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On/off tone pot variance

B

betardfoosier

Feb 13, 2011
185
1
#1
I have a 250k audio taper cts pot in my mexican j, with a .047 cap, and 500k audio taper volume pots. I am running model j pups. The problem is, my tone pot makes my bass really thick and round when completely closed off, but when you crack it open at all, it goes straight to bright and the tone doesn't change any more all the way to full open. Does that sound like a bad pot? It is wired just like it was from the factory.
 
#2
I'm thinking this tone pot was meant for a left hand guitar and it accidentally found it's way into your bass. Either that or the part is correct but wired backwards with the wire on the "thick" side of the taper.

Hopefully the part is correct and you can just switch it around by moving the wire to the other side of the pot. Otherwise you'll have to replace it with the proper right-handed pot. (I'm assuming you're right-handed! :))
 
#4
Ahhh... OK, well then a right-handed tone pot possibly found it's way into your bass. Or, it's still possible that somebody accidentally wired the correct pot backwards.

Try moving the wire to the other side of the pot. If the tone functions "correctly" (ie: not on/off) but backwards, then it's a right-hand pot in a left-hand bass.

Good luck.

P.S.: Sorry I assumed you're right-handed! LOL! :D
 
#5
lefty bass?

you need a "reverse-audio" pot for the tone, and i recommend linear taper pots for the volumes. (linear work the same both ways, and give a smoother volume sweep than audio taper on basses).

fender doesn't usually bother with any of that, so you probably have all right-handed audio pots in there.
 

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