Pots: 250 vs 500 vs 1k...is one "brighter?"

[Chef]

In a passive bass such as a Fender P/J or Reverend...
using control pots: 250 vs 500 vs 1k...is one "brighter?"
Does this apply to volume as well as tone?

thanks, alan

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by Chef

In a passive bass such as a Fender P/J or Reverend...
using control pots: 250 vs 500 vs 1k...is one "brighter?"
Does this apply to volume as well as tone?

thanks, alan

Looks like you would want to change the volume pot. I did that on my Squier P and prefer the wider dynamic range.

Check this out.

Click here.



Joe.

[Rick Brienzo]

Check this link out. It has a lot of great info.

http://www.stewmac.com/cgi-bin/hazel...eeinfo/fi.html

[Chef]

The reason I ask is I'm looking to brighten up my Reverend BH5, which uses 500k pots...so 1meg or higher might be my answer...from the wd site:
As a potentiometer is turned fully down, all of the signal from the pickup(s) is diverted to ground, resulting in no output from the instrument. When the potentiometer is turned up to full volume, the resistance of the potentiometer theoretically prevents any of the output signal leaking to ground, and weakening the output signal. Lower value pots, however, do not completely block the signal from leaking to ground even when turned up all the way, so using a 250k potentiometer will result in a slight loss of high frequency, as well as volume. This may please some musicians who want a mellower tone, but for those seeking ultimate purity of signal, a higher value potentiometer may be just what is needed. The higher the value, the more leakage is blocked from ground, which allows more of the signal to be sent to the output. A 500k pot may be just right, but a 1meg ohm pot will provide an all out sonic assault. Higher highs; lower lows; more volume - a rocker's dream! The only drawback of going to this higher value is the perceived range and sweep of the control. It's like going from 0 to 10 without the fine increments of control in between.

The Telecaster® is a good example of potentiometers determining the overall sound of an electric instrument. The earliest Telecasters® utilized 1meg ohm potentiometers. They were deemed too bright to be practical for a wide range of musical styles. As a result, the potentiometers were changed to 250k to "bleed off" some of the extreme treble "twang" that the early versions were known and loved for (Stratocasters® also use 250k pots for the same reason). Some Gibson® laptop guitars had 5 meg ohm pots. Talk about bright!

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by Chef

The reason I ask is I'm looking to brighten up my Reverend BH5, which uses 500k pots...so 1meg or higher might be my answer...from the wd site:
As a potentiometer is turned fully down, all of the signal from the pickup(s) is diverted to ground, resulting in no output from the instrument. When the potentiometer is turned up to full volume, the resistance of the potentiometer theoretically prevents any of the output signal leaking to ground, and weakening the output signal. Lower value pots, however, do not completely block the signal from leaking to ground even when turned up all the way, so using a 250k potentiometer will result in a slight loss of high frequency, as well as volume. This may please some musicians who want a mellower tone, but for those seeking ultimate purity of signal, a higher value potentiometer may be just what is needed. The higher the value, the more leakage is blocked from ground, which allows more of the signal to be sent to the output. A 500k pot may be just right, but a 1meg ohm pot will provide an all out sonic assault. Higher highs; lower lows; more volume - a rocker's dream! The only drawback of going to this higher value is the perceived range and sweep of the control. It's like going from 0 to 10 without the fine increments of control in between.

The Telecaster® is a good example of potentiometers determining the overall sound of an electric instrument. The earliest Telecasters® utilized 1meg ohm potentiometers. They were deemed too bright to be practical for a wide range of musical styles. As a result, the potentiometers were changed to 250k to "bleed off" some of the extreme treble "twang" that the early versions were known and loved for (Stratocasters® also use 250k pots for the same reason). Some Gibson® laptop guitars had 5 meg ohm pots. Talk about bright!

I would definitely start with 1 meg.

If you go higher you will probably find a lot of dead space (where there is no volume change) on your volume pot.

Give it a shot. I did and like I said, I'm very happy with my increase in dynamic range. If you don't like it you can always change it back.



Joe.

[Chef]

reverend says I should use "audio taper pots" vs linear control pots...not sure what that means?
Reverend recomends shopping for 6mm spline shaft slip on knob pots at mouser, mojo, stewmac or wd...

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by Chef

reverend says I should use "audio taper pots" vs linear control pots...not sure what that means?

Pots come in two tapers, audio and linear. We hear audio on a logrithmic scale. So audio pots are tapered accordingly.

Linear tapered pots (or actually not tapered) are in general more for control functions. But they can be used in a pinch. You wil have more of an on/off effect instead of a gradual one.

Reverend recomends shopping for 6mm spline shaft slip on knob pots at mouser, mojo, stewmac or wd...

That size probably matches up with their knob. This is very important if you want to use your factory knobs.

As far as where to get one, you can pick one up at you local electronics store. Just be sure to get the correct shaft size and value.

Something you may have to consider is the size of the pot itself. Make sure you take a good look at the size of your pot body. If it is a mini, a regular sized pot may not fit in your cavity. Just take a quick measurement. Don't sweat it, it's easy.



Joe.

[Chef]

kewl, thanks!

[jeffhigh]

Going from 250 to 500 makes a big difference on a guitar.
I doubt that going from 500k to 1000k is going to make a difference on a bass where the range of higher frequencies is much less.
Try this, Wire the pickup to bypass the volume and tone, If this does not make a difference that you can hear then replacing pots with a higher value will not be the answer.

[steveb98]

I recently had Nordie hum-canceling pickups put in my JBass bass. Then left the original Fender JBass pots and cap. With the new pickups the volume control seems to have very little effect till about 2/3 of the way then volume jumps up and last 1/3 is the bulk of my control. So should I put a higher value pot in or a lower to even out the taper?

[Lowtonejoe]

Originally Posted by steveb98

I recently had Nordie hum-canceling pickups put in my JBass bass. Then left the original Fender JBass pots and cap. With the new pickups the volume control seems to have very little effect till about 2/3 of the way then volume jumps up and last 1/3 is the bulk of my control. So should I put a higher value pot in or a lower to even out the taper?

I would try a higher value pot.

It may make no difference or it may make a world of difference. The thing is for less than $10 you can make a mod that is easy to change back, as long as you are handy with a soldering iron.

I say give it a shot. Or at the very least try jeff's idea and just run the pickup direct to the output jack and see if it makes a tonal difference. If it does, and you like it, replace the volume pot.



Joe.

[Chef]

I did this with my "Mudbucker(tm) equipped" 1972 Fender Telecaster bass. It made no diff...which is why it will probably get a DarkStar in it.

Originally Posted by jeffhigh

Going from 250 to 500 makes a big difference on a guitar.
I doubt that going from 500k to 1000k is going to make a difference on a bass where the range of higher frequencies is much less.
Try this, Wire the pickup to bypass the volume and tone, If this does not make a difference that you can hear then replacing pots with a higher value will not be the answer.