Pot values

[Coolhandjjl]

I had put in some push/pull volume pots on one of my J basses so I could go from parallel/series coils on each of my DiMarzio Model J pups. I believed I had wired everything correctly per DiMarzio's diagram.

Today, I noticed I cannot dial the bass down to dead quiet like I can with my Rics. I can still play and get sound even when the pots are turned all the way down. I checked some standard pots in my box of parts, they go from 250, 500, or whatever, all the way down to 0 ohms on both lugs. The push/pulls I bought only go down to 3 ohms on both lugs.

I wonder if that is enough so my basses would still play even when turned down? Is that normal? Do I need no-load pots, or are the ones I bought just cheap?

Thanks in advance!

[line6man]

The pots are not grounded properly.

[Coolhandjjl]

Thanks!

I'll open 'er up tomorrow and take a look at my solder connections. Perhaps I got a cold joint in there.

[Coolhandjjl]

Yep- a cold solder joint. The bane of the home hobbyist.

[nashvillebill]

Of course, when I saw the title of this thread, I immediately thought that it referred to Columbian versus Mexican versus Hawaiian versus California bud....

[MirrorToTheMoon]

What's a cold joint? Also, Do any of you have any idea why my volume goes WAY down when I roll the tone up?

[bassmeknik]

A "cold" solder joint is a poorly completed solder connection. It refers to a connection that did not have enough heat applied and was therefore not properly completed. A cold solder joint needs only to be re-heated and a small amount of solder applied at higher temperature so as to allow the solder to properly flow and make a reliable connection. Cold solder joints have a dull appearance where a properly completed one is more glossy or shiny. Cold joints develop a higher resistance to current flow and are a common source of circuit failure on DIY projects. Practice and experience will teach you how much heat to use, so carefully inspect your connections and re-solder any dull looking (not glossy) joints so they are smooth and glossy. A cold solder joint may develop a crack in the solder as the result of vibration and/or normal handling. Just recheck your connections and re-solder suspect ones.

[bassmeknik]

Originally Posted by MirrorToTheMoon

Do any of you have any idea why my volume goes WAY down when I roll the tone up?

This sounds like either the tone pot is if an incorrect resistance value or the capacitor is an incorrect value (could also be a high resistance/cold solder joint in the tone part of the circuit). Check the values of both parts and compare them with values found on similar basses or post them here and someone can suggest whether they are appropriate values for your application

[96tbird]

Mirrortothemoon, The tone circuit may have been messed with if it's a used bass. There are a couple of ways to wire a tone pot into the circuit. Make sure the hot wire from the volume to the tone and hot to the jack are on the same lug (joined).

Sometimes you will see the hot from the vol. pot direct to the jack and a tone wire from hot vol. lug to the tone pot.

Sometimes it's hot wire from vol. pot to the tone pot and on the same tone lug (outside lug; track lug) a wire to the jack.