I'm building a warmoth jazz bass, and I would to use the best possible passive pots and caps. Suggestions please...

alps(albs?) are good, but there are others also

check out www.bayoucables.com butch makes some killer wire and pot harnesses with top of the line stuff.

Which is better for passive jazz, 250 or 500?

allesandro sells some pricey ones - $41 for the pot and $15 for the caps. you can get them at tubesandmore.com.

JR

Which is better for passive jazz, 250 or 500?

For passive, I think 500 would be better.

what kinda difference does it make using a 250 instead of 500?

Stock Fenders are 250 ohm so i would use that.
CTS pots are good too.

To put in plain speak, 500s will give you more treble cut and 250s less, in the scheme of things they are quite cheap so if you can, give both a try and let your own ears be the judge.

Good quality pots of different rating influence the tone of a guitar dramatically, a little less so for us bass players but none the less they certainly make a difference.

You hear it a lot about people who had this bass that was the bee's knees and they now have a new one with identical specs. but it just does not sound the same. well you may guess what the subtle difference may be, yep, down to the seemingly inconsequential pots used.

anyways, good quality pots are cheap so you know what to do.
best of luck

Single coil pickups, use 250K, Humbuckers 500K. I use CTS solid shaft pots in all my basses & never had a prob with them. They are reasonably cheap ($10 max) depending on where you buy from. Use good quality wire & make sure you sheild the cavities and run an earth wire to the sheild paint.... yes earth the paint to the wood with a screw.

I use good "bumble bee" type caps for tone, value is preferance. .1uf is ok for jazz bass.

Plenty of stores on Evilbay that sell this stuff & cheap!

Hope this helps.

Cheers
Rusty

To put in plain speak, 500s will give you more treble cut and 250s less, in the scheme of things they are quite cheap so if you can, give both a try and let your own ears be the judge.

Good quality pots of different rating influence the tone of a guitar dramatically, a little less so for us bass players but none the less they certainly make a difference.

You hear it a lot about people who had this bass that was the bee's knees and they now have a new one with identical specs. but it just does not sound the same. well you may guess what the subtle difference may be, yep, down to the seemingly inconsequential pots used.

anyways, good quality pots are cheap so you know what to do.
best of luck

the main factor being that the actual resistance value of pots can vary wildly, bleeding more or less signal to ground, which changes the tone. more expensive pots may have better tolerances, may have a more pleasing taper, be less prone to becoming scratchy (especially if they are sealed), and introduce less noise.



JR

To put in plain speak, 500s will give you more treble cut and 250s less, in the scheme of things they are quite cheap so if you can, give both a try and let your own ears be the judge.



...not true.

500k pots will be brighter than 250k pots when no cut is applied.

1meg pots will be brighter again.

The amount of treble cut is defined by the value of the cap.

+1

I generally prefer a 500k volume pot and apply passive roll-off for a passive bass.
You still retain a good amount of note definition after roll off.

...not true.

500k pots will be brighter than 250k pots when no cut is applied.

1meg pots will be brighter again.

The amount of treble cut is defined by the value of the cap.

Thanx for this one!
I thaught so, but was unsure and 2"didn't dare" post.

Penny & Giles make the best pots around, but I'm not sure if they have one for your bass. Check their website to verify. Warning: They are expensive, and therefore may or may not be the best application for you.

ok, so I have always used 250K for passive single coils, and 25K for active EMGs etc. Now I need 100k for active Basslines, I cannot find them anywhere except for a few on ebay. Don't pedals use 100k, where do DIYers find these pots that are good quality enough?

thanks

ok, so I have always used 250K for passive single coils, and 25K for active EMGs etc. Now I need 100k for active Basslines, I cannot find them anywhere except for a few on ebay. Don't pedals use 100k, where do DIYers find these pots that are good quality enough?

thanks

go to www.smallbearelec.com or www.banzaieffects.com (if you need some "exotic" pots)

I really dig the Noble pots that Aguilar sell on their site. I get mine from www.bestbassgear.com when Brian has them in stock. They're really solid, turn smoothly and have no annoying little lugs that get in the way of install.

http://www.aguilaramp.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/250k-Single.jpg

go to www.smallbearelec.com or www.banzaieffects.com (if you need some "exotic" pots)

thanks, I also discovered guitarelectronics.com and mouser.com in the meantime

I always leave the pots wide open on my (passive) guitars, I think it sounds better. I just adjust the volume & tone at the amp. With that in mind, should I consider bypassing the pots on my passive P bass entirely? Or is this being way too internet fussy?

I always leave the pots wide open on my (passive) guitars, I think it sounds better. I just adjust the volume & tone at the amp. With that in mind, should I consider bypassing the pots on my passive P bass entirely? Or is this being way too internet fussy?

Well worth the effort IMO. Pots wide open don't sound like a bass with no pots. You might want to try different values of caps (with no pot) across the jack.