Mixing Pot Values - Which way?

[Butch Snyder]

In my vintage white Tele (my avatar), I'm going to install a fulsize humbuker in the neck position and keep the bridge position the same. I have thought this through after seeing the responses from this thread.

Butch's pipe dream Tele thread

I know there is no way a normal Tele neck pickup can sound like a PAF; so I decided to install a fullsize humbucker instead. It's my DiMarzio Air Norton with a nickel-silver cover. Now the pot values, To have decent clarity in the humbucker without making the bridge pickup thin and brittle and without making the neck pickup to mellow and dark, I have heard of mixing the pot values. Which of the following should I do?

1. 250k volume/500k tone
2. 500k volume/250k tone

[sjtalon]

250K VOLUME makes pickup brighter, than a 500 would.

as far a tone pot, their biggest effect is when used and what the cap value is so it really doesn't matter too much what you put their, either value can work that same with given caps.

So you could go with the 500 vol. so the hb isn't too muddy and if the bridge is to harsh (although it may be o.k.) you can always add a little tone control or back the volume down a hair to take some highs out.

[Teleterr]

Originally Posted by sjtalon

250K VOLUME makes pickup brighter, than a 500 would.

as far a tone pot, their biggest effect is when used and what the cap value is so it really doesn't matter too much what you put their, either value can work that same with given caps.

So you could go with the 500 vol. so the hb isn't too muddy and if the bridge is to harsh (although it may be o.k.) you can always add a little tone control or back the volume down a hair to take some highs out.

You wrote the first line backwards. I'm sure you meant 500K.I like 500Ks for singles in general, but I'm not in a situation where I have to turn up quickly and can use both controls together for the perfect tone.Butch, you can also comprimize w a 375K pot if 500K is too bright for you, or put a 1 meg resistor across the outter lugs of a 500K for 333K. A 1.5 meg resistance gives 375K if you already have a 500K.

[AJBaker]

A 250k tone pot is fine in most cases. Chances are you won't even notice the difference! For extra highs, use a no load.

[sjtalon]

Originally Posted by Teleterr

You wrote the first line backwards. I'm sure you meant 500K.

Woops backwards day. Good catch !

[JCollins]

There is another part to consider, when using a higher value volume pot. A 500K volume pot will make the guitar brighter than a 250K volume pot, but only when the guitar is at full volume. A higher value volume pot will roll of highs much faster than a lower value volume pot, with everything else being equal. That is why a guitar with Fender-style single coil pickups, and a 500K volume pot will usually have a treble bypass cap installed.

The highs are always attenuated, in a guitar with passive electronics, when the volume is rolled off. It is merely that the effect is exaggerated, with a higher value volume pot.

[Butch Snyder]

I ended up staying with two 250k pots. It's a fairly bright humbucker anyway. We'll see how it goes...

[Teleterr]

Originally Posted by JCollins

There is another part to consider, when using a higher value volume pot. A 500K volume pot will make the guitar brighter than a 250K volume pot, but only when the guitar is at full volume. A higher value volume pot will roll of highs much faster than a lower value volume pot, with everything else being equal. That is why a guitar with Fender-style single coil pickups, and a 500K volume pot will usually have a treble bypass cap installed.

The highs are always attenuated, in a guitar with passive electronics, when the volume is rolled off. It is merely that the effect is exaggerated, with a higher value volume pot.

I have not found that to be the case,perhaps we have different tapers on our pots.There are those artificial highs you get once past what the p/up needs for flatest signal transfer and those do leave quickly,so maybe thats what you are hearing.Theres a sweet spot around 333-400K where the p/up gets the best full signal transfer;past that it starts favoring the treble.