The cloth wire is nicer to work with since it is push-back, so it closes up to the pots nicely. It also doesn't melt on the wire while you are heating up the pot.
Plus it sounds more.
Plus it sounds more.
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Cloth & Poly Wire Difference
- Thread starter ODDBALL
- Start date
Waxed cloth is very nice to work with if you have good sharp strippers. The insulation dosn't melt and deform
when soldering. It remains on the wire. PVC insulation will melt and bend away from the conductor if the wire
makes a sharp bend where it leaves the terminal. Cloth won't do that.
Plain cloth is harder to strip, and is usually just pushed back to expose the conductor. It can also leave frayed
ends on the insulation, and get in the way when soldering the connection. Waxed cloth strips really nice and clean.
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when soldering. It remains on the wire. PVC insulation will melt and bend away from the conductor if the wire
makes a sharp bend where it leaves the terminal. Cloth won't do that.
Plain cloth is harder to strip, and is usually just pushed back to expose the conductor. It can also leave frayed
ends on the insulation, and get in the way when soldering the connection. Waxed cloth strips really nice and clean.
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what bass are you buying this "harness" for? if it's a USA or even mexi fender, there's literally zero point, you already have most of that stuff in there.
Hopkins
Commercial User
i'm inclined to agree, it makes more sense to just get the better components for $2 to $5 each and solder them in to what you have.
in the case of that squier, the only differences you would hear would come from pots that were a different resistance (higher=brighter) or a cap that was a different value (bigger=more mids taken away, and even then only when you turned the tone knob way down).
in the case of that squier, the only differences you would hear would come from pots that were a different resistance (higher=brighter) or a cap that was a different value (bigger=more mids taken away, and even then only when you turned the tone knob way down).
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
These are high quality Components for longevity ' s sake. They will go typically longer with out problems. With Solid Shaft Pots You Will Need Knobs with set screws. The shift is not subject to breakage as easily as split shafts are.
Hopkins
Commercial User
Split shaft pots are not more inclined to breaking if the correct knobs are used on them. Those prewired harnesses that sell on Ebay for $50 would cost a total of about $12 in parts.
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
Ok, you are correct if you never remove the knob and find you have to open the slot more than once or twice to get a tight fit again.
If you do notice a difference it is likely to be the tolerance of the cap. In the old days when I wuz young caps often had +\~ 20% tolerance so a 50 nF cap could be anywhere between 40 and 60 nF.
That is some difference, tonewise.
It ain't how low you can go but what you do when you get there!
I tried that. I thought I heard a difference between a ceramic disk and a ... whatever expensive thing I was using, I can look it up.
I then measured the actual value of the fat capacitor with a multimeter than measures capacitance and selected a ceramic disk of the same type of the original ceramic disk, but so that the actual value would be identical to the actual value of the expensive capacitor.
The difference I thought I hear was still there, with both disks sounding identical, although their value was different, and the fat thing different. Still have all of that in my test harness.
This was with guitar, though. It made it pretty clear that the old fat capacitors have more electrical properties than just straight capacitance and nothing else.
Older caps were more prone to leakage current. This has the effect of bypassing the cap with a virtual resistor, reducing the ac resistance of the cap.
Many folks think that ceramic caps sound bad. I think this has its origin in the fact that the were originally used mainly in radio frequency applications and because they were always wide tolerance,
It ain't how low you can go but what you do when you get there!
Many folks think that ceramic caps sound bad. I think this has its origin in the fact that the were originally used mainly in radio frequency applications and because they were always wide tolerance,
It ain't how low you can go but what you do when you get there!
I use EMG's. I so don't have to worry about this stuff, or soldering for that matter 
That I don't know, as I only have ever owned one 5, it's not a Fender or Squier P, and it's got a set of active EMG PJ5's. But they do have several to choose from in both the actives and passive HZ series.
