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The tone knob connects the pickups to ground across a resistor and a capacitor. When you have it turned all the way up, the maximum amount of resistance is present. Some current leaves the circuit, primarily matching higher frequency sounds. The higher the resistance, the less frequency is lost. That is why 500k pots sound brighter than 250k pots.
Yes, that's exactly how I visualize it, empirically. But the way you phrased it allows me to see it in a slightly different light, which is helpful because it will make things simpler for me from now on. Thanks!
Would you agree that in a simple bass circuit (where frequencies over ±4Khz don't matter much 99% of the time), or in guitars with dark humbuckers, the volume pot value (as long as inside the usual values) has such a negligible impact on the audible frequency response that it can most of the time be entirely ignored? Or am I wrong about this in your opinion?
I think it has an effect. Also, what I meant in my post is that the output from the pickup can either be wired to the center lug or the 3rd lug to function like normal. The difference between this is the distance between ground and the pickup will always include the full resistance of the volume pot on the 3rd lug. On the center lug, as you turn down volume, the resistance to ground decreases. The latter will sound darker as you turn volume down.
It's a fact that it does, electrically speaking (even though I still don't entirely understand how, lol). It can be measured. I'm not questioning that in anyway.
I don't know the specific numbers you are using, but you could test it out by pypassing the volume on your bass. Most people seem to think it makes a difference. If it makes no difference bypassing the volume, then a higher pot value will not matter.It's a fact that it does, electrically speaking (even though I still don't entirely understand how, lol). It can be measured. I'm not questioning that in anyway.
I'll try to make my question clearer. Please bare with me
What I ask myself is, is the effect of increasing the value of the volume pot of a bass ever audible in real-world, since the frequencies impacted are out of the bass useful range, expect in very specific instances.
When recording bass, anything over ±4Khz disappears in the mix, unless the bass is solo'ed or mixed very upfront (AND the pickups are bright single coils AND the strings are roundwound and fresh AND the bass is recorded direct etc..! Lots of IF'es...). And worse, when using bass cabs! The quasi-totality of bass cabs, out of axis, can't reproduce properly frequencies over 6-7Khz (and not even that for most of them). Most bass players even use bass cabs without any sort of tweeter, which of course severly limits the useful (out of axis) frequency range even more.
So in a bass (guitars are another matter), is there any real use to try and get a mere +1,5db over 7Khz from replacing a 250k pot with a 1000k one? Is there a sound reason for me (except in very specific instances), for the reasons exposed above, to focus on volume pot value when trying to increase the overall brightness of the instrument?
And the value of the cap I’ll be using is the same as G&L’s... and I just love my G&L... so it’s sold!
