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I HATE Blend Pots!

#21
smurfco said:
The issue I usually have with passive blends is that there is a very narrow range of actual blending. for most of the travel you either get all neck pickup, both pickups full on, or all bridge pickup. there is a very narrow range in the middle where you are truly blending them together. Just my experience, maybe I've been using them wrong
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I dint found blend pot has narrow range while slightly turn from the decent center compare to VVT on my PJ bass.
VVT PJ bass still has notable voice change like Jazz bass when slightly turn down/dial back one of the volume knob.

The only downside (maybe for somebody) are no pure solo P and solo J even full turn to right or left, both pup always shake in hand once wiring done. Unlike 3 way switch which able give you solo pup sound . But , unground blend pot still make my PJ sound great. No volume drop while blend too !
 
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#22
Yahboy said:
I dint found blend pot has narrow range while slightly turn from the decent center compare to VVT on my PJ bass.
VVT PJ bass still has notable voice change like Jazz bass when slightly turn down/dial back one of the volume knob.

The only downside (maybe for somebody) are no pure solo P and solo J even full turn to right or left, both pup always shake in hand once wiring done. Unlike 3 way switch which able give you solo pup sound . But , unground blend pot still make my PJ sound great. No volume drop while blend too !
Click to expand...
I Diane get the range problem either, and I can live without pure solo. I just got tone suck. Maybe an unloaded blend would me happy. However, as of now, I am loving the upside of VV.
 
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#25
+1 for blend pots, but you need to get the MN style pots. There are two different types of blend, MN and AC. When blending slightly to the neck, AC style makes it sound more like the neck is full on while the bridge is so, so low. With the MN style it sounds like you’ve blended a little Kote neck than bridge.
 
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#26
secondbestcody said:
+1 for blend pots, but you need to get the MN style pots. There are two different types of blend, MN and AC. When blending slightly to the neck, AC style makes it sound more like the neck is full on while the bridge is so, so low. With the MN style it sounds like you’ve blended a little Kote neck than bridge.
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What makes MN and AC pots different?
 
#28
kyral210 said:
What makes MN and AC pots different?
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I may sound dumb trying to explain something I don’t fully understand, but this is the internet so I’ll be confidently incorrect. I do know that MN pots blend better when moving slightly off center.

It has to do with how they taper the volumes. An A series pot tapers in a linear way like this-

IMG_5119.png


Whereas an M series pot tapers like this-

IMG_5120.png


I’m sure it has something to do with the M series having the same volume values in the center detent instead of the A series being reversed. On the Fat Bass Tone site they say that the M series blend pots are used in Aguilar preamps and the A series are used in Nordstrand preamps. Like I said, I don’t fully understand the technical part of it, but I like the M series more.
 
#29
I HATE Blend Pots!
:laugh: :roflmao:

i love 'em! but it sure seems like they're another 'divisive' EB issue, at least (especially?) on TB.

everyone deserves an ax that works the way "it should," however, so i'm glad you saved your thunderbird from inferior blending, @kyral210! ;) if it sounds better and invites you to play better = you win! congrats! :thumbsup:
 
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#31
I like a 3-way switch, and for the same reason that I prefer graphic EQ sliders over rotary.
I want to be able to glance at the control and know where it is, and not be fidgeting with a knob to confirm where it is in relation to a center notch (if it even has a center notch)
Extra knobs can be a challenge when you play multiple basses that have knobs in different configuarations.
A 3-way switch can't fool you.
 
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#32
Blend pots only have nice things to say about you.

Personally, I prefer VV but not by any wide margin. A well designed blend is convenient and works fine for me. Honestly, I’m perfectly fine with selector switches, too.
 
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#33
I actually had a bass where two 500k volumes didn't sound right, very bright. two 250k volumes also didn't sound right (like lo-fi). but somehow one 500k volume and a 250MN ungrounded pot sounded just right with controls at noon.

it all depends on the exact bass, I don't have universal preferences. on some blend is designed to perfectly match the electronics, on some two volumes work better.
 
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#35
The inconvenience of dual volume is a turnoff for me.
When blend pots (and yes, some ungrounded M/N ones do this too) act more like a switch, I don't like that at all either.
Active buffered blend is awesome but rare and costly.

Switches are honestly the most reliable way to select pickups. True, you can't "blend" like a pot should, but if that blend is acting like a switch, then it's just better to have a switch... unless the "illusion" of blending is more important to the user, then I suppose I'd see the point.
 
#36
kyral210 said:
My Thunderbird always sounded dull, even after new custom wound pickups. It had a CTS passive blend knob. Then fate intervened.

I bashed my blend knob so hard it broke. Damn! Ok, I’m rewiring the pot anyway, why not try a stacked knob? So I did. Jesus Christ the tone is better!

it’s like adding new strings. The definition is more pronounced and there’s more growl. I’m so happy that I have made this mod, and confirmed I HATE blend knobs for how they destroy tone and ‘feel’!

View attachment 5436131
Click to expand...
I'm contemplating no pots whatsoever on my future passive basses. I have an old Ibanez with EMG PJs in it. (Yes, the pickups are active but they ran through a passive VVT circuit.) The bass sounded pretty darn good to begin with, but I removed the pots, ran the pickups parallel directly to the jack, and the bass sounds noticeably better. At least i can hear it. And since i almost always play my basses with both pickups full volume or 50/50 blend, and wide open tone, why kill that tone with any of those pots at all?

Congrats on the happy accident and the stacked knob tone success!
 
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#39
kyral210 said:
My Thunderbird always sounded dull, even after new custom wound pickups. It had a CTS passive blend knob. Then fate intervened.

I bashed my blend knob so hard it broke. Damn! Ok, I’m rewiring the pot anyway, why not try a stacked knob? So I did. Jesus Christ the tone is better!

it’s like adding new strings. The definition is more pronounced and there’s more growl. I’m so happy that I have made this mod, and confirmed I HATE blend knobs for how they destroy tone and ‘feel’!

View attachment 5436131
Click to expand...

Glad you found a solution for your bass. I have an active Warwick Corvette that is MV B and a CT controls. I’ve also have a VVT on my PBj, and had VV T TT on a Rick 4001, and a VVTT and tone selector dial on a couple of EB3s. Out of all of them I liked the functionality or the Rick’s VV Toggle TT the best, although I could get an acceptable tone out of all of them.

Was there some sort of tonal filtering that was removed in the process?
 
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#40
smurfco said:
The issue I usually have with passive blends is that there is a very narrow range of actual blending. for most of the travel you either get all neck pickup, both pickups full on, or all bridge pickup. there is a very narrow range in the middle where you are truly blending them together. Just my experience, maybe I've been using them wrong
Click to expand...

I haven’t noticed that with my Warwick Corvette, not that I use it much. Mostly on the job, I set it at the center detent and use my EQ on my amp if any adjustments are needed.
 

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