Who makes a GOOD blend pot

[C Squared]

So I'm doing some searching online for a blend pot for my J bass project. rather then two volumes I'd prefer master volume, blend, master tone.

Basic searches keep coming up with lots of folks who:
a)wired it wrong
and
b) got a bad pot

I know we have a lot of folks here who do this stuff for a living, so where have you found a reliable source for Blend pots.

If you need more specifics

DiMarzio Ultra J set (Passive) Jazz pups going into an ash body
Master Volume
Blend
Master Tone

These are fairly high output and the folks at DiMarzio say I can use 250k or 500k pots (i have a few of both here now) and probably gonna try a few different caps.

Thanks

[SGD Lutherie]

Bourns!

You can get them from a few places such as WD Music.

I like them so much I'm going to be stocking them.

Just make sure when you wire it up that the pickup goes to the lug with the lowest resistance to the wiper when in the center, and ground goes to the other, higher resistance lug.

[C Squared]

Thanks. I'll check them out. Most appreciated

[walterw]

allparts has the bourns. if you're going to do "normal" blend wiring, use the 500k for the least loss.

if you're going to do the "unloaded blend" trick we've discussed around here before, use the 250k. it won't load the signal when run ungrounded, and will pan more smoothly.

[GeoffByrne]

I must have missed a 'trick'(!!) there.

Would you mind pointing me to the thread?

Muchly Ta!!

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by GeoffByrne

I must have missed a 'trick'(!!) there.

Would you mind pointing me to the thread?

Wire up the blend as normal, but leave off the ground connections. This way you are only uses series resistance to blend the pickups. You wont totally turn one off, but you wont notice it either.

[walterw]

right. this way the pan pot has no effect on the tone when centered and "dims" each pickup a bit more slowly when turned, making it easier to find that point of the blended sound "just turning over".

when panned all the way over, you could take a little screwdriver, tap on the "off" pickup, and still hear a little something, but when actually playing, you're just gonna hear the "on" pickup.

make sure you're using "M/N" balance pots (which the allparts ones are), or you'll be losing all kinds of signal.

[johnk_10]

after trting all of them, i think that the OEM fender blend pots are the best ones. they have only a 1-2 ohm reistance in the center click position.

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by johnk_10

after trting all of them, i think that the OEM fender blend pots are the best ones. they have only a 1-2 ohm reistance in the center click position.

Yes you want those which have BOTH pickup on full in the center position. The Fender ones do that. You can also get that kind form Stewart Macdonald. That's what I've been using and they work great. Some cheaper blend pots give you half volume on each pickup in the center position.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by johnk_10

after trting all of them, i think that the OEM fender blend pots are the best ones. they have only a 1-2 ohm reistance in the center click position.

Try the Bourns. It's the same way and the taper is nice.

I also want tho point out that the regular M/N taper blends sold by Allparts are not the same as the Bourns pots. I think they are Alphas. They were my favorite until I used the Bourns. I think the Fender pot is the same as the Allparts.

[johnk_10]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

I think the Fender pot is the same as the Allparts.

nope. it's not. i've tried all of the allparts ones (they ahve both bournes and alphas) and the fender one is different. and BTW, fender has two kinds of them with a solid 1/4" shaft.

[THIAGO Ibanez]

Google "mamoth eletronics" they have pots from the brand ALPHA alot cheaper than most guitar stores. These are the stock pots on my Ibanez SR 5005 prestige made in japan.

[walterw]

Originally Posted by SGD Lutherie

I also want tho point out that the regular M/N taper blends sold by Allparts are not the same as the Bourns pots. I think they are Alphas.

allparts actually has them both.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by THIAGO Ibanez

Google "mamoth eletronics" they have pots from the brand ALPHA alot cheaper than most guitar stores. These are the stock pots on my Ibanez SR 5005 prestige made in japan.

They don't carry blend pots though.

[Dethrats]

i know this one guy down the street who makes a good blend of...

...oh wait, wrong topic.... :P

[wimpy]

MEC makes nice pots, well two of these get broken patch....so I moved to cheap ones for blend...They work just fine I use Fender for volume, sometimes others but I prefer Fender...my tip is 500k for volume 250k for blend...hope it helps

http://www.banzaimusic.com/Partsland...-16-Blend.html

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Dethrats

i know this one guy down the street who makes a good blend of...

...oh wait, wrong topic.... :P

DOOD! That is "pot blend" not "blend pot"!

[JP Morin]

emg has an active blend pot... emg-abc I think...

[PacAWallop]

Originally Posted by JP Morin

emg has an active blend pot... emg-abc I think...

The ABC is an active EQ accessory that eliminates insertion loss and is designed to work with all our non-X series pickups that use a standard passive tone pot. Insertion loss is a naturally occurring yet frustrating phenomenon that occurs most frequently with traditional balance pots, usually when it is in the middle position. It is characterized by a drop in signal strength that occurs when two competing signals are mixed; the nearer you move the balance knob to the middle position the more directly it affects the signal of the other pickup. EMG has designed the Active Balance Control (ABC) to eliminate this phenomenon and gives a player more direct control and a more reliable expectation of what their tone will sound like at any given time. Whether in the studio or playing live, EMG once again provides the reliability and quality that musicians have come to rely on the world over.


$64.99 USD (In Stock)

I bet they do have a lot in stock!

[walterw]

well, it is a 9V-powered two-in, one-out mixer/preamp, so a lot more going on than just a pot.