500k volume pot helps to open the YJM pickups some IMO, yet they still scream with high gain like normal. The APH-1B really surprised me. I still keep the tone rolled back a bit with it, but IMO it really sounds pretty good.

In the Boss Katana I replaced the stock speaker with a WGS Liberator 80 speaker. While it's only rated for 80 watts and the amp is 100 watts, the amp is plenty loud on the 50 watt setting. During this recording I only had the master volume up around 1/3 and it's very loud. So far the Katana is the best SS modelling amp I've every played and the price makes it even better.

Video

 

[esandes]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I tried 500k pots for single coils and it sounded horrible. Not single coil sounding at all.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I tried 500k pots for single coils and it sounded horrible. Not single coil sounding at all.

For regular single coils I wouldn't use 500k pots at all, but these YJM pickups are stacked singles and are much thicker, darker sounding than regular single coils. With 250k pots they sound ok, but with the 500k pots they sound a little better to me.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

Sounds good T- Bone.

I actually have 1 meg vol, 250k no load tone w/ 33nf cap on my single coils. I like it. It's ultra clear. Sometimes I think about going down to 375 or 500k but I'll probably stick with it. I wonder if there's a difference between using the tone to remove treble instead of the load of the pot. Hmm

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I thought about using a no-load tone pot, but the bridge pickup really needs the tone pot to help tame some of the highs. It's a pretty good pickup, but can get really bright IMO. Using the YJM pickups with only the 500k volume seems to work well so far.

 

[Clint 55]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

The wiring sounded right to me as well.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I know that the YJM's are never going to sound like a "normal" AlNiCo V single coil, but adding the extra highs from the 500k volume pot help out on cleans. Of course if you add in the OD and distortion they still deliver like always, but maybe with a little more presence than using a 250k pot.

 

[IMENATOR]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I think that video really demonstrates how versatile the YJM pickups can be.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I think that video really demonstrates how versatile the YJM pickups can be.

Thanks. Wish I was a better guitar player, but I wanted them to be more single coil-ish on the cleans, but still scream with high gain and I think with the 500k volume they will do the cleans much better.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

Thinking about trying a different bridge pickup in this guitar. The APH-1B is pretty good, but I have a dimarzio Mo Joe that I might try. We'll see.

 

[GuitarDoc]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

Duncan APH-1B (AlNiCo Pro II) humbucker

Actually, an AlNiCo ll Pro

 

[Silence Kid]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I don't think changing pot values affects the overall character of the pickup much; I've run singles with 1 meg, 250k, 500k and managed to make them sound good; they all still sound like singles. My favorite tones at the moment come from the 500k/1 meg guitars; brings out the best qualities of those pickups. Use the knobs if brightness is excessive.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I don't think changing pot values affects the overall character of the pickup much; I've run singles with 1 meg, 250k, 500k and managed to make them sound good; they all still sound like singles. My favorite tones at the moment come from the 500k/1 meg guitars; brings out the best qualities of those pickups. Use the knobs if brightness is excessive.

I agree. Going from a 250k volume pot to a 500k isn't going to make the YJM pickups sound like a "normal" AlNiCo 5 single coil, but it did seem to help let more of the highs come out to me which is what I was hoping for.

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

Before long I'll be replacing the cheap stock volume/tone pots in this with a YJM 500k speed volume pot (w/treble bleed) and a decent 250k tone pot w/better tone cap and it should make this even better. I still may end up trying a different bridge humbucker. Overall the APH-1B doesn't sound bad at all...it just may be a little too "vintage" for my taste.

 

[vidalsh]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I´m just in same way, recently posted...

But I´ll never put 500k to YJM.

250K for YJM is the way for me. Two YJM neck and middle and Custom custom TB-11 at bridge in one stratocaster floyd rose.

I´m just changing one TB-11 at bridge with one Perpetual Burn...I will say how this works...

The cc is awesome for strat, but a little high gain to pair with YJM at neck/middle...

I´m just chose one Perpetual Burn to replace the cc...I don´t know, but seems PB has lower output than cc, so I will say...

 

[T-Bone-BBQ]

Re: Video of YJM neck/middle pickups with 500k volume pot

I decided to keep the APH-1B in this guitar. It's got a cool tone and once I replace the stock volume/tone pots with better stuff it'll be a great guitar.