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Pairing a Fender '62 precision pickup with a 500k pot?

A

ambissonnett

Jan 9, 2013
69
3
#1
Hey guys,

I made a post a few weeks back about adjusting the pickup height on my PJ bass. I have a Fender '62 vintage precision pickup matched with a Seymour Duncan STK-J2B hot jazz pickup. I learned from this that Fender pickup doesn't have a high output, and I think that's what I'm lacking. So instead of shopping around for a different neck pickup, would it be better to just swap out the 250k pot for a 500k pot? Would this affect the tone or anything? Help please.
 
#3
No no, it's a reissue one. I had that one installed when I converted my new purchase from active to passive. I wanted a good growl, with bright punch to it. I thought the warmth of the vintage would help balance out the hot jazz. I'm guessing the jazz is a little to hot for this one. So I thought I'd try a easier solution than a whole new pickup replacement.
Still any idea if it would affect tone, volume, or just straight up sound terrible? I'm looking for a brighter, louder sound from it. From what I've read here before, that might be a possible solution.
 
#6
JustForSport said:
Does a wide open 500k pot "attenuate(s) proportionally more bass than 250k of resistance" pot, or just allow more treble thru?
Click to expand...
I dont' know from experience or personal testing, but the graphs I've seen show a 250k, a 500k, and no pot at all, as all having a different impact on treble. But, I can't remember if those graphs were as a tone pot or as a volume pot, and you haven't specified either.
 
#7
Didn't mean to derail the thread...
But I was aware of the impact on treble, and that vol and tone pot values combine their affect,
was curious as to the affect on the bass, tho.
I'll have to look into this a bit more.
 
#8
I'd stick with 250K CTS pots. Instead I'd pull the too hot SD jazz p'up and replace with a corresponding Fender Custom Shop 60's jazz bridge p'up. They will make for a superb match up. I'd also recommend using a Sprague Vitamin Q 0.47 microfarad tone capacitor. All will be copasetic.
 
#9
try it; 500k volume and/or tone will add brightness.

you'll want linear volumes, especially with 500k, or they'll drop off so fast as to make blending difficult.

also, the fender P should be plenty louder than the duncan stacked J.
 
#11
No a 500k pot will not boost a pickup. It will just let more treble through.
If I understand you correctly it sounds like the Duncan is just too hot for a good balance with the P pickup. Try wiring the coils in parallel on the J, assuming its a four wire stacked coils pickup. This will lower its output a bit.
 
#15
i still don't believe that a stacked J, "hot" or not, is gonna overpower a P pickup; stacks are inherently weaker in output than regular single coil Js, much less P pickups.
 

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