minions
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Post by minions on Feb 8, 2010 4:01:53 GMT -5
I have a custom Strat that is in the process of being wired. The pickup configuration is S-S-H. I know that the standard pots for an HB guitar are 500k ohms and the standard pots for a single-coil guitar are 250k, but what should I buy for mine, since I use an HB and two SC's?
Thanks.
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Post by JohnH on Feb 8, 2010 5:16:22 GMT -5
There's no right or wrong answer, but as you probably know, 500k pots will give you a bit more high treble 'edge' at full volume. But 250 k on the volume pot keeps your output impedance a bit lower as you reduce volume, slightly better for keeping consistent tone as you reduce volume.
Something that may help your choice, at full volume, the tone of a guitar with two 250k pots is virtually identical to one with 500k pots and the tone turned doen to about 6 or 7 on a log tone pot. So if you generally play with max volume, you are not losing any tone with 500k pots that you can have with 250k, and you keep the option of more treble at max tone.
Another option, a 250k volume pot and a 500k log tone?
John
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Post by sumgai on Feb 8, 2010 13:11:02 GMT -5
John, There is an implication here that needs clarification (but only because I'm feeling pedantic this morning ). .... 250 k on the volume pot keeps your output impedance a bit lower as you reduce volume, slightly better for keeping consistent tone as you reduce volume. Hoping to keep all the math and jizz-jazz out of it, I think it's important to remember that a lower value pot gives the exact same tonal results as a higher value pot that is partially turned down. By way of example, a 500KΩ pot (with a linear taper) that is turned down to 5 will exhibit the same tone as a 250KΩ pot set to 10. From that point downward, they should both sound the same, but obviously the lower-valued pot will provide a greater amount of rotational "room" to find a sweet spot, during that period between 250KΩ and fully off. At this point, one can see that the lower-valued pot doesn't actually "keep" the output impedance lower, it's simply a matter of this impedance is never able to rise to the value possible with the higher-valued pot. </lecture mode> HTH sumgai
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minions
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Post by minions on Feb 8, 2010 13:58:15 GMT -5
Ah ok that makes sense now. Thanks guys!
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Post by JohnH on Feb 8, 2010 20:56:11 GMT -5
sumgai - what i was getting at was how, when you turn the volume pot to 50%, the output impedance of the guitar rises from just below that of the pickup itself, up to just above 25% of the volume pot value, ie, it miught rise from about 6k-10k at max volume, up to about 130k on a 500k volume pot, and about 65k on a 250k pot. This allows cable capacitance to do more damage to the treble with a 500k pot than for a 250k pot.
The net result is, at full volume, with say, a 20' cord and without treble bleed capacitors, a 500k volume pot gives a brighter sound than a 250k volume pot, but at 50% volume setting, the 250k pot is actualy brighter than the 500k, although both are a bit duller than at full volume.
If this is not believed, I can post graphs! - which might be of interest anyway.
I generally have put 500k pots in all my guitars, since they all have either series wiring or humbuckers or both, but I find the tone loss at lower volume to be quite marked so I do treble-blled mods or preamps to compensate. Conversely, when I have picked up other peoples standard Teles and Strats, I notice how the volume controls seem to work quite nicely as they are.
John
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Post by newey on Feb 8, 2010 20:58:40 GMT -5
Basically, it goes to "11".
;D ;D ;D ;D
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minions
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Post by minions on Feb 9, 2010 5:38:46 GMT -5
The net result is, at full volume, with say, a 20' cord and without treble bleed capacitors, a 500k volume pot gives a brighter sound than a 250k volume pot, but at 50% volume setting, the 250k pot is actualy brighter than the 500k, although both are a bit duller than at full volume. As we all know, a treble bleed mod uses a 100k resistor and a .002uf cap. With a 500k pot, should I only use the cap, not the resistor? Thanks.
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Post by JohnH on Feb 9, 2010 7:14:15 GMT -5
Theres several versions of a treble bleed. The one I use is a 220k and 1nF in parallel from inner to hot lug on a 500k log taper volume . It works much more consistently with the resistor and the cap together than with just the cap.
John
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Post by Teleblooz on Feb 9, 2010 16:15:11 GMT -5
FWIW, I have a stRat with the same SSH configuration... ...and have tried out both 500k and 250k pots in all positions. I've found the most generally useful combination to be the standard Fender one, using all 250k pots (volume, neck & middle tone, no tone control on the bridge 'bucker). Of course, your mileage may vary.
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Post by dunkelfalke on Feb 16, 2010 4:33:56 GMT -5
Theres several versions of a treble bleed. The one I use is a 220k and 1nF in parallel from inner to hot lug on a 500k log taper volume . It works much more consistently with the resistor and the cap together than with just the cap. Interesting. Inner lug is signal out, so the hot lug would be signal in, the same lug which is also connected to the tone pot, right?
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