Volume Pot value / Pickup Loading

[evh_slash]

Was wondering if using a 250k volume pot has the same loading / tonal effect on the pickups as using a 500k volume + 500k tone??

I have a couple of Humbucker equipped guitars which have no tone pots which sound a bit too harsh / icepicky on the neck pickup... Would a 250k volume mimic the effect of a 500k vol and 500k tone on 10 (wide open)?

Reason I ask is I don't necessarily have the space to install an additional tone pot.

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[Clint 55]

Yes, you will get a similar effect, but it's technically different.

 

[AlexR]

If you were talking 2 x 500k resistors in a circuit then yes they would 'see' 250k instead. But the presence of the inductor (pickup) and the nature of the tone circuit means that I feel there will be frequency dependent differences as well as similarities.
For a guitar rig, where you have multiple levels of eq shaping possibilities, you probably will be able to make the single 250k work as well.

 

[freefrog]

Was wondering if using a 250k volume pot has the same loading / tonal effect on the pickups as using a 500k volume + 500k tone??

I have a couple of Humbucker equipped guitars which have no tone pots which sound a bit too harsh / icepicky on the neck pickup... Would a 250k volume mimic the effect of a 500k vol and 500k tone on 10 (wide open)?

Reason I ask is I don't necessarily have the space to install an additional tone pot.

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What others said + the fact that a 250k volume will behave differently when lowered, since it puts less resistance between pickup and output...

... Now, you could mimic a missing tone pot with a resistor in parallel to your pickups paired to 500k volume pots. 470k from hot to ground should do a fine job. If you want all the features of a fixed tone control, add a cap in series with the resistor but it's not mandatory.

 

[beaubrummels]

What others said + the fact that a 250k volume will behave differently when lowered, since it puts less resistance between pickup and output...

... Now, you could mimic a missing tone pot with a resistor in parallel to your pickups paired to 500k volume pots. 470k from hot to ground should do a fine job. If you want all the features of a fixed tone control, add a cap in series with the resistor but it's not mandatory.

Wouldn’t that mimic it as if the tone pot were turned all the way down (not on 10)?

 

[freefrog]

Wouldn’t that mimic it as if the tone pot were turned all the way down (not on 10)?

Not sure to understand your question, mate... Sorry for that: English is still not my mother tongue. :-/

A 470k resistor in series with a tone cap is exaclty what I have in parallel with some Duncan pickups, in a guitar with a single 500k volume control but without tone pot: these two component in series between hot and ground just mimic a 470k tone pot full up and stuck in this position, no more, no less...

I know that 470k is not 500k but most pots supposed to have this resistive value don't reach it anyway...

 

[Hank-]

Concentric pot might help.

How about using a 500k resistor across the neck hot wire & other end grounded, should make the neck see a ~250k load.

 

[beaubrummels]

Not sure to understand your question, mate... Sorry for that: English is still not my mother tongue. :-/

A 470k resistor in series with a tone cap is exaclty what I have in parallel with some Duncan pickups, in a guitar with a single 500k volume control but without tone pot: these two component in series between hot and ground just mimic a 470k tone pot full up and stuck in this position, no more, no less...

I know that 470k is not 500k but most pots supposed to have this resistive value don't reach it anyway...

I just thought about it again and your solution should work fine. Probably could add another small value (30k) resistor in series to equal 500k.