P-bass tone pot question...

[fourstringdrums]

I think you and I are heading towards the same sweet spot. P bass with flats, high mass bridge, and 0.1uF tone. Mine is a 50's P with 760FLs and a Gotoh 201. And she can cover some ground.

I actually don't like heavier mass bridges. I swapped out the BAII that my Highway 1 had and put on a vintage style Highway One P bridge (what they used before the "upgrade"). The high mass added a subtle amount of sustain that I think took away some of the qualities of the P that I was looking for.

Got it. I went for an Orange Drop .1uF and a 250K pot. Not a bad experiment for under $6.

You'll notice a huge difference. Even with stock pickups, just putting in a new cap dramatically changes the tone. When I removed the Greasebucket tone circuit in mine even before I replaced the pickups, the .1uf cap made a huge change.

 

[DavePlaysBass]

I actually don't like heavier mass bridges. I swapped out the BAII that my Highway 1 had and put on a vintage style Highway One P bridge (what they used before the "upgrade"). The high mass added a subtle amount of sustain that I think took away some of the qualities of the P that I was looking for.

I can understand that. I added it for the sustain which made the bass more versatile for some songs where I needed to hold the long notes.

 

[fenderx55]

Hey guys, searched and found this thread, I just ordered an orange drop .1uf to throw in my MIA J, I'll do before and after clips and post 'em as a reference for anyone else thinking of doing this mod.
-chris

 

[shakerattleroll]

To any of you that have modded to the american 62 reissue specs...

I have an MIM P that I'm upgrading with the orange drop cap and CTS solid shaft 250 k pots

I'm wondering if I should follow the wiring diagram for the standard bass like I have now, or I should change to the '62 reissue wiring? Anyone have info/advice on the differences?

'62RI wiring

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Standard wiring

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[fourstringdrums]

To any of you that have modded to the american 62 reissue specs...

I have an MIM P that I'm upgrading with the orange drop cap and CTS solid shaft 250 k pots

I'm wondering if I should follow the wiring diagram for the standard bass like I have now, or I should change to the '62 reissue wiring? Anyone have info/advice on the differences?

'62RI wiring

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Standard wiring

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Well I know the grounding doesn't matter, and I believe that where the cap is soldered doesn't either. The only other difference is how the two pots are wired together (which lug to which lug). I went with the standard wiring personally.

 

[shakerattleroll]

It seems to me that the cap on the two would make a difference as on the standard it's not connected to the volume pot, while on the 62 it is...?

 

[fourstringdrums]

It seems to me that the cap on the two would make a difference as on the standard it's not connected to the volume pot, while on the 62 it is...?

I posted a question a while back and I believe I was told that it didn't matter where it was soldered, there are just a few different ways of doing it. The cap value matters more.

 

[Ric5]

Slight correction, .047 is the norm.

250k is the standard P bass pot. 500k is recommended for humbucking pickups (that's what's in my EB-0) although some people use 500k in Fenders to get a slightly brighter sound.

That is correct info ...

Also you can use a 1000k ohm pot to brighten up a bass with humbuckers.

 

[nlmcguire91]

That is correct info ...

Also you can use a 1000k ohm pot to brighten up a bass with humbuckers.

Alrighty, so suppose I'm dropping 500k pots in my Aerodyne, and decide to solder on a 0.1 uf film cap. Would this then allow me to have the treble bleed of the caps and still roll off a broader range of treble frequencies to achieve a nice dark thump when the need arises?

 

[Ric5]

I have never tried that configuration ...

 

[nlmcguire91]

I'm no expert, but I'm assuming that that's how my configuration would work. I'll report my findings after I slap it all together

 

[iiipopes]

Before you replace the pot, have you sprayed the slightest bit of contact cleaner in it to see if that clears the oxidation?

 

[macburner]

"Got it. I went for an Orange Drop .1uF and a 250K pot. Not a bad experiment for under $6."

I want to try this but have been confused as to selecting a linear pot while looking to purchase via stew mac or amazon or whatever. Any help would be great.

also....I have a MIJ Traditional 60s Midnight Precision. Do you think it would be metric? Thought I would ask (being lazy) prior to measuring

 

[Grinderman]

Decimals mean a lot


Orignal P-Bass cap value: 0.1uF or 100nF or 0.1mfd

Modern P-Bas cap value: 0.047uF or 47nF or 0.047mfd


The main thing you will get with a 500K pot on your tone control is a more coarse adjustment.

I have a 0.1uF and a 250k on my P-bass. I like it. I roll off just a smidge almost everytime I play. It fattens things up and makes the phase change from the A to the D less noticable IME. I think the 0.1uF on a P gives me more milage than the 0.047uF on my J.

Dave

Same on my two P basses, 0.1uF cap and 250k pots, one with Klein Epic '58, the other Lollar standard.

250K/500K stacked pots with 0.047uF caps on my J with Fralin split coils.