Another audio/linear taper pot question...

[keyboardguy]

Hi all,

Yes, I've searched the forums and have read the various opinions on using audio taper VS linear pots.

I have 2 humbuckers that I'm wiring up as V/V/tone. I bought from StewMac 500k mini pots (audio taper). That's all Stew mac sells; no linear taper.

My question is: when I use the 500k for the tone, what difference will I HEAR using the audio taper and opposed to having a linear taper tone pot?

Are we just talking about how much I have to turn the pot until I hear a difference?

I'm using orangedrop .047 uF CAPs BTW..

Thanks,

Mike

 

[RyreInc]

Correct, the sound will not change, only the taper changes.

Nice site on potentiometers here:
http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/potsecrets/potscret.htm

 

[jointus]

Hope this helps:
LINK
LINK2

 

[seanm]

My question is: when I use the 500k for the tone, what difference will I HEAR using the audio taper and opposed to having a linear taper tone pot?

With an audio (log) taper, as you turn the tone control, the tone will change.

With a linear taper, as you change the tone control nothing will happen ... nothing will happen ... nothing will happpen ... nothing will happen ... HUGE jump in tone. With a linear taper all the change will be in the last little bit of the pot.

 

[LoveThatBass]

With an audio (log) taper, as you turn the tone control, the tone will change.

With a linear taper, as you change the tone control nothing will happen ... nothing will happen ... nothing will happpen ... nothing will happen ... HUGE jump in tone. With a linear taper all the change will be in the last little bit of the pot.

I know this to be true when a Linear taper is used for a volume pot due to the ear hearing volume changes logarithmically, however I do not believe this is true with the tone control as either linear or audio taper may be used here.
You are changing tone and not volume so the ear does not counter tonal changes in the same manner as volume.

 

[seanm]

I know this to be true when a Linear taper is used for a volume pot due to the ear hearing volume changes logarithmically, however I do not believe this is true with the tone control as either linear or audio taper may be used here.
You are changing tone and not volume so the ear does not counter tonal changes in the same manner as volume.

It depends on the tone control circuit, but the ear still responds to tone changes in a non-linear manner.

I agree that you can get away with a linear pot for the tone control much more than for a volume, but I still feel a log taper still works better. YMMV.

 

[keyboardguy]

Great info folks Thanks!!

Mike

 

[madjazzbass]

With an audio (log) taper, as you turn the tone control, the tone will change.

With a linear taper, as you change the tone control nothing will happen ... nothing will happen ... nothing will happpen ... nothing will happen ... HUGE jump in tone. With a linear taper all the change will be in the last little bit of the pot.

Thanks, That's exactly what I DON'T want to happen; Audio taper is what I want for both my tone and volume pots. ... Yes, I am aware that this thread is over 10 years old.

 

[line6man]

My question is: when I use the 500k for the tone, what difference will I HEAR using the audio taper and opposed to having a linear taper tone pot?

Linear taper pots are not to be used for tone controls. You only use them for volume controls. The effect on a tone control is that you get an on/off switch, where nothing happens until toward the end of the rotation, and then suddenly, all the treble cuts out. It's like jumping from "10" to "0" very quickly, without any gradual change.

For a volume control, the difference in taper is how smoothly you go from loud to quiet.

 

[line6man]

Dang, just noticed the date. I guess I was a decade late.