Pots for a P-90 Pickup

tube tone · May 6th, 2008, 02:51 PM

Does Gibson use 250K audio or 500K audio pots on their guitars with P-90 pickups?

Thanks,
Ken

DrewB · May 6th, 2008, 09:21 PM

500K is correct for P-90s. Gibson might use 300Ks, but I don't know that for certain. Gibson's pots are poop, for the most part. CTS 500Ks are the way to go.

metulmykul · May 7th, 2008, 02:11 AM

My Squier Tele Custom II has 500k's in there which i left when i changed the p'ups to hotter SD P90s.

I think i may have read what DrewB said also about the 300k's...

e-merlin · May 7th, 2008, 08:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrewB

Gibson's pots are poop, for the most part.

Please elaborate.

Wardpike · May 7th, 2008, 08:41 AM

CTS 1Meg pots are the best way to go. Let all that nice single-coil top end sizzle through! Tone wide open, P90s can sound like G&L's or even Tele pickups with a CAP'ed volume pot to adjust down the volume a little.

Seriously, get the 1Megs.

DrewB · May 7th, 2008, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by e-merlin

Please elaborate.

I'm not sure who manufactures the pots they use in the regular production line. Some of the Custom Shop guitars have the same pots.

- The pots are cheaply made; it's not hard to damage one when you're soldering. I actually had an input lug on a volume pot fall off (the plastic melted) when I was changing out a capacitor, and I have done a lot of soldering, so it's not like I don't know what I'm doing.
- Their use of 300K volume pots is another head-scratcher. How many Gibsons have you played in shops that have neck pickups that never make it out of the mud zone? Look no further than the control cavity. This is holdover from the cost-center Norlin era and limits the guitar's tonal range.
- Gibson seems to like using linear-taper pots for their volume controls, which is a lesser consideration that the actual quality of the pots, but they react differently than audio-taper (standard) pots, which can be a nuisance if you are one of the people that actually uses a volume control dynamically.

I'll grant that the first point is the only one that actually incriminates the pots as "poop," but the other two "choices" deserve honorable mentions. I love Gibsons and have been primarily a Gibson player for almost 20 years, but I'm not blind to their apparent cluelessness about some critical pieces of the puzzle. If you get a guitar 90% of the way "there," why limit how much you can close the remaining 10% gap in the name of saving $2.50 or less?!

e-merlin · May 7th, 2008, 01:08 PM

Thanks.

6942 · May 7th, 2008, 01:24 PM

Unless I am mistaken, Gibson used to use decent quality CGE pots.
Either Gibson has gone to cheaper pots....or CGE pots aren't what they used to be?

Steve

DrewB · May 7th, 2008, 01:27 PM

I'm not sure who the OEM is. Some of the Custom Shop guitars get CTS pots, which is what I use in all my own guitars.

carlos · May 8th, 2008, 04:31 PM

My experience:
I mounted a p90 in the the neck of my tele. First with stock 250k pots, later added brighter caps, then changed to 300k and stayed for a while... until I played a squier custom II to find that in comparison my antiquity p90 sounded muffled, lacking much high end

I have just changed the tone for a 500k but still it sounds muffled in comparison to the squier... so i guess I'll have to go for both 500k pots... or maybe even a 1Meg tone as someone suggested above?

Al Nico · May 8th, 2008, 10:01 PM

I've settled on 500K volume and 1meg tone pots for P-90s, with a treble bleed circuit on the volume. It still sounds fat, but with the volume rolled down and the tone up it can still cop a pseudo Fender single coil sound.

carlos · May 11th, 2008, 04:22 PM

Quote:

...I played a squier custom II to find that in comparison my antiquity p90 sounded muffled, lacking much high end I have just changed the tone for a 500k but still it sounds muffled in comparison...

Well, I went for a 500k volume pot and restrung the guitar, and it's night and day... to a big extent due to the new strings! it's funny how you sometimes focus on the wrong problem. However I have to say that to my ears the squier neck pup sounds up to par to the antiquity

it has a higher output and sounds somewhat brighter and punchier.

JohnnyCrash · May 11th, 2008, 04:35 PM

All three of my Gibsons have great pots in them. Even my two non-CustomShop Gibsons.

I have a 2000, 2001, and a CShop 2001.

P-90s use 500k pots, although OLD Gibsons use to use 330k pots in some of them, even the humbucker'ed ones.

OaklandA · May 12th, 2008, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyCrash

All three of my Gibsons have great pots in them. Even my two non-CustomShop Gibsons.

I have a 2000, 2001, and a CShop 2001.

P-90s use 500k pots, although OLD Gibsons use to use 330k pots in some of them, even the humbucker'ed ones.

Same here.

I have a VOS R7, '62 SG RI, and a LP Classic Antique Mahogany (GOTW #33) and all have very good, high quality pots. Far as I know they're 500k as well.

Maybe the Faded series or Studios use cheaper stuff.

And 500k would definitely be the way to go with P-90's. I had a '98 LP Special for awhile...it had stock 500k Gibson potsand, again, seemed to be fine quality-wise.

.

May 6th, 2008, 02:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
tube tone TDPRI Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Texas Age: 57 Posts: 95	Pots for a P-90 Pickup Does Gibson use 250K audio or 500K audio pots on their guitars with P-90 pickups? Thanks, Ken

May 6th, 2008, 09:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
DrewB Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Independence, MO Posts: 841	500K is correct for P-90s. Gibson might use 300Ks, but I don't know that for certain. Gibson's pots are poop, for the most part. CTS 500Ks are the way to go. __________________ There is no substitute for Sound Pressure Level

May 7th, 2008, 02:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
metulmykul Tele-Meister Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 265	My Squier Tele Custom II has 500k's in there which i left when i changed the p'ups to hotter SD P90s. I think i may have read what DrewB said also about the 300k's... __________________ "Amps should have an on/off switch and a fking volume and tone. If you get a really fancy one, it should have reverb on/off..."* S.P Jones

May 7th, 2008, 01:08 PM	#7 (permalink)
e-merlin Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Sioux Falls, SD Posts: 5,438	Thanks. __________________ WARNING:This post may contain items including, but not limited to, sarcasm, irony, hyperbole intended to bring humor to this discussion. Those of you who are overly sensitive or who have no sense of humor are better off ignoring this post.

May 7th, 2008, 01:27 PM	#9 (permalink)
DrewB Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Independence, MO Posts: 841	I'm not sure who the OEM is. Some of the Custom Shop guitars get CTS pots, which is what I use in all my own guitars. __________________ There is no substitute for Sound Pressure Level

May 7th, 2008, 08:41 AM	#5 (permalink)
Wardpike Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: St. John's, Newfoundland Age: 43 Posts: 583	CTS 1Meg pots are the best way to go. Let all that nice single-coil top end sizzle through! Tone wide open, P90s can sound like G&L's or even Tele pickups with a CAP'ed volume pot to adjust down the volume a little. Seriously, get the 1Megs.

May 7th, 2008, 01:24 PM	#8 (permalink)
6942 Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Western Maryland Posts: 1,285	Unless I am mistaken, Gibson used to use decent quality CGE pots. Either Gibson has gone to cheaper pots....or CGE pots aren't what they used to be? Steve

May 8th, 2008, 04:31 PM	#10 (permalink)
carlos TDPRI Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: en la cantina Posts: 90	My experience: I mounted a p90 in the the neck of my tele. First with stock 250k pots, later added brighter caps, then changed to 300k and stayed for a while... until I played a squier custom II to find that in comparison my antiquity p90 sounded muffled, lacking much high end I have just changed the tone for a 500k but still it sounds muffled in comparison to the squier... so i guess I'll have to go for both 500k pots... or maybe even a 1Meg tone as someone suggested above?

May 8th, 2008, 10:01 PM	#11 (permalink)
Al Nico Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 260 5 Photos	I've settled on 500K volume and 1meg tone pots for P-90s, with a treble bleed circuit on the volume. It still sounds fat, but with the volume rolled down and the tone up it can still cop a pseudo Fender single coil sound.

May 11th, 2008, 04:35 PM	#13 (permalink)
JohnnyCrash Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lost Angeles and Orange County Posts: 6,915 39 Photos	All three of my Gibsons have great pots in them. Even my two non-CustomShop Gibsons. I have a 2000, 2001, and a CShop 2001. P-90s use 500k pots, although OLD Gibsons use to use 330k pots in some of them, even the humbucker'ed ones.